FaSnRK1a mediates salicylic acid pathways to enhance strawberry resistance to Botrytis cinerea

Strawberry is a major fruit crop worldwide because its nutritional and health benefits to human health,but its productivity is limited by Botrytis cinerea.Sucrose nonfermentation 1-related protein kinase 1(SnRK1)has a defense function against pathogens,but the function of SnRK1 in the defense response to B.cinerea in plants is still unclear.In this study,FaSnRK1a-OE and RNAi fruits were constructed and then inoculated with B.cinerea.The result reveals a positive role of Fa SnRK1a in the regulation of resistance to gray mold.FaSnRK1a affects SA content by regulating FaPAL1 and FaPAL2 expressions.The genes related to the SA signaling pathway(FaTGA1 and FaTGA2.1)were significantly increased/decreased in FaSnRK1a-OE or FaSnRK1a-RNAi fruit,respectively.FaSnRK1a interacted with the FaWRKY33.2 protein and negatively regulated FaWRKY33.2 expression,and FaWRKY33.2 acts as a repressor of disease resistance to B.cinerea.Finally,FaSnRK1a regulates the expression of six PR genes and the activities of antioxidant enzymes to boost defense response after B.cinerea inoculation.Our findings showed that FaSnRK1a increases the resistance of strawberry fruit to B.cinerea via SA signaling pathway and interaction with the FaWRKY33.2 transcription factor.

Real-Time Detection and Instance Segmentation of Strawberry in Unstructured Environment

The real-time detection and instance segmentation of strawberries constitute fundamental components in the development of strawberry harvesting robots.Real-time identification of strawberries in an unstructured envi-ronment is a challenging task.Current instance segmentation algorithms for strawberries suffer from issues such as poor real-time performance and low accuracy.To this end,the present study proposes an Efficient YOLACT(E-YOLACT)algorithm for strawberry detection and segmentation based on the YOLACT framework.The key enhancements of the E-YOLACT encompass the development of a lightweight attention mechanism,pyramid squeeze shuffle attention(PSSA),for efficient feature extraction.Additionally,an attention-guided context-feature pyramid network(AC-FPN)is employed instead of FPN to optimize the architecture’s performance.Furthermore,a feature-enhanced model(FEM)is introduced to enhance the prediction head’s capabilities,while efficient fast non-maximum suppression(EF-NMS)is devised to improve non-maximum suppression.The experimental results demonstrate that the E-YOLACT achieves a Box-mAP and Mask-mAP of 77.9 and 76.6,respectively,on the custom dataset.Moreover,it exhibits an impressive category accuracy of 93.5%.Notably,the E-YOLACT also demonstrates a remarkable real-time detection capability with a speed of 34.8 FPS.The method proposed in this article presents an efficient approach for the vision system of a strawberry-picking robot.

5-Aminolevulinic acid against strawberry Fusarium wilt:Bidirectional regulation of biocontrol agents and pathogens

Strawberry Fusarium wilt (SFW) is a systematic soil-borne disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp.fragaria (Fof),which infects the vascular bundles,blocking water and nutrient transport from roots to the aboveground.It is a severe pathogen which spreads rapidly and destroys strawberry production.Finding a way to control this disease is of great scientific value and practical importance.In this study,three fungi were isolated from the vascular tissues of sick strawberries in the field.After DNA sequencing,they were identified as Fof,Aspergillus fumigatus and Trichoderma harzianum,respectively,among which the first two are pathogens and the third is a probiotic.All fungi were controlled by thiophanate-methyl (TM),a commercial fungicide.On PDA medium,20 mg·L^(-1)5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA),a natural non-protein amino acid,promoted T.harzianum proliferation,but inhibited Fof and A.fumigatus.In confrontation test,the growth of Fof or A.fumigatus was inhibited by T.harzianum and exogenous ALA promoted T.harzianum growth but significantly inhibited the pathogen growth.When three species of fungi were separately or combinedly inoculated on healthy strawberry plants,T.harzianum promoted plant growth and development while Fof or A.fumigatus caused growth retardation,where Fof directly caused leaf yellowing and plant wilting.When the plants inoculated with different fungus were treated with ALA,the results turned out that ALA alleviated SFW symptoms by bidirectionally promoting T.harzianum proliferation and inhibiting Fof and A.fumigatus.Thus,ALA might be used in comprehensively controlling SFW in strawberry industry.

Genome-Wide Discovery and Expression Profiling of the SWEET Sugar Transporter Gene Family in Woodland Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) under Developmental and Stress Conditions: Structural and Evolutionary Analysis

The SWEET(sugar will eventually be exported transporter)family proteins are a recently identified class of sugar transporters that are essential for various physiological processes.Although the functions of the SWEET proteins have been identified in a number of species,to date,there have been no reports of the functions of the SWEET genes in woodland strawberries(Fragaria vesca).In this study,we identified 15 genes that were highly homolo-gous to the A.thaliana AtSWEET genes and designated them as FvSWEET1–FvSWEET15.We then conducted a structural and evolutionary analysis of these 15 FvSWEET genes.The phylogenetic analysis enabled us to categor-ize the predicted 15 SWEET proteins into four distinct groups.We observed slight variations in the exon‒intron structures of these genes,while the motifs and domain structures remained highly conserved.Additionally,the developmental and biological stress expression profiles of the 15 FvSWEET genes were extracted and analyzed.Finally,WGCNA coexpression network analysis was run to search for possible interacting genes of FvSWEET genes.The results showed that the FvSWEET10 genes interacted with 20 other genes,playing roles in response to bacterial and fungal infections.The outcomes of this study provide insights into the further study of FvSWEET genes and may also aid in the functional characterization of the FvSWEET genes in woodland strawberries.

Ellagic Acid Enhances Antioxidant System Activity and Maintains the Quality of Strawberry Fruit during Storage

Ellagic acid(EA)is a natural antioxidant,widely present in a lot of forms’soft fruits,nuts,and other plant tissues,and helpful for promoting human health;however,its protective effect on postharvest fruit and improving the quality index of postharvest fruit have rarely been studied.In this experiment,the strawberries were soaked in 0,100,200,300,400,and 500 mg L^(−1) EA,respectively,and the influential EA on fruit quality and the antioxidant system of strawberries were studied.Compared with the control,EA treatment can reduce the browning degree and rotting rate of strawberry fruit during storage and augment the soluble solid content(SSC).EA treatment can also increase the content of related stuff and enzyme activity in antioxidant systems;the gene expression level of polyphenol oxidase(PPO)in strawberries treated with EA was always down-regulated,correspondingly,the expression of other antioxidant enzyme genes was enhanced.Among the strawberry fruits treated with EA of different concentrations,300 mg L^(−1) EA had the best effect in the process of strawberry preservation.The results suggested that the proper concentration of exogenous EA at 300 mg L−1 could maintain strawberries’quality and enhance the antioxidant system by improving the activities of antioxidative enzymes and the ascorbateglutathione(AsA-GSH)cycle during storage.

Management of Strawberry Grey Mold Disease Using Biocontrol Agents and Plant Extracts

Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) is a significant global soft fruit crop, prized for its nutrient content and pleasant flavor. However, diseases, particularly grey mold caused by Botrytis cinerea Pers. Fr. poses major constraints to strawberry production and productivity. Grey mold severely impacts fruit quality and quantity, diminishing market value. This study evaluated five B. cinerea isolates from various locations in the Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya. All isolates were pathogenic, with isolate SGM 2 identified as highly virulent. Host range studies showed the pathogen-producing symptoms in the fava bean pods, marigold, gerbera, and chrysanthemum flowers and in the fava bean, gerbera, and lettuce leaves. In vitro tests revealed that neem extract (15% w/v) achieved the highest mycelial growth inhibition at 76.66%, while black turmeric extract (5% w/v) had the lowest inhibition at 9.62%. Dual culture methods with bio-control agents indicated that Bacillus subtilis recorded the highest mean inhibition at 77.03%, while Pseudomonas fluorescens had the lowest at 20.36% against the two virulent isolates. Pot evaluations demonstrated that B. subtilis resulted in the lowest percent disease index at 20.59%, followed by neem extract at 23.31%, with the highest disease index in the control group at 42.51%. Additionally, B. subtilis significantly improved plant growth, yielding an average of 0.32 kg compared to 0.14 kg in the control. The promising results of B. subtilis and neem leaf extract from this study suggest their potential for eco-friendly managing grey mold in strawberries under field conditions.

Effect of K Fertilizer on Absorption of Mineral Elements in Greenhouse-grown Strawberry Fruits

[Objectives]The paper was to explore the effect of K fertilizer on the absorption of mineral elements in greenhouse-grown strawberry fruits.[Methods]A systematic investigation was conducted on the effects of K fertilizer dosage levels on the absorption of mineral elements in Fengxiang strawberries,an excellent variety suitable for cultivation in Anhui Province.The investigation was carried out under medium N and P conditions in a greenhouse.[Results]The N content of strawberry fruits increased as the K_(2)O dosage increased within the range of 0-250 kg/hm^(2).Similarly,the P content of strawberry fruits increased gradually with the increase of K_(2)O dosage within the range of 0-125 kg/hm^(2).[Conclusions]This study presents a basis for enhancing the absorption of mineral elements in strawberry fruit by applying K appropriately.

Nutritional, Textural, Sensory Properties and Storage Stability Evaluation of Newly Formulated Strawberry Bar

An analytical study was conducted to develop a strawberry bar and analysis of the nutritional quality and storage stability of a newly formulated strawberry bar. In proximate analysis moisture, ash, pH, acidity, vitamin C, total phenolic content, and antioxidant of strawberry pulp were found 82%, 0.5%, 2.57, 1.38%, 49 mg/100g, 0.33%, 75.17% whereas, in the strawberry bar, it was found 18%, 0.71%, 2.10, 1.10%, 22 mg/100g, 0.14%, 56.13% respectively. For textural properties analysis, the textural profile of the strawberry bar such as hardness, factorability, viscosity, cohesiveness, adhesiveness, springiness, gumminess, chewiness, probe diameter, threshold, filtering range of strawberry bar was found 5.538 × 104 N/m, 0.000 N/m2, 1.687 × 104 N/m2, 0.6636, 2.908 × 103 J/m3, 0.8664, 3.675 × 104 N/m2, 3.184 × 104 N/m2, 20.000 mm, 5 N, 0.4 N respectively whereas the maximum level was 17.4 N at 29.628 seconds and the minimum level was -5.3 N at 30.166 seconds. The sensory evaluation of the strawberry bar was conducted based on nine-point hedonic scales. The sensory evaluation results indicated that the appearance of the strawberry bar was liked very much and the taste, texture, color, aroma, and overall acceptability of the strawberry bar were liked moderately by panelists. In microbiological analysis, the Total Viable Count (TVC) and Total Coliform Count (TCC) of the strawberry bar were found safe levels for up to third days. But on the sixth day, the TCC of the strawberry bar was not found and the TVC of the strawberry bar was found 17 × 104 cfu/g respectively which is higher than the permitted value (Gulf Standard: 105 cfu/g). From the microbial point of view, the newly formulated strawberry bar was safe to consume for up to 3 days but not for 6 days.

Metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis reveals the molecular mechanism by which blue light promotes lutein synthesis in strawberry

Carotenoids are an important component of the human diet, and fruit is a primary source of carotenoids. The synthesis and regulation of carotenoids in fruit are important contributors to the formation of fruit quality. In China, strawberry is one of the main seasonal fruits grown in the winter. Previous studies have shown that light has a significant effect on the metabolism of anthocyanins, sugars, and polyphenols in strawberry. However, the understanding of the role of light in regulating the metabolism of carotenoids in strawberry remains limited. This study investigated the effects of blue, red, yellow-green, and white light on carotenoid metabolism in strawberry.Blue light treatment promoted the synthesis of multiple carotenoids, including lutein, compared with the other three treatment groups. The RNA sequencing data revealed that blue light treatment promoted the expression of lycopene ε-cyclase(LCYE), and the transient overexpression of LCYE in strawberry fruit promoted lutein accumulation in strawberry. Overall, the results suggest that blue light can promote the synthesis of lutein in strawberry by inducing the expression of LCYE.

Study on a Bowl-based Mechanism for Transplanting Potted Strawberry Seedlings

To improve the efficiency of fetching and transplanting seedlings for the mechanization of strawberry planting,an integrated transplanting mechanism was designed with protruding,fetching and planting performance to achieve rapid fetching and pushing bowl movements.According to the working principle of the slewing mechanism,a kinematics model and the optimization goal were established,respectively.Based on visual auxiliary analysis software,optimal parameters were obtained.A three-dimensional model was established to obtain a simulation trajectory by means of a virtual simulation design analysis.Three-dimensional printing technology was used to manufacture the test prototype,and the actual working trajectories of the test prototype were extracted using high-speed photography technology,which verified the consistency of the actual trajectory with the theoretical and simulated trajectories.A prototype transplanting experiment was performed with the success rate of seedling extraction of 91.2%and excellent planting rate of 82.8%,which met the requirements for integrated strawberry harvesting,planting and transplanting.The experimental results verified the correctness and feasibility of the design of integrated transplanting mechanism.

Rapid Screening of Pesticide Residues in Strawberry Based on HPLC-QTOF/MS SWATH Acquisition Mode

[Objectives]The paper was to establish a rapid screening method of pesticide residues in strawberry based on HPLC-QTOF/MS SWATH acquisition mode.[Methods]The strawberry sample was extracted with acetonitrile,purified with anhydrous magnesium sulfate,sodium chloride and primary secondary amine(PSA)powder,and then loaded on the machine.The full information spectrum was collected by positive ion mode and screened by comparing with the spectrum library,and 20 kinds of pesticide residues were quantitatively analyzed.[Results]The detection limits of 20 pesticide residues were 0.0002-0.0100 mg/kg,and they showed good linearity in the range of 0.0005-0.1000μg/mL(R 2≥0.995).The recoveries ranged from 62.8%to 106.3%.[Conclusions]This method is rapid,simple,sensitive and non-targeted,and can be used for rapid screening of multiple pesticide residues in strawberry.

In Vitro Propagation of Three Strawberry Varieties and Field Evaluation

A study was done to produce a rapid in vitro propagation of three strawberry genotypes and tested in the field under Bangladeshi circumstances. Festival, RABI-3, and Neho strawberry genotypes’ runner tips were cultivated in vitro to induce root induction and multiple shoot proliferation. MS (Murashige and Skoog) media that were basally containing three different concentrations at 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 of BA (6-benzyl adenine), KIN (6-furfuryl amino purine), or GA3 (gibberellic acid) at 0.5 mg/L increasing tips of the runner was attained. The culture grew on the medium provided with 1.5 mg/L 6-benzyl adenine and 0.5 mg/L 6-furfuryl amino acid to increase shoot at the best level. Micro-cuttings were rooted on MS media at half strength combined with 0.5 mg/L - 1.5 mg/L IBA (indole butyric acid) or IAA (indole acetic acid). IBA attained 4 - 9 roots and 91% - 96% rooting at 1.0 mg/L. The resulting plantlets grew into hardy plants and took root in the earth. The genotype festival had the highest response rate, followed by RABI-3 and Neho.

In Vitro Propagation of Three Strawberry Cultivars through Runner Tips Culture

At the Genetics and Plant Breeding Laboratory of the Department of Agronomy and Agricultural Extension, University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh, strawberry in vitro propagation was done. Five Benzylaminopurine (BAP) concentrations were utilized for shoot induction—0.0 mg/L (Control), 0.5 mg/L, 1.0 mg/L, 1.5 mg/L, and 2.0 mg/L and five Indole Buteric Acid (IBA) concentrations—0.0 mg/L(Control), 0.5 mg/L, 1.0 mg/L, 1.5 mg/L, and 2.0 mg/l—were used for the induction of the root. The highest mean amount of shoots (eight) and length of the shoot (3.40 cm) were observed at a concentration of BAP of 0.5 mg/L. Festival also had the highest mean amount of leaves (6) when we used the identical concentration, while RABI-3 and Camarosa did the least well. The IBA of 0.5 mg/L concentration of rooting performed the best across all metrics tested among the five concentrations. The longest (3.3 cm) roots and most roots (7) were likewise obtained from this concentration in Festival. However, RABI-3 and Camarosa performed worse than Festival in the same concentration. Half-strength MS media without IBA concentration showed no response regarding root induction for each of the three cultivars.

Facility Cultivation Techniques of ‘Kaorino’ Strawberry

Strawberry‘Kaorino’is one of the perfect early-maturing strawberry varieties with high quality and high yield due to its anthracnose resistance,early maturity and good quality.The variety has become more and more popular with the promotion over the last few years,but there are great differences from other varieties in cultivation.Based on its varietal characteristics and cultivation performance in production over the last few years,we summarized the seedling cultivation techniques,planting management techniques,main disease control techniques and harvesting and storage techniques,aiming to provide reference for better promotion and application of‘Kaorino’.

Application Effect of Functional Microbial Products in the Cultivation of Green Ecological Strawberry

In order to promote the transformation and high-quality development of strawberry industry and speed up the application of functional microbial products in strawberry,the application technology of functional microbial products in strawberry planting is studied and summarized.It mainly includes:the periods and methods of continuous cropping strawberry soil reduction and disinfection at high temperature,before and after strawberry planting,before plastic film mulching and whole process of plant spraying.Through multi-point test and demonstration,the purpose of advancing the season of strawberries,improving the quality,increasing production and increasing efficiency is achieved,and there is no risk of agricultural residue pollution,which meets the needs of people's consumption upgrading.Therefore,the application of functional microbial products in green ecological planting is very necessary,and it is worth further speeding up the demonstration and promotion.

Effects of Different Agricultural Managements on Characteristics of Soil Microbial Community under Continuous Cropped Strawberry(Fragaria ananassa Duchesne)

[Objective] The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of different agricultural managements on soil microbial population,activity,functional diversity and soil enzyme activity in continuous mono-cropping field of strawberry.[Method]A field plot experiment was carried out to evaluate characteristics of soil microbial community by soil enzyme analysis,microbial cultivation and Biolog analysis.[Result]The results showed that bacteria population proportion,the ration of bacteria to fungi,microorganism amount,AWCD,soil dehydrogenase activity,the Shannon,Simpson,and Mcintosh indices of soil microbial communities were obviously increased under strawberry-rice rotation,soil solarization with rice bran,and calcium cyanamide（CaCN2）treatments,in addition,soil urease activity was significantly increased under strawberry-rice rotation and soil solarization with rice bran treatment,when compared with no fertilization.When compared with conventional fertilization treatment,strawberry-rice rotation and soil solarization with rice bran both significantly increased AWCD and Mcintosh index of soil microbial communities,meanwhile respectively increased soil urease and dehydrogenase activity.PCA analyses suggested that carbon utilization of soil microbial communities under strawberry-rice rotation,soil solarization with rice bran,and calcium cyanamide treatment was obviously different from that of conventional fertilization and no fertilization treatment.[Conclusion] strawberry-rice rotation and soil solarization with rice bran were effective agricultural managements to control soil biological degradation under Continuous Cropped Strawberry.

Cloning and Sequencing the Full-length cDNA of Annexin from Strawberry Fruit

采用RACE技术从草莓 (FragariaananassaDuch .)成熟果实中分离克隆了膜联蛋白 (annexin)基因的cDNA 5′_端未知序列 ,并通过测序确定了翻译的起始密码位点、终止密码位点及完整的读码框 ,从而首次获得了草莓果实膜联蛋白基因的cDNA全序列 ,命名为annfaf(annexinofFragariaananassafruit)基因。

Effects of Different Boric Fertilizers on Growth,Yield and Quality of Strawberry

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the effect of different boric fer- tilizer on the growth, yield and quality of strawberry. [Method] With a strawberry cultivar Hongyan as the test material, water, borax and foliar disodium octoborate tetrahydrate was respectively sprayed to the leaves of strawberry four times from the squaring stage on. At the initial flowering stage and mature stage, the plant height, stem diameter, leaf area and petiole length of strawberry were measured; at the harvest time, the single fruit weight of strawberry was measured; and at the mature stage, the VC, sugar and organic acids contents in the strawberry fruit were determined. [Result] Compared with the control group, the spraying of foliar disodi- um octoborate tetrahydrate promoted the growth and significantly increased the plant height and leaf area of strawberry. However, no significant difference was found in root shoot ratio of strawberry between foliar disodium octoborate tetrahydrate treat- ment and the control group. Spraying of boric fertilizers significantly increased the single fruit weight and yield of strawberry. Compare with the control group, the spraying of foliar disodium octoborate tetrahydrate and borax increased the single fruit weight of strawberry by 20.14% and 4.86% respectively, and increased the yield of strawberry by 17.28% and 4.02% respectively. Compared with borax treat- ment and the control group, spraying of foliar disodium octoborate tetrahydrate im- proved the quality, i.e., increased the VC content, soluble solids content and sugar- acid ratio in strawberry fruit. The B content in leaf of strawberry was increased after foliar B fertilization. Among the three groups, the B content in leaf of strawberry ranked as disodium octoborate tetrahydrate treatment＇s 〉 borax treatment＇s 〉 con- trol＇s. [Conclusion] Spraying foliar disodium octoborate tetrahydrate can promote the growth, yield and quality of strawberry.

Study on Soilless Culture of Facility Strawberry

[Objective] The aim was to establish a set of soilless cultivation and management method of facility strawberry cultivation in the south of China.[Method] In the research,strawberry species,substrate formulae,cultivation modes and nutri ent solutions were selected and optimized.[Result] Three-dimensional strawberry cultivation was much suitable for Frandy,Hongbao and Gumei No.1; substrate with coconut shred-mushroom residue-peat soil ratio at 2∶2∶1 was the optimal; the treatment C3,containing Ca（NO3）2·4H2O,KNO3,（NH4）2HPO4,MgSO4·7H2O,and NH4NO3 at 280,303,62,246 and 80 mg/L,promoted strawberry growth,and the cultivated strawberry was large and thick in leaves,thick in stem,dark green in leaf color,with best fruit yield and quality.Among three cultivation modes,the density,space use ratio and yield in the treatment with PVC pipes in A-shape were all higher and the strawberry was easier and more convenient for picking.[Conclusion] The research provides references for soilless cultivation of strawberry in the south of China.

Analysis on Microsatellites Derived from Strawberry ESTs

[Objective]The aim was to obtain effective microsatellite markers from the public strawberry ESTs data.[Method]The distribution frequency and density of simple sequence repeats（SSRs） in strawberry EST was analyzed by MISA（Microsatellite） software,and the redundancy was analyzed with CAP3 software.[Result]A total of 10 129 SSR sequence was received in 17 565 of EST sequences,and the distance among SSRs was about 0.90 kb,in which the Hexanucleotide repeats gained the greatest abundance,which was accounted for 61.0%,while the Trimeric,Monomeric,Dimeric,Tetrameric and Pentameric repeats accounted for 14.3%,13.1%,6.2%,4.3% and 1.1% respectively.The most abundant motif was A/T,AG,AAG and AAAG in the Monomeric,Dimeric,Trimeric and Tetrameric repeat motifs,while the CG was not found in the coding region.In these six types of repeat motifs,there was no significant difference between redundant and non redundant ESTs.[Conclusion]The availability of microsatellite markers could be expected to be achieved in the public strawberry database.