Japanese Persimmon Cultural Practices in Florida

Persimmons are considered a relatively sustainable crop in Florida, rated as a 6 out of 10 on an assessment of agricultural sustainability, with a moderate commercial potential and high direct-to-consumer potential. Trees grow and fruit best in central and northern Florida and can produce high yields of good-quality fruit. This new 13-page publication of the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department describes how to propagate and establish persimmons in Florida, while also providing information on irrigation, fertilization, harvest, pests, diseases, and more. Written by Ali Sarkhosh, Dustin M. Huff, and Peter C. Andersen.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1389

Cultivares de Caqui Japonés en Florida

This is the Spanish version of: Sarkhosh, Ali, Peter Andersen, and Dustin Huff. 2020. “Japanese Persimmon Cultivars in Florida”. EDIS 2020 (1). https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-mg242-2020. El caqui japonés, Diospyros kaki L., es originario de China y fue cultivado por primera vez en Florida en el año 1870. El número de fincas productoras de caqui en Florida ha aumentado de 164 a 227 durante el período 2012-2017, haciendo mayor hincapié en la naturaleza de pequeña escala de la superficie promedio de fincas en esta industria. Los árboles crecen y fructifican mejor en el centro y norte de Florida, y pueden producir altos rendimientos de fruta de buena calidad. En el sur de Florida, la calidad de los frutos de tipo astringentes es mejor que la de los de tipo no astringentes.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg460

Pollination effectiveness of European honeybee, Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae), in an Oriental persimmon, Diospyros kaki (Ericales: Ebenaceae), orchard

Most common cultivars of Oriental (or Japanese) persimmon, Diospyros kaki Thunb. (Ericales: Ebenaceae), set mostly female flowers and require pollen from male flowers of other cultivars for pollination. Growers often introduce the European honeybee, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), into their orchards to promote pollination. Here, we investigated the pollination effectiveness of A. mellifera for D. kaki ‘Saijo,’ by monitoring flower visitors, analyzing pollen grains on bees’ body surfaces, and comparing the number of mature seeds in fruits among years with different pollinator availabilities. Apis mellifera and the bumblebee Bombus ardens ardens Smith (Hymenoptera: Apidae) were the major visitors for 3 years, although their dominance varied among years. The number of mature seeds was positively correlated with the number of B. ardens ​ardens visiting D. kaki flowers, but not with that of A. mellifera. Apis mellifera might be less efficient because visitors to female flowers carried significantly fewer pollen grains on their body surfaces than those of B. ardens ​ardens. Analysis of pollen loads of honeybees captured at their nest entrance suggested their preference for red clover, Trifolium pratense L. (Fabales: Fabaceae), and Toxicodendron spp. (Sapindales: Anacardiaceae), over D. kaki as a pollen source in our study site. The effectiveness of A. mellifera on D. kaki pollination should be carefully evaluated considering the effects of coexisting floral and pollinator species.

Japanese Persimmon Cultivars in Florida

Japanese persimmons were first grown in Florida in the 1870s, but as of 2017, most US plantings are on a small scale; however, even as the overall acreage has decreased, the number of farms in Florida growing the fruit increased from 2012 to 2017. Trees grow and fruit best in central and northern Florida and can produce high yields of good-quality fruit. With an estimated population of more than 21 million, a diverse cultural base, and large cities close to production zones, Florida is primed for a larger persimmon industry. This 11-page revision provides growers with a primer on persimmon characteristics, marketing, and cultivars. Written by Ali Sarkhosh, Peter C. Andersen, and Dustin M. Huff, and published by the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg242

NMR-based metabolic profiling and comparison of Japanese persimmon cultivars

Persimmons are a traditional, autumnal, and healthy fruit commonly consumed in Japan and East Asia based on the saying, “a persimmon a day keeps the doctor away.” The differences in metabolites among five major Japanese persimmon cultivars were investigated using a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics approach. By using a broadband water suppression enhanced through T1 effects (WET) method for the sensitive detection of minor metabolites, better discrimination among cultivars and more informative details regarding their metabolic differences have been achieved compared to those achieved in conventional 1H NMR sequences. Among the nonastringent cultivars analyzed, the Taishu cultivar has the highest abundance of amino acids. The Matsumotowase-Fuyu cultivar contains ethyl-β-glycosides as characteristic components, which may relate to fruit softening. Citric acid concentration is higher in Maekawa Jiro than in other nonastringent cultivars. Among the two astringent cultivars analyzed, ethanol was significantly higher in Hiratanenashi than in Yotsumizo, which indicates different reactivity during deastringency treatments. The present study proposes an efficient and relatively quantitative metabolomics approach based on broadband WET NMR spectra.