Combining Ability for Growth, Yield and Related Traits In Cucumber (Cucumis Sativus L.) Under Subtropical Conditions of Garhwal Himalayas

To assess the combining ability for quantitative and qualitative traits in cucumber a full diallel set of 7 parents and their 42 F1’s was evaluated at Horticultural Research Centre, Department of Horticulture, H.N.B. Garhwal University, Srinagar (Garhwal), Uttarakhand, India during 2015 and 2016. The mean sum of squares due to general combining ability (GCA) was of significant differences at 1 % level for almost all the characters. The variance due to specific combining ability (SCA) was found highly significant at 1 % level for almost all the characters. Results from general combining ability studies revealed that the parent, New Manipur-1 showed significant GCA effect in desired direction for maximum characters viz., length of vine, days to first fruit harvest and number of fruits per vine. The cross combinations, Seven Star x New Manipur-1 for length of vine, Swarna Purna x Seven Star for days to first fruit harvest; K-90 x Seven Star for number of fruits per vine and the cross PB-Naveen x Swarna Purna for total fruit yield per vine showed significant SCA effect in desired direction and found to be superior specific cross combinations. Bangladesh J. Bot. 50(4): 1003-1010, 2021 (December)

Pemetaan Atribut Sensori Kopi Kobura Berdasarkan Perbedaan Cara Panen dan Pengolahan di Tingkat Petani

<p><em>In general, Kobura coffee farmers in South Ogan Komering Ulu (OKU) harvest coffee with the criteria of red fruit and a mixture of red and green, while the processing method is a dry process. However, the sensory attributes of these activities are not yet known. This study aims to map the sensory qualities of Kobura coffee at the farmer level based on differences in harvesting and processing methods. The research was carried out in Banding Agung District, South OKU Regency, and the Coffee and Cocoa Bioindustry Laboratory, Balittri, Sukabumi, from March to December 2019. The design used was a completely randomized design with 3 treatment factors and two replications. The first factor was three clones of Kobura coffee (Kobura 1, 2, 3), the second factor was two harvesting methods (red and mix of red + green fruit), and the third factor is two processing methods (dry and wet). The variable observed were the sensory attributes analyzed by multivariate analysis of variance, principal component analysis, cluster analysis, and path analysis. The results showed that the harvesting and processing methods of Kobura coffee at the farmer level in South OKU did not significantly affect the sensory. Furthermore, each cluster's harvesting and processing methods were evenly distributed because the proportion between red and green fruit was not clearly identified in the mixed fruit harvest. Superior genetic and optimal altitude factors make Kobura coffee categorized into Fine Robusta with a final score of 81.13-85.75. The final score is directly and dominantly influenced by mouthfeel (body), flavor, overall, and fragrance, respectively.</em></p>

Style length and flower morphology of three eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) cultivars from Iran affected by fruit load

<p>A common feature of eggplant is its heterostyly. Long-style flowers bear fruits whereas short style ones fail to do so. Heterostyly is influenced by some factors such as genotype, climatic conditions and fruit load. In this study three eggplant cultivars from Iran were cultivated under greenhouse condition. The influence of presence of fruit (two fruits and four fruits) or absence of that on style length and some other flower morphological was studied in three positions of single, basal and additional. The presence of fruit, specially four fruits reduced style length, stigma width as well as mass of flower, pistil and stigma compared to the control in all times during fruit growth, and after fruit harvest they increased again. Fruit load didn’t affect the number of stamen and stamen length. These effects were observed in all three positons of single, basal and additional flowers of all three cultivars. Generally this study showed that fruit load has decreasing effect on style length and size of flowers forming after fruit setting, which reversed after fruit harvesting.</p>

Biochemical changes in pear fruits during storage at ambient conditions

‘Patharnakh’ (PN) (Pyrus pyrifolia Burm. Nakai) and ‘Punjab Beauty’ (PB) [Pyrus communis L. × Pyrus pyrifolia Burm. (Nakai)] are leading low-chill pear cultivars of subtropics of India. Diurnal temperature and relative humidity during fruit harvest period is high which considerably affect the shelf life of fruits. Fruits of ‘PN’ and ‘PB’ pear harvested at physiological maturity were stored for 12 days at ambient temperature and effects of storage temperature on physical and qualitative parameters were studied. Both cultivars showed reduction in fruit weight and firmness, reducing sugars, sucrose, starch and pectin content. However, total soluble solids and juice acid content increased during storage. Sucrose synthase activity and sucrose content showed significant positive correlation in ‘PN’ cultivar. Activities of fruit softening enzymes such as polygalacturonase (PG) and cellulase was enhanced; whereas, pectinmethylesterase (PME) was reduced during storage. Fruit firmness was negatively correlated with PG in both the cultivars. In ‘PN’ cultivar, fruit firmness was positively correlated with cellulase and negatively with PME enzyme but reverse trend was observed in ‘PB’ cultivar. Fruit minerals content didn’t show any substantial disparities in both the cultivars during storage. ‘Patharnakh’ and ‘Punjab Beauty’ fruits maintain desirable quality parameters up to 6-9 days and 3-6 days, respectively, during storage at ambient conditions.

Yield and quality performance of bottle gourd [Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) Standl.] genotypes in humid tropical lowland of Kerala

The present investigation was carried out at the Department of Vegetable Science, College of Agriculture, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellayani, during 2019-2020 to study the performance of bottle gourd genotypes. Among the genotypes, the BG-3 recorded the lower most node to fruit production (13.7) and highest fruit set per cent (43.4%). BG-2 was earliest to first fruit harvest (57.8 days). IC 371745 recorded longer fruit length (68.8 cm) which was at par with IC 538142 (62.2 cm). Genotype IC417704 recorded maximum fruit diameter and flesh thickness (15.97 cm and 12.56 cm). Genotype IC 331101 recorded the lowest rind thickness (1.69 mm) and IC 536593 recorded the highest fruit weight (2.41 kg). Tvpm Local recorded highest number of fruits per vine (6) followed by Pant Lauki-4 (4.3). The highest fruit yield was recoeded in Tvpm Local (43.98 t ha-1) with crop duration of 129.4 days. The highest TSS and ascorbic acid content were noted in the BG-3 (2.5°B) and IC398545 (12.0 mg 100-1 g), respectively. Based on the mean yield performance of the genotypes and selection index score IC 536593, Tvpm Local and Pant lauki-4 were best performing genotypes.

Evaluation of Genetic Diversity in Bottle Gourd Germplasm Based on Phenotypic Characters for Yield and Yield Associated Traits

The experiment was conducted during Kharif season 2018 at Horticulture Research Centre, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology; Modipuram, Meerut (U.P.) assess the genetic diversity among fifteen genotypes of bottle gourd [Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) Standl.]. The genetic diversity analysis according to that the formation of five clusters suggesting the presence of wide genetic diversity. The clustering pattern showed that geographical diversity wasn't related to genetic diversity. The analysis of % contribution of assorted characters toward the expression of total genetic divergence showed that the Days to 50% flowering (14.48%) followed Days of fruit set (12.95%), Vine length (m) (11.67%), Number of fruits per plant (10.93%), Number of the primary branches (10.37%), Days to first fruit harvest (10.16%), Average fruit weight (g) (9.44%), Fruit diameter (cm) (6.63%) contributed maximum towards total genetic divergence. Based on the maximum genetic distance. It is advisable to attempt a crossing of the genotype from cluster II (GP-7) with the genotype of cluster I (GP-5), cluster IV (GP-2) and cluster III (GP-1), which may cause to the generation of a broad spectrum of favorable genetic variability for yield improvement in bottle gourd.

Blackberry and Raspberry Cultivar Evaluations in Coastal California

Increased productivity of recently developed primocane raspberry (Rubus idaeus) and blackberry (Rubus sp.) cultivars have been accompanied by dramatic improvements in fruit firmness, shape, size, color, and flavor. These traits have contributed to the establishment of these crops throughout California. In this study, we evaluated publically available raspberry and blackberry cultivars for fruit yields, postharvest quality, and production in response to pruning management, at two locations in the central coast of California. Among raspberries, ‘Imara’ and ‘Kweli’ were the highest yielding cultivars at both trial locations while ‘Kwanza’ produced 30% to 50% larger fruit, by weight, with postharvest shelf life superior to that of ‘Vintage’. Among blackberries, ‘Prime-Ark® 45’ was the top-yielding cultivar and had the largest fruit at both locations during both years. ‘Prime-Ark® 45’ and ‘Prime-Ark® Traveler’ had comparable weights after 13 days in cold storage in 2018, while in 2019 ‘Prime-Ark® 45’ and ‘APF 268T’ had comparable fruit weight. Greater and earlier fruit yields of both blackberries and raspberries were obtained with combined production from floricanes and primocanes compared with primocane production alone. However, increase in cane density in combined production can complicate management of pests, fertigation, and fruit harvest efficiency. With increased interest in primocane cultivars, the information generated in this study has provided new resources to guide successful production by small, independent, and direct-sale growers.

Fruit Growth Stage Transitions in Two Mango Cultivars Grown in a Mediterranean Environment

Studying mango (Mangifera indica L.) fruit development represents one of the most important aspects for the precise orchard management under non-native environmental conditions. In this work, precision fruit gauges were used to investigate important eco-physiological aspects of fruit growth in two mango cultivars, Keitt (late ripening) and Tommy Atkins (early-mid ripening). Fruit absolute growth rate (AGR, mm day−1), daily diameter fluctuation (ΔD, mm), and a development index given by their ratio (AGR/ΔD) were monitored to identify the prevalent mechanism (cell division, cell expansion, ripening) involved in fruit development in three (‘Tommy Atkins’) or four (‘Keitt’) different periods during growth. In ‘Keitt’, cell division prevailed over cell expansion from 58 to 64 days after full bloom (DAFB), while the opposite occurred from 74 to 85 DAFB. Starting at 100 DAFB, internal changes prevailed over fruit growth, indicating the beginning of the ripening stage. In Tommy Atkins (an early ripening cultivar), no significant differences in AGR/ΔD was found among monitoring periods, indicating that both cell division and expansion coexisted at gradually decreasing rates until fruit harvest. To evaluate the effect of microclimate on fruit growth the relationship between vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and ΔD was also studied. In ‘Keitt’, VPD was the main driving force determining fruit diameter fluctuations. In ‘Tommy Atkins’, the lack of relationship between VPD and ΔD suggest a hydric isolation of the fruit due to the disruption of xylem and stomatal flows starting at 65 DAFB. Further studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis.

Nitrogen Use Efficiency, Allocation, and Remobilization in Apple Trees: Uptake Is Optimized With Pre-harvest N Supply

Optimizing the utilization of applied nitrogen (N) in fruit trees requires N supply that is temporally matched to tree demand. We investigated how the timing of N application affected uptake, allocation, and remobilization within 14-year-old “Gala”/M26 apple trees (Malus domestica Borkh) over two seasons. In the 2017–2018 season, 30 g N tree−1 of 5.5 atom% 15N–calcium nitrate was applied by weekly fertigation in four equal doses, commencing either 4 weeks after full bloom (WAFB) (pre-harvest) or 1-week post-harvest, or fortnightly, divided between pre- and post-harvest (50:50 split). Nitrogen uptake derived from fertilizer (NDF) was monitored by leaf sampling before whole trees were destructively harvested at dormancy of the first season to quantify N uptake and allocation and at fruit harvest of the second season to quantify the remobilization of NDF. The uptake efficiency of applied N fertilizer (NUpE) was significantly higher from pre-harvest (32.0%) than from the other treatments (~17%). The leaf NDF concentration, an indicator of N uptake, increased concomitantly only when pre-harvest N was applied. Pre-harvest treated trees allocated more than half of the NDF into fruit and leaves and stored the same amount of NDF into perennial organs as the post-harvest treatment. Subsequent spring remobilization of NDF was not affected by the timing of N fertigation from the previous season. A seasonal effect of remobilization was observed with a decrease in root N status and a reciprocal increase in branch N status at fruit harvest of season two. These findings represent a shift in the understanding of dynamics of N use in mature deciduous trees and indicate that current fertilizer strategies need to be adjusted from post-harvest to primarily pre-harvest N application to optimize N use efficiency. This approach can provide adequate storage N to support early spring growth the following season with no detriment to fruit quality.

Phenology of Flowering and Fruit Set in Snake Fruit (Salacca Sumatrana Becc.)

The Sidimpuan snake fruit ( Salacca sumatrana Becc.) tree flowers throughout the year. However, the fruits are produced seasonally. The level of production is directly related to flowering and fruit set. A low level of fruit formation results in a low number of fruits that can be harvested. A deeper understanding of the phenology of flowering and fruit set in Sidimpuan snake fruit may help solve the problem of low off-season production, and is the focus of this study. The study was conducted in the village of Palopat Maria, a subdistrict of Padangsidimpuan Hutaimbaru, Indonesia. The methodology included surveys and descriptive analysis with direct counting of inflorescences and fruits on each sample plant twice a week over each of three sampling periods (May–August 2016, September–December 2016, and January–April 2017). The results showed that the Sidimpuan snake fruit is a monoecious plant with hermaphrodite flowers. The inflorescences set at the base of the midrib of the fronds every 1.0–1.5 months. The plants had five–six flowering stages, and two–three stages of fruit set were observed. The period between the appearance of new flowers and fruit harvest lasted 5–6 months. The highest average number of flower bunches was observed in the January–April flowering period (6.23/tree) and the lowest was in May–August (5.33/tree, i.e., 14% less). The number of fruit bunches was the highest in May–August (4.37/tree), and the lowest in September–December, and was more than 40% less. Analysis of variance indicated that the flowering period significantly affected the percentage of fruit set. The highest fruit set was 85.5% during May–August, and the lowest was 44.0% during September–December. The average leaf nitrogen content in the flowering period of May–August and September–December was significantly different and higher than that in January–April. The average levels of phosphorus and potassium did not vary significantly throughout the year. The difference in fruit set affected the level of production in each flowering season.