Analysis of seed growth, fruit growth and composition and phospoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) occurrence in apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.)

A study has been made of growth in the fruit of apricot, Prunus armeniaca L. cv. Moorpark, in Adelaide, S.A. Morphological changes in the seed and mesocarp from anthesis to maturity are described. Significant positive correlations have been shown between the diameter of fruit at early pit-hardening, and that at the end of pit-hardening and at maturity. Large fruit at pit-hardening were also shown to ripen earlier. Other factors such as leaf/fruit ratio, fruit or leaf number per branch, branch diameter, and amount of light received by branches could not be correlated with fruit growth or final size. Differences were found in the rate of fruit growth during the first 3 or 4 weeks after anthesis between seasons, and also between fruit from early and late flowers. These differences were positively correlated with air temperature during this period; a constant number of "degree-days" above 5°C had accumulated when the fruit had grown to 2.3 cm in diameter. Fruit were shown to vary in volume and in the number and volume of mesocarp cells, both within and between trees. Volume differences in fruit within a tree were mainly due to differences in cell number, but between trees the contribution of cell volume was relatively more important.

Download Full-text

Effect of Methyl Jasmonate, Cytokinin, and Lavender Oil on Antioxidant Enzyme System of Apricot Fruit (Prunus armeniaca L.)

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13158565 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (15) ◽

pp. 8565

Author(s):

Seyda Cavusoglu ◽

Nurettin Yilmaz ◽

Firat Islek ◽

Onur Tekin ◽

Halil Ibrahim Sagbas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Enzyme Activity ◽

Methyl Jasmonate ◽

Prunus Armeniaca ◽

Lavender Oil ◽

Defense Systems ◽

Antioxidant Enzyme System ◽

Prunus Armeniaca L ◽

Antioxidant Defense Systems ◽

And Storage

Various treatments are carried out in order to extend both the shelf life and storage life of fresh fruit and vegetables after harvest and among them non-toxic for humans, environmentally and economically friendly alternative treatments are gained more importance. In the current study, methyl jasmonate (MeJA), cytokinin, and lavender oil which are eco-friendly and safe for human health were applied on apricot fruit. The treated fruit were stored at 0 °C and 90–95% relative humidity for 25 days and catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) enzyme activities and lipid peroxidation of apricots after treatments were studied. According to the findings obtained from the study, it was observed that 5 ppm cytokinin and 1000 ppm lavender oil treatments of apricot fruit gave better APX and CAT enzyme activity, respectively. In addition, better SOD enzyme activity in fruit was obtained with MeJA+lavender oil treatments. As a result, it can be emphasized that the product quality of apricot fruit is preserved as both the eco-friendly application of MeJA, cytokinin, and lavender oil separately from each other and the treatment of combinations between these compounds activate the enzymatic antioxidant defense systems of apricot fruit after harvest.

Download Full-text

Genetic Diversity Analysis and Population Structure in Apricot (Prunus Armeniaca L.) Grown Under North-Western Himalayas Using ISSR Markers

Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences ◽

10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.06.051 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zahid Nabi Sheikh ◽

Vikas Sharma ◽

Rafiq Ahmad Shah ◽

Neha Sharma ◽

Baby Summuna ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Population Structure ◽

Issr Markers ◽

Prunus Armeniaca ◽

Diversity Analysis ◽

Western Himalayas ◽

Genetic Diversity Analysis ◽

Prunus Armeniaca L ◽

North Western

Download Full-text

Diversity and Relationships among Neglected Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) Landraces Using Morphological Traits and SSR Markers: Implications for Agro-Biodiversity Conservation

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10071341 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 1341

Author(s):

Giandomenico Corrado ◽

Marcello Forlani ◽

Rosa Rao ◽

Boris Basile

Keyword(s):

Prunus Armeniaca ◽

Ex Situ ◽

Skin Colour ◽

Maintenance Breeding ◽

Prunus Armeniaca L ◽

Ex Situ Collection ◽

Loss Of Diversity ◽

Ssrs Markers ◽

On Farm ◽

Simple Sequence

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) is an economically important tree species globally cultivated in temperate areas. Italy has an ample number of traditional varieties, but numerous landraces are abandoned and at risk of extinction because of increasing urbanization, agricultural intensification, and varietal renewal. In this work, we investigated the morphological and genetic diversity present in an ex-situ collection of 28 neglected varieties belonging to the so-called “Vesuvian apricot”. Our aim was to understand the level of diversity and the possible link between the promotion of specific fruit types (e.g., by public policies) and the intraspecific variation in apricot. The combination of five continuous and seven categorical traits allowed us to phenotypically distinguish the varieties; while fruit quality-related attributes displayed high variation, both apricot size and skin colour were more uniform. The twelve fluorescent-based Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) markers identified cultivar-specific molecular profiles and revealed a high molecular diversity, which poorly correlated with that described by the morphological analysis. Our results highlighted the complementary information provided by the two sets of descriptors and that DNA markers are necessary to separate morphologically related apricot landraces. The observed morphological and genetic differences suggest a loss of diversity influenced by maintenance breeding of specific pomological traits (e.g., skin colour and size). Finally, our study provided evidence to recommend complementary strategies to avoid the loss of diversity in apricot. Actions should pivot on both the promotion of easily identified premium products and more inclusive biodiversity-centred on-farm strategies.

Download Full-text