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.

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.

Changes in fungal community and diversity in strawberry rhizosphere soil after 12 years in the greenhouse

Soil fungi play a very important role in the soil ecological environment. In agricultural production, long-term monoculture and continuous cropping lead to changes in fungal community diversity. However, the effects of long-term monoculture and continuous cropping on strawberry plant health and fungal community diversity have not been elucidated. In this study, using high-throughput sequencing(HTS), we compared the fungal community and diversity of strawberry rhizosphere soil after various durations of continuous cropping(0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 years). The results showed that soil fungal diversity increased with consecutive cropping years. Specifically, the soil-borne disease pathogens Fusarium and Guehomyces were significantly increased after strawberry continuous cropping, and the abundance of nematicidal(Arthrobotrys) fungi decreased from the fourth year of continuous cropping. The results of correlation analysis suggest that these three genera might be key fungi that contribute to the changes in soil properties that occur during continuous cropping. In addition, physicochemical property analysis showed that the soil nutrient content began to decline after the fourth year of continuous cropping. Spearman's correlation analysis showed that soil pH, available potassium(AK) and ammonium nitrogen(NH_4^+-N) were the most important edaphic factors leading to contrasting beneficial and pathogenic associations across consecutive strawberry cropping systems.

Hot air treatment activates defense responses and induces resistance against Botrytis cinerea in strawberry fruit

The effect of hot air（HA, 45°C, 3.5 h） treatment on reducing gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea in strawberry fruit and the possible mechanisms were investigated. The results showed that HA treatment significantly reduced lesion diameter and enhanced activities of chitinase（CHI）, β-1,3-glucanase and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase（PAL） in strawberry fruit. Total phenolic contents were also increased by HA treatment. The activities of antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase（SOD）, catalase（CAT） and ascorbate peroxidase（APX） were higher in HA treated strawberry fruit than those in control. Expression of three defense related genes such as CAT, CCR-1 allele and PLA6 was greatly induced in HA treated strawberry fruit with or without inoculation by B. cinerea. In addition, the in vitro experiment showed that HA treatment inhibited spore germination and tube growth of B. cinerea. These results suggested that HA treatment directly activated disease resistance against B. cinerea in strawberry fruit without priming response and directly inhibiting growth of B. cinerea.

Effect of Light Quality on Photosynthesis and Chlorophyll Fluorescence in Strawberry Leaves

The photosynthetic characteristics of strawberry (Fragariaananassa Duch. cv. Toyonoka)leaves under illumination of identical light intensity(55-57% natural light) withdifferent light quality were studied. It was showed that the chlorophyll content,maximal photochemical efficiency of PSⅡ(Fv/Fm), Fm/Fo, amount of inactive PSⅡreactioncenters (Fi-Fo) and rate of QA reduction were positively correlated with the red-light/blue-light ratios, but the chlorophyll (a/b) ratios were negatively correlated withthem. Carotenoid content of the leaves was maximum under the blue film, than under greenfilm, red film, white film and yellow film, and negatively correlated with the red/far-red ratios. The apparent quantum yield (AQY), photorespiratory rate (Pr) and carboxylationefficiency (CE) were also strongly affected by light quality. The photosynthetic rate(Pn) in strawberry leaves under green film was significantly lower than under all otherfilm. Our results suggested that light quality is an essential factor regulating thedevelopment of PSⅡ, and phytochrome and an independent blue light photoreceptor,possibly a cryptochrome, can regulate photosynthetic performance.

Isolation and Identification of Virus dsRNA from Strawberry Plants

The analysis of virus genome is based on nucleic acid isolation. The aims of this study were to develop a method for isolation and identification of virus double-stranded ribonucleic acid （dsRNA） and to elucidate the nucleotide sequences of strawberry virus. Using the modified method, virus dsRNA was extracted from strawberry virus indicator plants and cultivated strawberry plants and detected using agarose gel electrophoresis with ethidium bromide staining and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction （RT-PCR）. The quantity of virus dsRNA varied among strawberry cultivars. The quantity of dsRNA from in vitro plantlets was higher than that from the young leaves of field plants. For the field-grown plants, there was more dsRNA in the young leaves. Virus dsRNA extracted from strawberry plants was resistant to deoxyribonuclease Ⅰ （DNase Ⅰ）, but evidently, it became resistant to ribonuclease A （RNase A） only in the presence of 0.5 M NaCl. Its bands in agarose gel could be readily recycled using an agarose gel DNA purification kit. With RT-PCR, the segments of both strawberry mottle virus and Strawberry mild yellow edge virus genomes were amplified by using the virus dsRNA recycled from gel or treated with DNase Ⅰ /RNase A as templates. The system developed for dsRNA isolation and identification in strawberry plants laid a sound foundation for the work on genome analysis of strawberry virus isolates in China.

Effect of High Voltage Electrostatic Fields on Post-Harvest Quality of Strawberry Fruit

The paper studied the effect of high-voltage electrostatic fields on the postharvest quality of strawberries. The results showed that the respiration rate decreased significantly, the content of soluble solids kept at high level, and the activities of polygalacturonase and cx-cellulase decreased, while the fruit firmness declined slowly. On the seventh day of storage, the rotten rate of strawberries treated by HVEF was 5%, the control group was 15%.

Effects of molybdenum on nutrition, quality, and flavour compounds of strawberry (Fragaria×ananassa Duch. Cv. Akihime) fruit

Molybdenum （Mo） is an essential trace element in plant nutrition and physiology. It affects photosynthesis and photosyn- thate accumulation, therefore also affecting fruit quality and nutritional content. This study assessed the effects of different sodium molybdate （Na2MoO4） concentrations on strawberry. Five different Mo concentrations were applied in this experi- ment, including 0, 67.5, 135, 168.75, 202.5 g ha-1, respectively. The mineral concentration, including nitrogen （N）, Mo, iron （Fe）, copper （Cu）, and selenium （Se） was assessed in strawberry fruit, as well as chlorophyll content, nutrition quality, taste and aroma. Results showed that net photosynthetic rate （Pn） and chlorophyll content for the strawberry plants increased with an increase in Mo concentration; and the contents of N, Mo, Fe, Cu, total soluble solids （TSS）, titratable acidity （TA）, sweetness, some sugars, organic acids, and some volatile compounds in the fruit all increased, as well. However, the Mo concentration did not significantly affect the concentrations of Se, sucrose, lactic acid, acetic acid, and some aroma compounds. Fruit sprayed with 135 g ha-1 Mo exhibited the highest TSS and sweetness values, as well as the highest N and Fe concentrations among all the treatments. P value and chlorophyll content, fructose, glucose, sorbitol and total sugar contents in fruit supplied with 135 g ha-1 Mo were also higher than that in other treatments. Fruit sprayed with a Mo concentration of 67.5 g ha-1 exhibited significantly higher ascorbic acid （AsA） values than that of control. Ninety-seven volatile compounds were identified in fruit extracted by head-space solid-phase microextraction （HS-SPME） coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS）. Fruits sprayed with 135 g ha-1 Mo had the highest concentrations of six characteristic aroma compounds, including methyl butanoate, y-decalactone, ethyl butanoate, methyl hexanoate, y-do- decalactone, and ethyl caproate.

Study on the Molecular Variation and PCR Detection of Strawberry mottle virus

Strawberry mottle virus （SMoV） is an important viral pathogen infecting strawberry （Fragaria spp.）. The study was conducted to analyze the characterization of the molecular variation of SMoV and develop the methods for detection of SMoV by nested PCR and transcriptional enhancement techniques. The 3 non-coding region （NCR） and large coat protein （LCP） gene of SMoV genome were amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction （RT-PCR）. The specific segments were cloned and sequenced. The characterization of the molecular variation for some isolates of SMoV and phylogenetic analysis were studied. Based on the primers located in the conserved region of genome of SMoV, SMoV could be steadily detected using semi-nested PCR and transcriptional enhancement techniques. Both semi-nested PCR and transcriptional enhancement techniques were considerably more sensitive than the standard RT-PCR. The nucleotide sequences of NCR and partial LCP gene of Chinese isolates were obtained, and sequence analysis of the partial LCP gene of various SMoV isolates showed nucleotide identities ranging from 76.8 to 99.7%. There was a slight tendency for isolates to group according to their geographical origin. All 3 Polish isolates, 4 isolates of 7 Dutch isolates, and 3 isolates of 4 Chinese isolates formed a small separate branch, respectively. Two Germanic isolates had a far relationship with other isolates, and formed a separate clade. A high level of sequence variability was found among SMoV isolates, and the Germanic isolates were likely to a special strain group.