Effects of Microbial Fertilizer and Compound Feritlizer Mixed Application on Yield and Fruit Quality and Flowering and Fruit Setting of Following Year of Apple

In order to study the application effect of microbial fertilizer and compound fertilizer mixed application on microirrigation apple, three types of fertilizers were applied in spring which were urea（CK, 15 kg/plant）, microbial fertilizer（5.0 kg/plant）,microbial fertilizer and compound fertilizer mixed（each 2.5 kg/plant） to study the effect of different fertilizer treatments on yield, fruit quality, flowering and fruit setting of Xinshijie apple. The results showed that application of microbial fertilizer could increase the yield, fruit weight and fruit shape index, significantly increase the flowering rates and inflorescence fruit setting rate of following year, while reduce the fruit hardness and soluble solids content, and the effect of microbial fertilizer and compound fertilizer mixed application on increasing fruit weight and yield was higher than that of microbial fertilizer separate application, the effect of the two was not obvious in other aspects. Therefore, microbial fertilizer could be used instead of some chemical fertilizer and organic fertilizer in apple production to reach the aim of increasing yield and efficiency, and the effect of microbial fertilizer and compound fertilizer mixed application was best.

Jamun (Syzygium cumini) seed and fruit extract attenuate hyperglycemia in diabetic rats

To evaluate the potential of both jamun (Syzygium cumini) seed and fruit extracts against hyperglycemia.MethodsMale Sprague Dawley rats were used to evaluate hypoglycemic potential of jamun extracts. Purposely, jamun fruit and seed’s ethanolic extracts based diets were provided to normal and high sucrose diet induced hyperglycemic/diabetic rats for sixty days. The serum glucose and insulin levels were monitored at monthly intervals to evaluate hypoglycemic effect of jamun extracts.ResultsThe results of instant research depicted that both seed and fruit extracts reduce the blood glucose level significantly and also regulate the insulin levels in hyperglycemic rats. It was noted that jamun fruit extract attenuated serum glucose levels to 5.35% and 12.29% in normal and hyperglycemic rats, respectively; while insulin levels were improved by 2.82% and 6.19%, correspondingly. Whereas, jamun seed extract reduced glucose to 7.04% & 14.36% and showed 3.56% & 7.24% higher insulin levels in normal & hyperglycemic rats, respectively.ConclusionsThe present research revealed that both jamun fruit and seeds have potent prophylactic role against hyperglycemia. In this respect, diet based regimen may be tailored using jamun fruit/seed and their extracts to alleviate hyperglycemia.

Determination and evaluation of biogas and methane productions of vegetable and fruit wastes with Hohenheim Batch Test method

Nowadays,biogas technology applications are gradually increasing worldwide due to the economic and environmental benefits.Many researches and studies related to the determination of the biogas potential of organic waste materials have been carried out in the recent years.Studies to determine the specific methane potential of organic waste materials have a great importance for both design and economical operation of the biogas plants.Energy potential that will be recovered from organic wastes is substantial in Turkey.Thanks to biogas plants gathering vegetable-fruit wastes and other organic wastes are planned to produce significant amount of renewable energy in Turkish markets.Owing to the use of organic wastes,the disposal of waste as well as energy production,soil,water and air pollution in terms of environmental protection are also minimized.On the other hand,the organic wastes produced from plants can also be utilized as fertilizer in vegetable production.In this study,the cumulative biogas and methane production of vegetable and fruit wastes were experimentally determined with HBT(Hohenheim Batch Test)method.Biogas and methane yields of vegetable and fruit wastes were found as 0.54-0.73 Nm^(3)/(kg ODM)and 0.29-0.37 Nm^(3)/(kg ODM),respectively.The highest value of the cumulative specific methane production was tomato wastes(0.37 Nm^(3)/(kg ODM)),and the lowest value was lettuce wastes(0.29 Nm^(3)/(kg ODM)),as well.The average cumulative specific methane production values of mixed vegetable and fruit wastes are determined as 0.34 Nm^(3)/(kg ODM).

Angiosperm-wide analysis of fruit and ovary evolution aided by a new nuclear phylogeny supports association of the same ovary type with both dry and fleshy fruits

Fruit functions in seed protection and dispersal and belongs to many dry and fleshy types,yet their evolutionary pattern remains unclear in part due to uncertainties in the phylogenetic relationships among several orders and families.Thus we used nuclear genes of 502 angiosperm species representing 231 families to reconstruct a well supported phylogeny,with resolved relationships for orders and families with previously uncertain placements.Using this phylogeny as a framework,molecular dating supports a Triassic origin of the crown angiosperms,followed by the emergence of most orders in the Jurassic and Cretaceous and their rise to ecological dominance during the Cretaceous Terrestrial Revolution.The robust phylogeny allowed an examination of the evolutionary pattern of fruit and ovary types,revealing a trend of parallel carpel fusions during early diversifications in eudicots,monocots,and magnoliids.Moreover,taxa in the same order or family with the same ovary type can develop either dry or fleshy fruits with strong correlations between specific types of dry and fleshy fruits;such associations of ovary,dry and fleshy fruits define several ovaryfruit"modules"each found in multiple families.One of the frequent modules has an ovary containing multiple ovules,capsules and berries,and another with an ovary having one or two ovules,achenes(or other single-seeded dry fruits)and drupes.This new perspective of relationships among fruit types highlights the closeness of specific dry and fleshy fruit types,such as capsule and berry,that develop from the same ovary type and belong to the same module relative to dry and fleshy fruits of other modules(such as achenes and drupes).Further analyses of gene families containing known genes for ovary and fruit development identified phylogenetic nodes with multiple gene duplications,supporting a possible role of whole-genome duplications,in combination with climate changes and animal behaviors,in angiosperm fruit and ovary diversification.

Comparative Analyses of Height Growth Velocities of School Boys in South Korea and Japan in the Past 50 Years

The paper compares the height growth velocities of male schoolchildren in South Korea and Japan over the period 1961-2018. Growth in height was measured with the same birth cohorts, not by comparing mean height of ascending ages in the same year. Starting from a lower economic base and mean height in the 1960s, high school males aged 17 in South Korea became 3 cm taller in mean height than their Japanese peers in the mid-2000s versus 2 - 3 cm shorter in the 1960s through 1970s. Children in Japan ceased to grow taller by the end of the 1980s, not because they quit taking more animal-sourced foods, meat and milk, but because they had drastically steered away from fruit and vegetables in their diets since the end of the 1970s. Having largely converged economically with Japan, South Korean children ceased to grow any taller in the mid-2000s. More importantly, it was discovered in this study that successive cohorts in South Korea started to fall gradually but steadily in height growth velocity from 1st graders in middle school, aged 12 years to 3rd graders in high school, and aged 17 years, to be once again 3 cm below their Japanese peers in the early-2010s. Analysis of Korea Household Expenditure Surveys classified by age groups of household head, decomposed by the author, revealed that children under 20 years of age in South Korea began to steer away from fruit and, particularly, vegetables in their at-home consumption in the mid-1990s, to average only 15% of the level of older adults in their 50s in the mid-2010s. These results lend supports to the importance of fruit and vegetables as determinants in height and its growth velocities in two genetically similar nations over time and stages of economic growth.

A Preliminary Investigation of Low Yield Reason of Camellia oleifera in Dehong Prefecture

[Objective] The paper was to preliminarily investigate the low yield reason of Camellia oleifera caused by fruit and flower dropping in Dehong prefecture. [Method]Pollen viability of C. oleifera was determined using I-KI and TTC （2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride） method, the germination rate of pollen was determined by in vitro culture method, the pollen tube growth was observed by the fluorescent microscope through aniline blue dyeing, and the effects of different pollination methods on fruit setting rate of C. oleifera was analyzed. [Results] The pollen viability and the quantity of pollen tube of C. oleifera with good fruiting were significantly higher than the plants with poor fruiting, but their pollen germination rate had no significant differences; cross pollination was conducive to fruiting setting of C. oleifera. [Conclusion] The growth and development condition of C. oleifera pollen had important effect on the yield of C. oleifera in Dehong prefecture.

Electrochemical Detection of Salicylic Acid in Pickled Fruit/Vegetable and Juice

Salicylic acid(SA)is used as a preservative in food and a biocide in some consumer products.However,in some countries its use is prohibited.The main problem in the electroanalytical determination of SA is the formation of a passive film during the electro-oxidation of SA.To alleviate the passivation during SA measurement,the experiment was conducted by screen-printed carbon electrode(SPCE).While,differential pulse voltammetry(DPV)was essential for oxidation process to provide better sensitivity.Under conditions of optimized pH and electrolyte concentration,we have calibrated SA in the range of 0.001-0.2 mM,with and LOD of 1.6μM.The relative standard deviation of the sensor responses to 40μM and 100μM SA(n=20)was<3%.SA recoveries in samples such as pickled green mustard,pickled bamboo shoots,pickled mango,pickled lime,pickle ginger and apple juice were found to be in the range of 84-113%.

Nuclear phylogeny and insights into wholegenome duplications and reproductive development of Solanaceae plants

Solanaceae,the nightshade family,have2700 species,including the important crops potato and tomato,ornamentals,and medicinal plants.Several sequenced Solanaceae genomes show evidence for wholegenome duplication(WGD),providing an excellent opportunity to investigate WGD and its impacts.Here,we generated 93 transcriptomes/genomes and combined them with 87 public datasets,for a total of 180 Solanaceae species representing all four subfamilies and 14 of 15 tribes.Nearly 1700 nuclear genes from these transcriptomic/genomic datasets were used to reconstruct a highly resolved Solanaceae phylogenetic tree with six major clades.The Solanaceae tree supports four previously recognized subfamilies(Goetzeioideae,Cestroideae,Nicotianoideae,and Solanoideae)and the designation of three other subfamilies(Schizanthoideae,Schwenckioideae,and Petunioideae),with the placement of several previously unassigned genera.We placed a Solanaceae-specific whole-genome triplication(WGT1)at81 million years ago(mya),before the divergence of Schizanthoideae from other Solanaceae subfamilies at73 mya.In addition,we detected two gene duplication bursts(GDBs)supporting proposed WGD events and four other GDBs.An investigation of the evolutionary histories of homologs of carpel and fruit developmental genes in 14 gene(sub)families revealed that 21 gene clades have retained gene duplicates.These were likely generated by the Solanaceae WGT1 and may have promoted fleshy fruit development.This study presents a well-resolved Solanaceae phylogeny and a new perspective on retained gene duplicates and carpel/fruit development,providing an improved understanding of Solanaceae evolution.

Sugar Input, Metabolism, and Signaling Mediated by Invertase： Roles in Development, Yield Potential, and Response to Drought and Heat

Invertase （INV） hydrolyzes sucrose into glucose and fructose, thereby playing key roles in primary metabolism and plant development. Based on their pH optima and sub-cellular locations, INVs are categorized into cell wall, cytoplasmic, and vacuolar subgroups, abbreviated as CWlN, CIN, and VlN, respectively. The broad importance and implications of INVs in plant development and crop productivity have attracted enormous interest to examine INV function and regulation from multiple perspectives. Here, we review some exciting advances in this area over the last two decades, focusing on （1） new or emerging roles of INV in plant development and regulation at the post-translational level through interaction with inhibitors, （2） cross-talk between INV-mediated sugar signaling and hormonal control of development, and （3） sugar- and INV-mediated responses to drought and heat stresses and their impact on seed and fruit set. Finally, we discuss major questions arising from this new progress and outline future directions for unraveling mechanisms underlying INV-mediated plant development and their potential applications in plant biotechnology and agriculture.

Unravelling host-mediated effects on hemiparasitic Mexican mistletoe Psittacanthus calyculatus(DC.)G.Don traits linked to mutualisms with pollinators and seed dispersers

Aims While the influence of mistletoe-host interactions on each other’s evolution is well-recognized,the role of interactions between mis-tletoes and its mutualistic pollinators and seed dispersers mediated by host species is relatively unexplored.Methods Here,we examine the effects of host species(Mexican hawthorn Crataegus mexicana DC,black cherry Prunus serotina Ehrh.,leather-leaf Mexican oak Quercus crassipes Bonpl.)on flower morphology,nectar production,pollinator visitation rate and female reproduct-ive fitness in hemiparasitic Mexican mistletoe Psittacanthus caly-culatus(DC.)G.Don(Loranthaceae)populations at three different locations.We first measured the lengths of corolla,style,stamen,exerted stamen and anther,the length and width of the ovary and nectar availability for mistletoe flowers in natural populations.Then,we evaluated flower visitation and measured(length and width)and weighed the fruits and its seeds of mistletoes growing on each of the three host species.Finally,we evaluated the effects of host species,location and flower traits on fruit or seed size variation(both as proxies of reproductive fitness).Important Findings We found mistletoes growing on natural hosts P.serotina and Q.crassipes produced larger flowers,fruits and seeds than mistle-toes on cultivated C.mexicana.However,these differences varied across space.The amount of available nectar and hummingbird vis-itation rates in flowers of mistletoes on C.mexicana was higher at the three sites than in flowers of mistletoes on P.serotina or Q.cras-sipes.The effects of host species,study site and floral trait covariates affected significantly all fitness measures,indicating that mistletoes’reproductive fitness is affected differently depending on the host species and their site of occurrence.These host-associated differ-ences in reproduction might have implications for interactions with mutualistic vectors.