Studies of the Variability of Primary Metabolites in the Epicarp, Mesocarp and Seed of Dacryodes edulis Fruit at Taste Maturity

The fruits of Dacryodes edulis are rich in biologically active substances, which makes them of great interest in terms of validation. In this study, we targeted the primary metabolites in the epicarp, the mesocarp and the seed of the fruit of Dacryodes edulis at taste maturity, which were selected for their nutritional quality and its appreciation throughout the Gulf of Guinea area, which is very popular because of its large size, texture and special taste. The evaluation of total carbohydrates, total lipids and soluble proteins in the epicarp, mesocarp and seed of the fruit at taste maturity was made from spectrophotometer measurements. The overall analysis of the results of the present study shows that total carbohydrates, total lipids and proteins accumulate more in the seed with respectively 251.33 ± 1.15 mg/g DM;9.92 ± 0.201 mg/g DM and 55.075 ± 0.024 mg/g DM. Likewise, the results indicate low concentrations of total carbohydrates and total lipids in the epicarp with respectively 245 ± 1 mg/g DM and 4.77 ± 0.047 mg/g DM, on the other hand, it is the mesocarp which presents the lowest content of soluble proteins: 28.075 ± 3.231 mg/g DM. This variation could be linked to the nature of the compartment, more particularly to the storage location. This comparative study could lead to the valorization of the seed of the fruit of Dacryodes edulis for its richness in metabolites and arouse significant interest in nutrition.

Nutraceutical Potentiality of Fruits of Red Variety of Pseudospondias microcarpa (A. Rich) Engl.

The red fruits of Pseudospondias microcarpa (A. Rich) Engl. are widely consumed by the populations of northern Congo for their sweet and tangy flavor as well as for their characteristic smell. The objective of this study was to show the food potential of the fruits of this plant for their valorization. Organic solvent extracts were prepared and subjected to phytochemical screening to determine the nutrients and phytonutrients of this fruit. Raw juice was extracted by trituration without adding water and subjected to physicochemical and biochemical analyses in order to determine its quality and its antiradical activity. The raw juice obtained is moderately acidic (pH 3.28), very cloudy and colored (turbidity of 1019 NTU). It has a dry matter content of 3.771% ± 0.013% reflecting the 70% dominance of water in the weight of the fruit and the presence of dissolved organic matter in its juice. Energy nutrients (sugars, amino acids), carotenoids, coumarins, tannins, flavonoids, terpenes and sterols have been highlighted as nutrients with therapeutic potential commonly called phytonutrients of this fruit. The juice presented a dominance in polyphenols (134.8500 ± 0.0023 mg gallic acid/100 g) than in carotenoids (5.100 ± 0.010 mg carotene/100 g), high levels of mineral macroelements (calcium: 3570.00 ± 2.05 mg and potassium: 4576.00 ± 9.49 mg) and trace elements (copper: 11.13 ± 0.10 mg, iron: 3.02 ± 0.03 mg and zinc: 2.57 ± 0.08 mg). These compounds exhibited good antioxidant activity. The presence of these nutrients and phytonutrients in these fruits is interesting for the proper functioning of certain organs and the prevention of certain diseases. This fruit is therefore an energizing and functional food that can compete with conventional fruits whose juices are marketed.

Genome-wide identification of the CONSTANS-LIKE(COL)family and mechanism of fruit senescence regulation by PpCOL8 in sand pear(Pyrus pyrifolia)

Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai‘Whangkeumbae'is a sand pear fruit with excellent nutritional quality and taste.However,the industrial development of pear fruit is significantly limited by its short shelf life.Salicylic acid(SA),a well-known phytohormone,can delay fruit senescence and improve shelf life.However,the mechanism by which SA regulates CONSTANS-LIKE genes(COLs)during fruit senescence and the role of COL genes in mediating fruit senescence in sand pear are poorly understood.In this study,22 COL genes were identified in sand pear,including four COLs(Pp COL8,Pp COL9a,Pp COL9b,and Pp COL14)identified via transcriptome analysis and 18 COLs through genome-wide analysis.These COL genes were divided into three subgroups according to the structural domains of the COL protein.Pp COL8,with two B-box motifs and one CCT domain,belonged to the first subgroup.In contrast,the other three Pp COLs,Pp COL9a,Pp COL9b,and Pp COL14,with similar conserved protein domains and gene structures,were assigned to the third subgroup.The four COLs showed different expression patterns in pear tissues and were preferentially expressed at the early stage of fruit development.Moreover,the expression of Pp COL8 was inhibited by exogenous SA treatment,while SA up-regulated the expression of Pp COL9a and Pp COL9b.Interestingly,Pp COL8 interacts with Pp MADS,a MADS-box protein preferentially expressed in fruit,and SA up-regulated its expression.While the production of ethylene and the content of malondialdehyde(MDA)were increased in Pp COL8-overexpression sand pear fruit,the antioxidant enzyme(POD and SOD)activity and the expression of Pp POD1 and Pp SOD1 in the sand pear fruits were down-regulated,which showed that Pp COL8 promoted sand pear fruit senescence.In contrast,the corresponding changes were the opposite in Pp MADS-overexpression sand pear fruits,suggesting that Pp MADS delayed sand pear fruit senescence.The co-transformation of Pp COL8 and Pp MADS also delayed sand pear fruit senescence.The results of this study revealed that Pp COL8 can play a key role in pear fruit senescence by interacting with Pp MADS through the SA signaling pathway.

A study of the soil water potential threshold values to trigger irrigation of ‘Shimizu Hakuto’ peach at pivotal fruit developmental stages

Water management is an important practice that affects fruit size and quality.Effective implementation of irrigation scheduling requires knowledge of the appropriate indicators and thresholds,which are established manly based on the effects of water deficits on final fruit quality.Few studies have focused on the real-time effects of water status on fruit and shoot growth.To establish soil water potential (ψ_(soil)) thresholds to trigger irrigation of peach at pivotal fruit developmental stages,photogrammetry,^(13)C labelling,and other techniques were used in this study to investigate real-time changes in stem diameter,fruit projected area,net leaf photosynthetic rate (P_(n)),and allocation of photoassimilates to fruit under soil water potential conditions ranging from saturation to stress in 6-year-old Shimizu hakuto’peach.Stem growth,fruit growth,and P_n exhibited gradually decreasing sensitivity to water deficits during fruit developmental stages I,II,and III.Stem diameter growth was significantly inhibited whenψ_(soil)dropped to-8.5,-7.6,and-5.4 k Pa,respectively.Fruit growth rate was low,reaching zero when theψ_(soil)was-9.0 to-23.1,-14.9 to-21.4,and-16.5 to-23.3 k Pa,respectively,and P_ndecreased significantly when theψ_(soil)reached-24.2,-22.7,and-20.4 kPa,respectively.In addition,more photoassimilates were allocated to fruit under moderateψ_(soil)conditions (-10.1 to-17.0 k Pa) than under otherψ_(soil)values.Our results revealed threeψ_(soil)thresholds,-10.0,-15.0,and-15.0 kPa,suitable for triggering irrigation during stages I,II,and III,respectively.These thresholds can be helpful for controlling excessive tree vigor,maintaining rapid fruit growth and leaf photosynthesis,and promoting the allocation of more photoassimilates to fruit.

Pro-fertility effect of Ficus carica fruit extract in streptozotocin-induced male rats

Objective:To explore the impact of Ficus carica fruit aqueous extract on fertility parameters in streptozotocin(STZ)-induced male rats.Methods:Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four different groups.All groups except a normal control group were induced with 50 mg/kg of streptozotocin(STZ)intravenously to induce diabetes.A positive control group was treated with an antidiabetic drug,metformin(500 mg/kg)whereas a negative control group remained untreated throughout the experiment.Meanwhile,another diabetic rat group received treatment with 400 mg/kg of aqueous Ficus carica fruit extract.Rats in the treatment group were administered Ficus carica fruit aqueous extract daily through forcefeeding via oral gavage for a 21-day period.Assessments included the sperm quality(count,motility and morphology),histology of the testes,serum testosterone and fasting blood glucose(FBG)level.Results:The FBG level of the Ficus carica-treated rats exhibited a significant decrease compared to the negative control group(P<0.05).Sperm quality analysis also indicated that the aqueous Ficus carica extract had significant positive effects on sperm count and motility(P<0.05).The histology of the testes in Ficus caricatreated rats revealed an improved cell arrangement in the germinal cell layer.Furthermore,serum testosterone level showed an increment in the Ficus carica treatment group in comparison to the negative control group.Conclusions:Our findings provide compelling evidence for the profertility and anti-hyperglycemic properties of aqueous Ficus carica fruit extract in diabetic-induced male rats.

A 1-bp deletion in the MC04g1399 is highly associated with failure to produce fruit wart in bitter gourd

Fruit wart is an important appearance trait influencing consumer preferences of bitter gourd(Momordica charantia L.).The molecular genetic mechanisms underlying fruit wart formation in bitter gourd are largely unknown.In this study,genetic analysis based on four generations showed that fruit wart formation in bitter gourd was controlled by a single dominant locus named as Fwa.The Fwa locus was initially mapped into a 4.82 Mb region on pseudochromosome 4 by BSA-seq analysis and subsequently narrowed down to a 286.30 kb region by linkage analysis.A large F2population consisting of 2360 individuals was used to screen recombinants,and the Fwa locus was finally fine mapped into a 22.70 kb region harboring four protein-coding genes through recombination analysis.MC04g1399,encoding an epidermal patterning factor 2-like protein,was proposed as the best candidate gene for Fwa via sequence variation and expression analysis.In addition,a 1-bp insertion and deletion(InDel)variation within MC04g1399 was converted to a cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence(CAPS)marker that could precisely distinguish between the warty and non-warty types with an accuracy rate of 100%among a wide panel of 126 bitter gourd germplasm resources.Our results not only provide a scientific basis for deciphering the molecular mechanisms underlying fruit wart formation but also provide a powerful tool for efficient genetic improvement of fruit wart via marker-assisted selection.

Optimizing Household Wastes (Rice, Vegetables, and Fruit) as an Environmentally Friendly Electricity Generator

The high consumption of electricity and issues related to fossil energy have triggered an increase in energy prices and the scarcity of fossil resources.Consequently,many researchers are seeking alternative energy sources.One potential technology,the Microbial Fuel Cell(MFC)based on rice,vegetable,and fruit wastes,can convert chemical energy into electrical energy.This study aims to determine the potency of rice,vegetable,and fruit waste assisted by Cu/Mg electrodes as a generator of electricity.The method used was a laboratory experiment,including the following steps:electrode preparation,waste sample preparation,incubation of the waste samples,construction of a reactor using rice,vegetable,and fruit waste as a source of electricity,and testing.The tests included measuring electrical conductivity,electric current,voltage,current density,and power density.Based on the test results,the maximum current and voltage values for the fruit waste samples were 5.53 V and 11.5 mA,respectively,with a current density of 2.300 mA/cm^(2) and a power density of 12.719 mW/cm^(2).The results indicate the potential for a future development.The next step in development involves determining the optimum conditions for utilizing of rice,vegetable,and fruit waste.The results of the electrical conductivity test on rice,vegetable,and fruit waste samples were 1.51,2.88,and 3.98 mS,respectively,with the highest electrical conductivity value found in the fruit waste sample.

Structural characterization of three acidic polysaccharides from Opuntia dillenii Haw.fruits and their protective effect against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in Huh-7 cells

Three novel acidic polysaccharide fractions(OFPP-1,OFPP-2,OFPP-3)with different m olecular weights(803.7,555.1 and 414.5 k Da)were isolated from the peeled Opuntia dillenii Haw.fruits by alkali-extraction,graded alcohol precipitation and column chromatography.Structural analysis indicated that OFPPs were pectic polysaccharides consisting of rhamnose,arabinose and galactose residues.The backbone of OFPP-1 consisted of a repeating unit→6-α-D-Galp A-(1→2)-α-L-Rhap-(1→with T-α-D-Galp A-(1→6)-α-D-Galp A-(1→4)-α-D-Glcp-(1→,T-β-D-Xylp-(1→6)-α-D-Galp A-(1→4)-α-D-Glcp-(1→or T-α-D-Galp A-(1→3)-α-L-Araf-(1→as the side chains.The backbone of OFPP-2 consisted of a disaccharide repeating unit→2)-α-L-Rhap-(1→4)-β-D-Galp A-(1→with T-β-L-Araf-(1→as the branches substituted at the O-4 position of→2,4)-α-LRhap-(1→.Whereas the backbone of OFPP-3 was→2,4)-α-L-Rhap-(1→2)-α-L-Rhap-(1→3)-β-L-Araf-(1→or→2,4)-α-L-Rhap-(1→2)-α-L-Rhap-(1→4)-β-D-Galp A-(1→,which was branched at the O-4 position of→2,4)-α-L-Rhap-(1→.Moreover,these three polysaccharide fractions could protect Huh-7 cells against H2O2-induced oxidative stress to different extents by decreasing the MDA content and increasing the SOD,CAT,GSH-Px activities and the GSH level in the Huh-7 cells.These results suggest that OFPPs have the potential to be used as natural antioxidants.

An Artificial Intelligence-Based Framework for Fruits Disease Recognition Using Deep Learning

Fruit infections have an impact on both the yield and the quality of the crop.As a result,an automated recognition system for fruit leaf diseases is important.In artificial intelligence(AI)applications,especially in agriculture,deep learning shows promising disease detection and classification results.The recent AI-based techniques have a few challenges for fruit disease recognition,such as low-resolution images,small datasets for learning models,and irrelevant feature extraction.This work proposed a new fruit leaf leaf leaf disease recognition framework using deep learning features and improved pathfinder optimization.Three fruit types have been employed in this work for the validation process,such as apple,grape,and Citrus.In the first step,a noisy dataset is prepared by employing the original images to learn the designed framework better.The EfficientNet-B0 deep model is fine-tuned on the next step and trained separately on the original and noisy data.After that,features are fused using a serial concatenation approach that is later optimized in the next step using an improved Path Finder Algorithm(PFA).This algorithm aims to select the best features based on the fitness score and ignore redundant information.The selected features are finally classified using machine learning classifiers such as Medium Neural Network,Wide Neural Network,and Support Vector Machine.The experimental process was conducted on each fruit dataset separately and obtained an accuracy of 100%,99.7%,99.7%,and 93.4%for apple,grape,Citrus fruit,and citrus plant leaves,respectively.A detailed analysis is conducted and also compared with the recent techniques,and the proposed framework shows improved accuracy.

Differential Expression of Genes Related to Fruit Development and Capsaicinoids Synthesis in Habanero Pepper Plants Grown in Contrasting Soil Types

Habanero pepper(Capsicum chinense Jacq.)is a crop of economic relevance in the Peninsula of Yucatan.Its fruits have a high level of capsaicinoids compared to peppers grown in other regions of the world,which gives them industrial importance.Soil is an important factor that affects pepper development,nutritional quality,and capsaicinoid content.However,the effect of soil type on fruit development and capsaicinoid metabolism has been little understood.This work aimed to compare the effect of soils with contrasting characteristics,black soil(BS)and red soil(RS),on the expression of genes related to the development of fruits,and capsaicinoid synthesis using a transcriptomic analysis of the habanero pepper fruits.Plants growing in RS had bigger fruits and higher expression of genes related to floral development,fruit abscission,and softening which suggests that RS stimulates fruit development from early stages until maturation stages.Fruits from plants growing in BS had enrichment in metabolic pathways related to growth,sugars,and photosynthesis.Besides,these fruits had higher capsaicinoid accumulation at 25 days post-anthesis,and higher expression of genes related to the branched-chain amino acids metabolism(ketol-acid reductisomerase KARI),pentose phosphate pathway and production of NADPH(glucose-6-phosphate-1-dehydrogenase G6PDH),and proteasome and vesicular traffic in cells(26S proteasome regulatory subunit T4 RPT4),which suggest that BS is better in the early stimulation of pathways related to the nutritional quality and capsaicinoid metabolism in the fruits.

Regional Brand and High-quality Development of Fruits in Ethnic Areas of the Yangtze River Economic Belt under the Greater Food Approach

Establishing the Greater Food Approach and promoting the Yangtze River Economic Belt s national major regional development strategy can better support and serve the agricultural power and Chinese-style modernization.This paper introduces the characteristics of fruit industry in 16 autonomous prefectures and 47 autonomous counties under the jurisdiction of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.It studies the intellectual property resources of brand marks from the aspects of geographical indications,collective trademarks,certification trademarks,well-known trademarks in China and national design patents,and analyzes the main problems of brand and high-quality development of fruit industry in these ethnic autonomous areas.Finally,it puts forward some strategies,such as improving the protection of intellectual property rights of geographical indications,using intellectual property rights of brand signs,building modern seed industry upgrading project,drawing lessons from the experience of thousand villages demonstration project,ensuring that large-scale poverty does not occur,and building a diversified food supply system.

Improving the Quality of Baobab Oil by Filtration on Activated Carbon from the Fruit Capsules

The baobab, Adansonia digitata L., plays an important role in the economy of local populations. Nowadays, baobab seed oil is highly prized for its many cosmetic and therapeutic applications, and for its composition of unsaturated fatty acids, sterols, and tocopherols. However, it undergoes numerous reactions during production, processing, transport, and storage, leading to undesirable products that make it unstable. The aim of this study was to provide local processors with innovative solutions for the treatment of unrefined vegetable oils. To this end, an experimental device for filtering crude oil on activated carbon made from fruit capsules was designed. The results obtained after the treatment show a significant decrease at (p < 5%) in acid value (1.62 to 0.58 mg KOH/g), peroxide value (4.40a to 0.50c mEqO2/Kg), chlorophyll concentration (1.81 to 0.50 mg/Kg) and primary and secondary oxidation products. According to these results, activated carbon’s adsorptive power eliminates oxidation products and certain pro-oxidants such as chlorophyll, resulting in a cleaner, more stable and better storable oil.

Deep Learning-Based Classification of Rotten Fruits and Identification of Shelf Life

The freshness of fruits is considered to be one of the essential characteristics for consumers in determining their quality,flavor and nutritional value.The primary need for identifying rotten fruits is to ensure that only fresh and high-quality fruits are sold to consumers.The impact of rotten fruits can foster harmful bacteria,molds and other microorganisms that can cause food poisoning and other illnesses to the consumers.The overall purpose of the study is to classify rotten fruits,which can affect the taste,texture,and appearance of other fresh fruits,thereby reducing their shelf life.The agriculture and food industries are increasingly adopting computer vision technology to detect rotten fruits and forecast their shelf life.Hence,this research work mainly focuses on the Convolutional Neural Network’s(CNN)deep learning model,which helps in the classification of rotten fruits.The proposed methodology involves real-time analysis of a dataset of various types of fruits,including apples,bananas,oranges,papayas and guavas.Similarly,machine learningmodels such as GaussianNaïve Bayes(GNB)and random forest are used to predict the fruit’s shelf life.The results obtained from the various pre-trained models for rotten fruit detection are analysed based on an accuracy score to determine the best model.In comparison to other pre-trained models,the visual geometry group16(VGG16)obtained a higher accuracy score of 95%.Likewise,the random forest model delivers a better accuracy score of 88% when compared with GNB in forecasting the fruit’s shelf life.By developing an accurate classification model,only fresh and safe fruits reach consumers,reducing the risks associated with contaminated produce.Thereby,the proposed approach will have a significant impact on the food industry for efficient fruit distribution and also benefit customers to purchase fresh fruits.

Study on Temperature Disaster Indicators of Passion Fruit in Southwest Fujian, China

In China, meteorological forecasting relies on meteorological data obtained from regional and national stations. However, there were discrepancies between the data collected from the meteorological station at the passion fruit growing base and the data from regional and national stations. Consequently, the high and low temperature disaster indicators determined by the meteorological station at the passion fruit growing base cannot be applied to meteorological forecasting. To address this issue and facilitate the monitoring and early warning of high and low temperature disasters in passion fruit cultivation in Fujian, China, we used multi-source hourly temperature data (including the data from meteorological observation stations in passion fruit growing bases, the nearest regional stations, and national surface conventional meteorological observation stations) in three cities in southwestern Fujian (Longyan, Sanming, and Zhangzhou) spanning the years 2020 to 2022. By employing comprehensive statistical analysis methods (0.5 interval division and Cumulative frequency), we identified that passion fruit in southwestern Fujian was susceptible to high temperature disasters during the blooming-fruiting period, as well as low temperature disasters during the sprouting period. Consequently, we developed high and low temperature disaster indicators based on data from regional and national stations for different phenological periods of passion fruit in this region.

Transcriptomics and metabolomics analyses provide insights into postharvest ripening and senescence of tomato fruit under low temperature

Tomato is one of the most important vegetable crops in the world and is a model plant used to study the ripening of climacteric fleshy fruit.During the ripening process of tomato fruit,flavor and aroma metabolites,color,texture and plant hormones undergo significant changes.However,low temperatures delayed the ripening process of tomato fruit,inhibiting flavor compounds and ethylene production.Metabolomics and transcriptomics analyses of tomato fruit stored under low temperature(LT,5°C)and room temperature(RT,25°C)were carried out to investigate the effects of storage temperature on the physiological changes in tomato fruit after harvest.The results of transcriptomics changes revealed that the differentially expressed genes(DEGs)involved in tomato fruit ripening,including several kinds of transcription factors(TFs)(TCP,WRKY,MYB and bZIP),enzymes involved in cell wall metabolism[beta-galactosidase(β-GAL),pectinesterase(PE)and pectate lyase(PL),cellulose and cellulose synthase(CESA)],enzymes associated with fruit flavor and aroma[acetyltransferase(AT),malic enzyme(ME),lipoxygenase(LOX),aldehyde dehydrogenase(ALDH),alcohol dehydrogenase(ADH)and hexokinase(HK)],genes associated with heat stress protein 70 and genes involved in the production of plant hormones such as Ethylene responsive factor 1(ERF1),Auxin/indoleacetic acids protein(AUX/IAA),gibberellin regulated protein.Based on the above results,we constructed a regulatory network model of the effects of different temperatures during the fruit ripening process.According to the analysis of the metabolomics results,it was found that the contents of many metabolites in tomato fruit were greatly affected by storage temperature,including,organic acids(L-tartaric acid,a-hydroxyisobutyric acid and 4-acetamidobutyric acid),sugars(melezitose,beta-Dlactose,D-sedoheptulose 7-phosphate,2-deoxyribose 1-phosphate and raffinose)and phenols(coniferin,curcumin and feruloylputrescine).This study revealed the effects of storage temperature on postharvest tomato fruit and provided a basis for further understanding of the molecular biology and biochemistry of fruit ripening.

Insights into flavonoid biosynthesis during cucumber fruit peel coloration based on metabolite profiling and transcriptome analyses

The fruit peel color is a crucial trait of cucumber.To better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying cucumber peel coloration,we compared the UPLC-ESI-MS/MS-based flavonoid metabolomic and RNA sequencing-based transcriptomic profiling of the brown peeled cucumber line‘PW’at six developmental stages.A total of 210 flavonoid metabolites were identified.Of which,117 flavonoid metabolites were differentially accumulated.In this study,weighted gene co-expression network analysis combined with Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genomes enrichment analysis revealed key genes coding for seven enzymes and eight transcription factors(TFs)associated with flavonoid biosynthesis.Among them,the R2R3MYB CsaV3_4G001130 is the best candidate gene that is responsible for controlling mature fruit colors in cucumber.Sanger sequencing revealed one nonsynonymous SNP in the exon of CsaV3_4G001130 among the selected 11 cucumber lines,which introduced a premature stop codon,generating a truncated protein in pale yellow or creamy peeled fruits.Yeast two-hybrid assays showed a direct interaction of CsaV3_4G001130 with the bHLH TF CsaV3_1G002260 and the WD40 protein CsaV3_5G001800.However,the interactions were influenced by the nonsynonymous SNP we identified.Our finding revealed that the integrated transcriptome and metabolome analysis further demonstrated that the abundance of some pigmented flavonoids(especially anthocyanins and chalcones)contributed to the coloration of‘PW’fruits.These findings pave the way for elucidation of flavonoid biosynthesis and improvement of cucumber peel color in the future.

Rapid screening of 420 pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables using ultra high performance liquid chromatography combined with quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry

A new method for screening and identification 420 pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF/MS)were developed.The samples were extracted with acetonitrile/acetic acid(99:1,V/V),and clean-up by SinChERS-Nano(single-step,cheap,effective,rugged,safe,nano)column,determined by UPLC-Q-TOF/MS.The accurate mass database and MS/MS database which contains 420 pesticides were established,the automatic retrieval of detection results was carried on according to the accurate mass,retention time,isotope ratio,ion fragment information,and so on.Method verification was performed on leeks samples.The results showed that 420 pesticides had good linearity in the range of 0.1-100μg/L,and the correlation coeffificients(R2)was greater than 0.990.The limits of detections(LODs)and limits of quantifications(LOQs)of 420 pesticides were in range of 0.05-2.0 and 0.1-5.0μg/L,respectively.The average spike recoveries at 3 levels were 70.1%to 119.7%,and the relative standard deviations(RSD)were lower than 20%(n=6).With this method,a survey of pesticide residues was conducted for 110 samples of 10 different fruits and vegetables,which provided scientific data for ensuring pesticide residue safety of the fruits and vegetables consumed daily by the public.This method was simple,sensitive and accurate,and could be used for rapid screening of 420 pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables.

Cucumber glossy fruit 1 (CsGLF1) encodes the zinc finger protein 6 that regulates fruit glossiness by enhancing cuticular wax biosynthesis

Cucumber glossiness is an important visual quality trait that affects consumer choice.Accumulating evidence suggests that glossy trait is associated with cuticular wax accumulation.However,the molecular genetic mechanism controlling cucumber glossiness remains largely unknown.Here,we report the map-based cloning and functional characterization of CsGLF1,a locus that determines the glossy trait in cucumber.CsGLF1 encodes a homolog of the Cys_(2)His_(2)-like fold group(C2H2)-type zinc finger protein 6(ZFP6)and its deletion leads to glossier pericarp and decreased cuticular wax accumulation.Consistently,transcriptomic analysis demonstrated that a group of wax biosynthetic genes were downregulated when CsZFP6 was absent.Further,transient expression assay revealed that CsZFP6 acted as a transcription activator of cuticular wax biosynthetic genes.Taken together,our findings demonstrated a novel regulator of fruit glossiness,which will provide new insights into regulatory mechanism of fruit glossiness in cucumber.

Drip fertigation and plant hedgerows significantly reduce nitrogen and phosphorus losses and maintain high fruit yields in intensive orchards

A field experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of drip fertigation combined with plant hedgerows on nitrogen and phosphorus runoff losses in intensive pear orchards in the Tai Lake Basin.Nitrogen and phosphorus runoff over a whole year were measured by using successional runoff water collection devices.The four experimental treatments were conventional fertilization(CK),drip fertigation(DF),conventional fertilization combined with plant hedgerows(C+H),and drip fertigation combined with plant hedgerows(D+H).The results from one year of continuous monitoring showed a significant positive correlation between precipitation and surface runoff discharge.Surface runoff discharge under the treatments without plant hedgerows totaled 15.86%of precipitation,while surface runoff discharge under the treatments with plant hedgerows totaled 12.82%of precipitation.Plant hedgerows reduced the number of runoff events and the amount of surface runoff.Precipitation is the main driving force for the loss of nitrogen and phosphorus in surface runoff,and fertilization is an important factor affecting the losses of nitrogen and phosphorus.In CK,approximately 7.36%of nitrogen and 2.63%of phosphorus from fertilization entered the surface water through runoff.Drip fertigation reduced the accumulation of nitrogen and phosphorus in the surface soil and lowered the runoff loss concentrations of total nitrogen(TN)and total phosphorus(TP).Drip fertigation combined with plant hedgerows significantly reduced the overall TN and TP losses by 45.38 and 36.81%,respectively,in comparison to the CK totals.Drip fertigation increased the vertical migration depth of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients and reduced the accumulation of nitrogen and phosphorus in the surface soil,which increased the pear yield.The promotion of drip fertigation combined with plant hedgerows will greatly reduce the losses of nitrogen and phosphorus to runoff and maintain the high fruit yields in the intensive orchards of the Tai Lake Basin.

Exogenous melatonin improves the chilling tolerance and preharvest fruit shelf life in eggplant by affecting ROS-and senescence-related processes

Low temperature is the most common abiotic stress factors during the eggplant cultivation in solar greenhouses.Melatonin plays important roles in plant resistance to low temperature.However,the role of melatonin in regulating chilling tolerance and extending the preharvest shelf life of eggplant fruits is still unknown.In this study,we investigated the effects of exogenous melatonin on eggplant plants and fruits in response to low temperature.Under simulated low-temperature conditions,exogenous melatonin significantly relieved the chilling symptoms of seedlings by reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and relative leakage rates.These reductions were caused by higher superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities and increased endogenous polyamine and melatonin levels compared with those in untreated seedlings.Notably,the expression levels of SOD,CAT1/2,and polyamine synthesis genes (ADC and ODC) were also increased by 100μmol·L~(-1)melatonin,as well as those of genes involved in melatonin synthesis (TDC,T5H,SNAT,ASMT,and COMT) and cold regulation (COR1,CBFa/b,and ZAT2/6/12).To further investigate the effects of melatonin on eggplant leaves and fruits under natural low temperature conditions,100μmol·L~(-1)melatonin was sprayed on the functional leaves at three days before commodity maturation.Melatonin significantly alleviated chilling injury in the leaves and pericarp and extended the preharvest shelf life of the fruit by increasing the expression of COR1,CBF,ZAT2/6/12,and API5 and decreasing the expression of senescence-related genes (NCED1/2 and SAG12).Therefore,100μmol·L~(-1)melatonin improved chilling tolerance and fruit shelf life by upregulating ZAT2/6/12 to affect ROS-and senescence-related processes,which provides a reference for alleviating cold stress and extending the preharvest fruit shelf life in eggplant.