The present study investigating the reputation of fruit growing is the final part of a three-stage research approach. Based on a structural model, a consumer survey (N = 751) was conducted to ...determine the reputation and the importance of the indicators in reputation formation. Multiple regression analysis was applied to quantify the relationship between formative indicators and reputation, while factor analysis was employed to quantify reputation and reflective indicators. The results of the empirical study show a clear positive reputation for fruit growing and the entire sector. The respondents' prior knowledge of fruit growing further increases this effect. Indicators that significantly determine reputation are "product and service," "work," and "economic performance." The moderating variables influence individual indicators to vary degrees in their relationship with the reputation construct. Overall, however, the results show a low perception by the consumers of the segment at the producer level.
Anthocyanins are important health-promoting pigments that make a major contribution to the quality of fruits. The biosynthetic pathway leading to anthocyanins is well known and the key regulatory ...genes controlling the pathway have been isolated in many species. Recently, a considerable amount of new information has been gathered on the developmental and environmental regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis in fruits, specifically the impact of regulation through light. New discoveries have begun to reveal links between the developmental regulatory network and the specific regulators of anthocyanin biosynthesis during fruit ripening. In this opinion article, a simplified model for the different regulatory networks involved with anthocyanin production in fruit is proposed.
Spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, is an invasive insect pest that has spread into many fruit production regions of the world. Strategies to protect fruit from infestation by this insect ...are currently dominated by insecticide applications, so producers need information on relative efficacy and residual activity of insecticides to be able to select effective treatments. Semi-field bioassays in which highbush blueberry shoots with berries were treated then exposed to adult flies at different times after application revealed that fresh residues of organophosphate, pyrethroid, and spinosyn insecticides have strong initial activity on flies, with varying levels of residual protection against fruit infestation. An organic pyrethrum insecticide was not effective, whereas the neonicotinoid insecticide acetamiprid was found to have activity for up to five days. Rainfall after application greatly reduced the level of control achieved by some insecticides. Field-scale evaluation of conventional and organic spray programs initiated in response to capture of D. suzukii flies in monitoring traps indicated that both types of management provide significant fruit protection compared to untreated fields, with less larval detection in the conventionally-produced berries.
•Insecticides have varying residual activity against Drosophila suzukii.•Control of D. suzukii is negatively affected by rainfall.•Conventional and organic spray programs in blueberry provide control of D. suzukii.
Microalgae represent a potential sustainable alternative for the enhancement and protection of agricultural crops. Cellular extracts and dry biomass of the green alga Acutodesmus dimorphus were ...applied as a seed primer, foliar spray, and biofertilizer, to evaluate seed germination, plant growth, and fruit production in Roma tomato plants. A. dimorphus culture, culture growth medium, and different concentrations (0, 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 75, and 100 %) of aqueous cell extracts in distilled water were used as seed primers to determine effects on germination. Seeds treated with A. dimorphus culture and with extract concentrations higher than 50 % (0.75 g mL⁻¹) triggered faster seed germination—2 days earlier than the control group. The aqueous extracts were also applied as foliar fertilizers at various concentrations (0, 10, 25, 50, 75, and 100 %) on tomato plants. Extract foliar application at 50 % (3.75 g mL⁻¹) concentration resulted in increased plant height and greater numbers of flowers and branches per plant. Two dry biomass treatments (50 and 100 g) were applied 22 days prior to seedling transplant and at the time of transplant to assess whether the timing of the biofertilizer application influenced the effectiveness of the biofertilizer. Biofertilizer treatments applied 22 days prior to seedling transplant enhanced plant growth, including greater numbers of branches and flowers, compared to the control group and the biofertilizer treatments applied at the time of transplant. The A. dimorphus culture, cellular extract, and dry biomass applied as a biostimulant, foliar spray, and biofertilizer, respectively, were able to trigger faster germination and enhance plant growth and floral production in Roma tomato plants.
•Erger® as a budburst inducer is an alternative substitute for hydrogen cyanamide.•Garlic extract as a budburst inducer is not efficient in ‘Castel Gala’ apple trees.•Hydrogen cyanamide is more ...efficient at 1% than at 2%.
Hydrogen cyanamide is the main budburst inducer applied in Brazil, even though it is highly toxic to the environment. This fact has triggered the search for alternatives with similar efficiency and lower toxicity. This study aimed at evaluating the efficiency of different budburst inducers by using phenology on the field and by applying the biological method of single bud. The experiment was conducted in an experimental orchard of ‘Castel Gala’ apple trees in both 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 seasons. Seven treatments, divided into three concentrations of Erger® associated with calcium nitrate, three concentrations of garlic extract associated with mineral oil and control (no application), were applied in the first season. The second season consisted of the seven treatments applied in the first season and two treatments of hydrogen cyanamide, at different concentrations, associated with mineral oil. Evaluation was carried out on the field by checking budburst and flowering percentages, fruit set and dates of phenological stages. In the second season, the test of the single bud evaluated percentages of total budburst and mixed buds, average budburst time (ABT) and average time for leaf opening (ATLO). The results show that garlic extract is not efficient inducing budburst in 'Castel Gala' apple trees; while the budburst inducers hydrogen cyanamide 1% + mineral oil 3% and Erger® 7% + calcium nitrate 5% are the best alternative for inducers, being the last main alternative to hydrogen cyanamide in 'Castel Gala' apple trees budburst induction. The biological method of single bud did not show to be a good alternative to evaluate the efficiency of budburst inducers in 'Castel Gala' apple trees. .
► Phytochemicals content in summer fruits and vegetables varies. ► Process stability of phytochemicals in the same commodity varies depending on the geographical location of the growers. ► Different ...types of fruits and vegetables coming from different locations should be considered in one’s daily diet.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of processing, i.e. heating (98°C, 10min), freezing (−20°C) and freeze-drying on anthocyanins, carotenoids, and vitamin C in summer fruits and vegetables, i.e. cherries, nectarines, apricots, peaches, plums, carrots and red bell peppers. The commodities were collected from growers located in the Otago region (namely Cromwell, Roxburgh, Mosgiel and Clinton), New Zealand. The results revealed that each commodity contained different contents of phytochemicals. The content and the process stability of phytochemicals in each commodity were influenced by the geographical location of the growers. In general, a high content of phytochemicals was found in summer fruits and vegetables grown in Otago compared to those grown in the Northern Hemisphere, e.g. anthocyanins in cherries, nectarines, peaches and plums; total carotenoids in red bell peppers and nectarines and vitamin C in cherries, peaches, red bell peppers and carrots. Heating and freezing enhanced the release of membrane bound anthocyanins, resulting in higher content after processing compared to fresh commodities. In the commodities studied, with the exception of red bell peppers, the stability of ascorbic acid was increased if ascorbic acid oxidase was inactivated for example by heating.
•Colour and depth images provided by an RGB-D Azure Kinect DK camera are used.•Automatic algorithms to estimate size and weight of apples are evaluated.•Allometric models show a high ability to ...predict the weight of apples.•Different sizing and weighting algorithms can be used for yield prediction.
Data acquired using an RGB-D Azure Kinect DK camera were used to assess different automatic algorithms to estimate the size, and predict the weight of non-occluded and occluded apples. The programming of the algorithms included: (i) the extraction of images of regions of interest (ROI) using manual delimitation of bounding boxes or binary masks; (ii) estimating the lengths of the major and minor geometric axes for the purpose of apple sizing; and (iii) predicting the final weight by allometric modelling. In addition to the use of bounding boxes, the algorithms also allowed other post-mask settings (circles, ellipses and rotated rectangles) to be implemented, and different depth options (distance between the RGB-D camera and the fruits detected) for subsequent sizing through the application of the thin lens theory. Both linear and nonlinear allometric models demonstrated the ability to predict apple weight with a high degree of accuracy (R2 greater than 0.942 and RMSE < 16 g). With respect to non-occluded apples, the best weight predictions were achieved using a linear allometric model including both the major and minor axes of the apples as predictors. The mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) ranged from 5.1% to 5.7% with respective RMSE of 11.09 g and 13.02 g, depending to whether circles, ellipses, or bounding boxes were used to adjust fruit shape. The results were therefore promising and open up the possibility of implementing reliable in-field apple measurements in real time. Importantly, final weight prediction error and intermediate size estimation errors (from sizing algorithms) interact but in a way that is not easily quantifiable when weight allometric models with implicit prediction error are used. In addition, allometric models should be reviewed when applied to other apple cultivars, fruit development stages or even for different fruit growth conditions depending on canopy management.
The species of pear sucker, also called pear psylla or pear psyllid, which are destructive insects belonging to the genus Cacopsylla (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) cause substantial damage to pear tree ...plantations. Two consecutive years of research were conducted on the population structure and biological cycle of psylla in a small, elderly, and unmaintained pear orchard in northern Romania. Of the two identified species (C. pyri L. and C. pyricola Forster), C. pyri dominated the psylla population with a percentage of 77.8-80.1%. Adults of both species emerge from hibernation in the first part of March and produce three generations per year. First-generation adults emerge in the first decade of June, the second generation in the last decade of July, and the third generation in the first decade of September as they enter the hibernation phase. Larvae of the first generation appear in the second half of April, the second generation at the end of June - the beginning of July, and the third generation in the second decade of August. There have been reports of up to 11 adults and 27 larvae per leaf, 9 larvae per petiole, and 14 larvae per fruit. The number of adults captured on yellow sticky traps exposed on the southern side of the tree crown was significantly higher compared to the northern side. Following the intense attack, the well-known cv. ‘Williams’ was heavily affected, pear trees were badly defoliated, blackened, and aged prematurely. The climatic conditions of the two years did not influence the phenology of the pests, but the importance of monitoring psyllids is widely argued, considering that it remains the key to integrated protection programs in pear orchards.
Nowadays, the average values of the main parameters of the local climate and microclimate have changed significantly compared to the pre-industrial period. The immediate consequences are quite ...obvious, namely: the earlier initiation of vegetation of the most fruit tree species (with about 2 weeks), the increase in the frequency of damages caused by late spring frosts, the prolongation of periods of water stress into the soil and in the atmosphere, accompanied by the blocking photosynthetic activity and increased cell respiration, increased frequency and severity of burns on fruits through the combined effect of insolation and extremely high temperatures, earlier ripening and decreased fruit firmness and acidity. Changes have become obvious in the biological cycle of pests, harmful for fruit growing, especially by the appearance of additional generations with high aggressiveness, the increase of the risk, frequency, intensity and duration of the attack of pathogens. In fruit growing, the depletion of the level and quality of the harvest is caused by bacterial and fungal pathogens (over 155; 41%), pests (over 132; 35%), viruses, viroids and mycoplasmas (over 67; 17%) and dominant mono- and dicots (over 26; 7%). In the last 20 years, technical means have appeared, which allow the monitoring the physico-chemical and humidity parameters of the soil, the local microclimate, as well as the physiological and health status of the plants. The paper presents the results obtained in the period 2018-2022 at RIFG Pitesti-Mărăcineni, in the monitoring of some harmful agents, using independent analog or digital devices, automatic or semi-automatic weather stations with software for real-time data collection and processing, forecasting and warning modules of the risk of attack. These assets allowed the highlighting of the dynamics of some of the damaging agents in fruit growing, the professional scheduling and carrying out of phytosanitary actions in bearing orchards, the reduction of the allocated resources consumption and the protection of the environment.
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