Efficiency of sample-based indices for spatial pattern recognition of wild pistachio(Pistacia atlantica) trees in semi-arid woodlands

The efficiency of sample-based indices proposed to quantify the spatial distribution of trees is influenced by the structure of tree stands, environmental heterogeneity and degree of aggregation. We evaluated 10 commonly used distance-based and 10 density-based indices using two structurally different stands of wild pistachio trees in the Zagros woodlands, Iran, to assess the reliability of each in revealing stand structure in woodlands. All trees were completely stem-mapped in a nearly pure（40 ha） and a mixed（45 ha） stand. First, the inhomogeneous pair correlation function [g（r）] and the Clark-Evans index（CEI） were used as references to reveal the true spatial arrangement of all trees in these stands. The sampled data were then evaluated using the 20 indices.Sampling was undertaken in a grid based on a square lattice using square plots（30 m 9 30 m） and nearest neighbor distances at the sample points. The g（r） and CEI statistics showed that the wild pistachio trees were aggregated in both stands, although the degree of aggregation was markedly higher in the pure stand. Three distance- and six density-based indices statistically verified that the wild pistachio trees were aggregated in both stands. The distance-based Hines and Hines statistic（ht） and the densitybased standardised Morisita（Ip）, patchiness（IP） and Cassie（CA） indices revealed aggregation of the trees in the two structurally different stands in the Zagros woodlands and the higher clumping in the pure stand, whereas the other indices were not sensitive enough.

Determination of Chilling and Heat Requirements of Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) Cultivars

Determination of chilling and heat requirements of pistachio （Pistacia vera L.） cultivars is important for satisfactory growth and development, particularly when large-scale commercial production is desired. This experiment was conducted to determine chilling requirement inducing vegetative and flower buds of Kalle-Ghuchi, Owhadi, Ahmad-Ahgaei, and Akbari pistachio. Shoots with enough vegetative and flower buds were taken from pistachio trees during autumn 2007 and 2008 when temperature reached to 15°C. Cuttings with flower buds were kept under （5 ± 1）°C for 0, 600, 650, 700, 750, 800, 850, 900, 950, 1 000, 1 050, 1 100, 1 150, 1 200, 1 250, and 1 300 h, respectively, and cuttings with vegetative buds were kept at 51°C until 1 500 h. The results indicated that pistachio cultivars requite chilling time between 750-1 400 h and heat requirements between 8 852-15 420 growing degree hours （GDH）. Consequently, Kalle-Ghuchi had the lowest chilling （750-950 h）, and heat （8 852-9 768 GDH） requirements, Ahmad-Aghaei and Owhadi had intermediate （1 000-1 250 h, 10 656- 13 320 GDH） and Akbari had the highest chilling （1 200-1 400 h） and heat （11 863-15 420 GDH） requirement.

Nutritional Value of Italian Pistachios from Bronte ( <i>Pistacia vera</i>, L.), Their Nutrients, Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity

This study gives an overview on the nutritional value, bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity (ABTS and FRAP) of Bronte’s pistachio (Pistacia vera, L., cv. Bianca) from Sicily (Italy). Bronte’s pistachios are rich in fat, protein, dietary fiber, trace elements (Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn) and minerals (Ca, P, K, Mg, Na). Lipids mainly consist of MUFA (33.8 g/100g), primarily oleic acid (32.4 g/ 100g);PUFA is mostly represented by linoleic acid (7.49 g/100g). Bronte’s pistachios are also a valuable source of bioactive compounds such as total polyphenols (501.5 mg/100g), lutein (1.26 mg/100g), β-carotene (0.18 mg/100g), γ-tocopherol (19.2 mg/100g) and phytosterols (134.4 mg/100g). Among phytosterols, the main is β-sitosterol (86% of total content), followed by Δ5-avenasterol (6.3%). Phytic acid content is 1763 mg/100g;Ins(1,2,4,5,6)P5 and Ins(1,2,3,4,5,)P5 have been detected too (31 mg/100g and 10 mg/100g, respectively). The antioxidant activity was determined both in hydrophilic and lipophilic fraction of pistachios, showing >80% of the total antioxidant activity in the hydrophilic, predominately due to phenolic compounds.

Foliar Applications with Plant-Derived Extracts Control Pistachio Psyllid, <i>Agonoscena pistaciae</i>

Citrus and palm trees’ extracts, commercially formulated as ProAlexin PNSTM and AgrisprayTM, were studied against the pistachio psyllid, Agonoscena pistaciae, in field conditions. Generally, foliage spraying application against the pistachio psyllid may cause severe reduction on the honeybee forager population, which visits infested trees to collect honeydew. ProAlexinTM products have the same formulation with Provigoro 14 WA Bee Care?, a natural water acidifier, which not only has negative action on the honeybees, but also shows disinfectant action against Nosema spp. The scope of the present study was to determine any effect of ProAlexin products on the reduction of the population of the pistachio psyllid, Agonoscena pistaciae. Experiments were performed at the orchard of the A.U.A., with two mixtures sprayed on psyllid infested pistachio trees, the first with ProAlexin PNSTM and AgrisprayTM and the second only with AgrisprayTM. They were both applied with the addition of APG25TM non-ionic surfactant. Results showed that mortality on the trees treated with ProAlexin PNSTM + AgrisprayTM mixture and AgrisprayTM was significantly higher compared with the control. This could be explained due to the phytoalexins that these products elicit, which are part of the plant mechanism against insect herbivores. These products are potentially promising methods to be used in sustainable agriculture approaches against the pistachio psyllid and they should be tested for their effects on the biological control agents of this pest. Beyond this, the results of this study encourage to test their effects on other pests of pistachio and other tree species.

Effects of different levels of feeding of pistachio epicarp silage on wool characteristics of growing Afshari lambs

Sixteen Afshari male lambs (mean live weight 35 ± 1.21 kg, 10 month of age) were used to study the effect of different levels of pistachio epicarp silage (0%, 8%, 17% and 25%) on wool characteristics. The fleece weight (FW), staple length on shoulder (STS), flank (STF), back (STB) and rump (STR), true wool fiber (TW), modulated fiber (MF), kemp fiber (KF) percentage, mean wool fiber diameter (MD) and its coefficient variation (CVMD), breaking load (BL), wool tenacity (WT) and extension (E) were measured. These data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA using SAS software package. The total mean of FW, STS, STB, STF STR;TW, MF, KF, MD, CVMD, BL, WT and E of wool were 1622.2 ± 0.2 gr, 6.20 ± 0.26 cm, 6.80 ± 0.20 cm, 6.50 ± 0.20 cm, 6.90 ± 0.20 cm, 63.30 ± 1.6 mu, 8.30 ± 1.6 mu, 28.40% ± 2.5%, 37.0 ± 0.9 mu, 47.02% ± 2.99%, 7.60 ± 0.3 kgf, 3.40 ± 0.2 gf/tex and 31.1% ± 1.7% respectively, although there was significant difference among treatments on FW, MF, KF, MD, BL and WT. The results showed that feeding lambs with 25% pistachio epicarp silage of total dry matter intake affected wool characteristics and its effect was similar with the control group.

Characterization of seed storage protein patterns of four Iranian Pistachios using SDS-PAGE

We used SDSPAGE to evaluate and characterize the protein patterns of seed storage proteins in four pistachios cultivars (Akbari, Ahmad Aghaei, Fandoghi, and Kaleghouchi). Total protein content of pistachio seeds in all cultivars did not show any significant difference. Results of SDS PAGE pattern of a few protein bands were up regulated whereas some other bands showed down regulation. The identified protein patterns may be used protein marker for pistachio cultivars.

An Overview of Turkish Pistachio Sector

Originating from the genus Pistacia, the only edible species, Pistacia vera, covers at least 10 different sub-species and has a commercial value in the nut industry as a snack food. Pistachio kernels arc very popular ingredients used in meat products and in the confectionary industry as a part of various pastry products. Historically, Iran has the advantage in supply side and leads the world in pistachio trade. Turkey comes in the third place in terms of production and provides over 70 thousand metric tons of pistachios in 2007, capturing 14 percent production share world wide. As being one of the major habitats of pistachios, Turkey has potential to develop new variaties and increase the productivity, thereby to take advantage of higher profits that may arise from foreign trade in pistachios. Even though pistachio production in Turkey has increased in the last 20 years, this opportunity is yet to be discovered since yield and quality factors are still at low levels, resulting in dramatic losses in foreign market shares. Possible remedies for this problem include irrigation made available to pistachio orchards, adopting new caltivars more tolerant to diseases, preventing the illegal entrance of Iranian pistachios, facilitating the unification of pistachio producers, provoking the consumption of fresh pistachios, and expanding the business into new international markets.

Forecasting World Market Structure of Iran＇s Pistachio Exports

Iran is the main pistachio producer and exporter country in the world. Pistachio as a commercial output has a special importance in the agricultural production of Iran and contains large portion of non-oil exportation. The main aim of this study has been to analysis the world market and Iran＇s pistachio exports market using Hirschman-Herfindahl index. For this purpose, Iran＇s exports data over 1992-2009 and world exports statistics in 1992-2007 have been used. The results showed that diversification in target markets of Iran＇s pistachio exports increased in this period. The market structure of pistachio exports for Iran has been predominant firm and monopoly in first and end of this period, respectively. While in world market, Iran has been predominant firm except 1997 and 2007 years. According to findings of this study, it is forecasted that the competition degree of Iran＇s pistachio exports market will increase during the period 2011 to 2015.

Rosemary and Oregano Essential Oils as Natural Antioxidant to Preserve Pistachio Puree

In this study,the effect of adding essential oil from different plants on prolonging the shelf life of pistachio puree was investigated.For this purpose,Rancimat method,which is one of the accelerated shelf-life test(ASLT)methods,was used to determine the effect of oregano(OO)and rosemary(RO)essential oils on the oxidative stability of pistachio puree.Butylated hydroxyanisole(BHA)and the control sample were used for the comparison.Concentrations used for essential oils and synthetic antioxidants were 150,300 and 600 ppm and 150 ppm,respectively.The conductivity was followed at three temperatures,110,120 and 130℃,with the addition of essential oils and BHA to pistachio puree during ASLT.Pistachio puree with essential oils showed protection against the lipid oxidation process.As the temperature increased induction time was significantly decreased during ASLT(p<0.05).The same concentrations of essential oils and BHA were also added into pistachio puree to observe the change in peroxide value(PV)and free fatty acid(FFA)value under normal storage temperatures 15,25 and 40℃.The PV and FFA increase were lower in RO,OO and BHA added pistachio puree samples during 8-month storage(p<0.05).Six hundred(600)ppm of RO added sample had an antioxidative effect as much as 150 ppm BHA added sample for both ASLT and normal storage conditions.These essential oils could be used as natural antioxidants in foods with high lipid content increasing the shelf life of these products.

Effects of Nut Proportion and Storage Temperature on Some Chemical Parameters of Pistachio Nut Cream

Pistachio nut cream is a new product that was produced by mixing powdered sugar, roasted pistachio nut, defatted powdered milk, lecithin, vanilla and margarine. Pistachio nut cream was stored at 4 and 20 °C in sealed jars. Nut creams were analyzed by chemical analysis such as peroxide values （meq kgt）, total and free fatty acidity （%）, moisture content （%）, pH, 2-tiobarbutric acid and browning indices. Sensory evaluations of the cream were examined according to the color, odour, texture, taste, aroma and feelings by the panelists. Samples containing 10% and 15% pistachio nut that were stored at 4 °C were better and more acceptable with respect to the chemical properties of pistachio nut cream compared to the nut cream samples that were stored at 20 °C.

Investigating the Effect of Climatic Factors of Roshtkhar Town (Khorasan Razavi, Iran) on the Development and Cultivation of Pistachio Using GIS Software

The use of Geographic Information System (GIS) has significantly helped managers provide optimal models of sustainable agricultural development, identify local features related to agricultural production and their proper zoning, identify agricultural needs and constraints and finally provide the appropriate structure of land use. The main purpose of this study was to determine areas capable of cultivating Pistachio according to the parameters affecting the Pistachio cultivation in Roshtkhar town. Statistics of meteorological stations of the town were taken from Meteorology Organization of Khorasan Razavi for the period of 1989-2010 in order to determine climatic parameters required to cultivate Pistachio. For mapping surface elevation, slope, aspect, and TIN of the geographic organization of armed forces with a scale of 1:250,000 topographic maps were used. For mapping vegetation and land use in the area under study, land capability map of the area on a scale of 1:250,000 from the institute of soil and water was used. Also information on cultivation and annual production of agricultural statistics, published by Agriculture was used. Finally, it was concluded that the northeast and southwest of Roshtkhar town are the most prone areas to cultivate Pistachio.

A Survey on Basic Business Problems of Pistachio Farmers in Turkey

Turkey is an important country which has pistachio trees in the world. The Southeastern Anatolia Project （GAP） region located in southeastern of Anatolia has all of pistachio trees. In other words, pistachio trees have grown only in GAP region. Provinces of ~anliurfa, Gaziantep and Adiyaman are in the GAP region. In this study, we have investigated problems of pistachio farmers in these cities. So, we applied survey to pistachio farmers. Then we analyzed data which we had from the surveys with SPSS. As a result, the farmers have mainly got input problems, marketing problems, processing problems, keeping problems, financial problems, labor problems and managerial problems. As a solution, pistachio farmers must set up cooperatives which help finding inputs, markets, loan, labor, manager them and come up with their problems. Government has to support pistachio farmers and price of pistachio yield, pistachio farmers must have training programs about theirs works. Finally, pistachio nuts of stock market must be surely founded.

Phenylalanin Ammonia-lyase Activity,Total Phenolics and Flavonoids Contents in Flowers,Leaves,Hulls and Kernels of Three Pistachio(Pistacia vera L.) Cultivars

Phenylalanin ammonia-lyase(PAL) plays a pivotal role in the production of phenolic compounds,which are responsible for the success of the defense strategies in harsh environments in response to different stimuli.Measurements of the PAL activity,total phenolics,total flavonoids and anthocyanin contents were performed in flowers,leaves and fruits of three pistachio cultivars "Ahmadaghaii","Ohadi" and "Kallehghuchi".The results showed that PAL activity was different in cultivars and in plant organs of pistachio trees(flowers,leaves and fruits).The highest activity rate of their compounds was observed in Ahmadaghaii cultivar.A positive correlation was observed between PAL activity,total phenolics and total flavonoids in leaves,and a negative correlation between PAL activity and anthocyanin contents in leaves and flowers of Ahmadaghaii cultivar.PAL activity and total phenolics in fruits of pistachio suffered a decrease when the maturation processes began.It is suggested that the hulls of the pistachio fruits,containing high level of phenolic compounds(especially in Ahmadaghaii cultivar),may function as a protective layer of defense chemicals against ultraviolet radiation and pathogens.The final concentration of phenolic compounds,flavonoids and antocyanins in the kernel depend on PAL activity in the kernel's cultivar.The results led to the conclusion that increase in PAL activity,phenolic compounds and flavonoids in Ahmadaghaii can help the plant to cope with the stresses better than the other cultivars.Since phenolic compounds are antioxidant and scavenge free oxygen,it is postulated that Ahmadaghaii is the most resistant cultivar to the environmental stresses.

Pistachio genomes provide insights into nut tree domestication and ZW sex chromosome evolution

Pistachio is a nut crop domesticated in the Fertile Crescent and a dioecious species with ZW sex chromosomes.We sequenced the genomes of Pistacia vera cultivar(cv.)Siirt,the female parent,and P.vera cv.Bagyolu,the male parent.Two chromosome-level reference genomes of pistachio were generated,and Z and W chromosomes were assembled.The ZW chromosomes originated from an autosome following the first inversion,which occurred approximately 8.18 Mya.Three inversion events in the W chromosome led to the formation of a 12.7-Mb(22.8%of the W chromosome)non-recombining region.These W-specific sequences contain several genes of interest that may have played a pivotal role in sex determination and contributed to the initiation and evolution of a ZW sex chromosome system in pistachio.The W-specific genes,including defA,defA-like,DYT1,two PTEN1,and two tandem duplications of six VPS13A paralogs,are strong candidates for sex determination or differentiation.Demographic history analysis of resequenced genomes suggest that cultivated pistachio underwent severe domestication bottlenecks approximately 7640 years ago,dating the domestication event close to the archeological record of pistachio domestication in Iran.We identified 390,211,and 290 potential selective sweeps in 3 cultivar subgroups that underlie agronomic traits such as nut development and quality,grafting success,flowering time shift,and drought tolerance.These findings have improved our understanding of the genomic basis of sex determination/differentiation and horticulturally important traits and will accelerate the improvement of pistachio cultivars and rootstocks.

茴香醛对黄曲霉菌的抑制作用

该文研究了茴香醛(p-Anisaldehybe,AS)对黄曲霉(Aspergillus flavus,A.flavus)的抑菌效果。通过96孔板二倍稀释法确定了AS对黄曲霉的最小抑菌质量浓度(Minimum Inhibitory Concentration,MIC)和最小杀菌质量浓度(Minimum Fungicidal Concentration,MFC)分别为0.80 mg/mL和3.20 mg/mL。2 MIC AS处理对黄曲霉的孢子萌发抑制率、菌丝生物量合成抑制率、径向生长抑制率和黄曲霉毒素B1合成抑制率皆为100%。与对照组相比,24 h内4 MIC组黄曲霉胞内核酸(A260)和蛋白(A280)释放量增长显著,胞外电导率和pH值均升高。通过荧光增白剂(CalcofluorWhite,CW)染色实验证明,AS处理对黄曲霉细胞壁隔膜无显著性影响。此外,2 MICAS能够有效抑制黄曲霉侵染开心果,第8天时霉菌总数下降了1.89 lg CFU/g。综上所述,AS处理显著抑制黄曲霉菌的生长,对开心果霉菌减控有显著效果,有望开发为新型抑菌剂应用到食品工业中。

Design,development and evaluation of an online grading system for peeled pistachios equipped with machine vision technology and support vector machine

In this study,an intelligent system based on combined machine vision(MV)and Support Vector Machine(SVM)was developed for sorting of peeled pistachio kernels and shells.The system was composed of conveyor belt,lighting box,camera,processing unit and sorting unit.A color CCD camera was used to capture images.The images were digitalized by a capture card and transferred to a personal computer for further analysis.Initially,images were converted from RGB color space to HSV color ones.For segmentation of the acquired images,H-component in the HSV color space and Otsu thresholding method were applied.A feature vector containing 30 color features was extracted from the captured images.A feature selection method based on sensitivity analysis was carried out to select superior features.The selected features were presented to SVM classifier.Various SVM models having a different kernel function were developed and tested.The SVM model having cubic polynomial kernel function and 38 support vectors achieved the best accuracy(99.17%)and then was selected to use in online decision-making unit of the system.By launching the online system,it was found that limiting factors of the system capacity were related to the hardware parts of the system(conveyor belt and pneumatic valves used in the sorting unit).The limiting factors led to a distance of 8 mm between the samples.The overall accuracy and capacity of the sorter were obtained 94.33% and 22.74 kg/h,respectively.

Comparative life cycle assessment of pistachio,almond and apple production

A comparative life cycle assessment(LCA),with the use of GaBi 6 software and specific related databases,of three water intensive tree cultivation systems was conducted in order to evaluate environmental impacts and energy consumption.The tree crops are traditionally cultivated in two representative areas in Greece,namely Aegina island,Attica region,for pistachios and Agia,East Thessaly region,central Greece,for apples and almonds.The impact categories considered include global warming potential(GWP),eutrophication potential(EP),acidification potential(AP)and cumulative energy demand(CED).Based upon the results obtained,it is deduced that pistachios and almonds show minor differences for all impact categories considered,while apples exhibit the best environmental profile.The phases of fertilizers production,irrigation system and field management were identified as the main“hot-spots”for all crops,exhibiting the highest environmental impacts and energy consumption.A sensitivity analysis was performed to explore actions that can be considered at farm scale,such as water desalination for irrigation purposes,transition to organic production and use of renewable energy,in order to reduce water requirements and promote energy conservation,especially in semi-arid and arid Mediterranean regions which suffer from water shortage and are prone to salinization.Finally,the results of this study were compared with the results derived from other relevant LCA studies.

Moisture sorption characteristics of full fat and defatted pistachio kernel flour

The sorption isotherms of full-fat(FPKF),partially defatted(PDPKF),and totally defatted(TDPKF)pistachio kernel flour were performed in the range of water activity(aw)from 0.113 to 0.859 at 15℃,25℃and 35℃,and the applicability of six mathematical models(Smith,Oswin,Henderson,GAB,Halsey and BET)in data prediction was evaluated.Sorption isotherms were typeⅡ,according to Brunauer’s classification.Equilibrium moisture content(EMC)increased with an increase in aw at constant temperatures.The sorption isotherms of all three flour samples exhibited hysteresis.Significant differences were found among equilibrium data of FPKF,PDPKF and TDPKF samples.TDPKF showed higher hygroscopic characteristics than PDPKF,and PDPKF showed higher hygroscopic characteristics than FPKF at any temperature and aw studied.It was found that the Smith model was the most satisfactory one for representation of the sorption data of full fat sample,but for defatted samples,Halsey was the best model.The average monolayer moisture content(MMC)calculated by GAB model were 2.443-3.781 g/100 g(d.b.),3.585-4.886 g/100 g(d.b.)and 5.093-6.918 g/100 g(d.b.)for FPKF,PDPKF and TDPKF,respectively.The isosteric sorption heat(Qst)calculated by means of Clausius-Clapeyron equation decreased with increasing moisture content.The Qst values were 44.76-74.67 kJ/mol,44.75-99.44 kJ/mol and 44.80-133.28 kJ/mol for FPKF,PDPKF and TDPKF,respectively,in the range of moisture content of 2%to 41%(d.b.)at 25℃.

开心果-榛子植物基乳饮料的研制

植物基乳制品作为一种新型流行食品,正在面临如何改善原料种类、感官质地、营养特性的挑战.研究以开心果、榛子、赤藓糖醇为主要原料,制备了一款口感和质地俱佳的植物基蛋白乳饮料.首先,以感官评分作为评定指标,通过单因素实验及正交实验对开心果、榛子、赤藓糖醇的配比进行优化研究;其次,以透光率作为评定指标,通过正交实验探究了卡拉胶、黄原胶、海藻酸钠3种稳定剂的最适添加量.结果表明,最优原料添加量为:开心果乳液50%,榛子乳液20%,赤藓糖醇5%.最优稳定剂添加量为:卡拉胶0.02%,黄原胶0.18%,海藻酸钠0.02%.在此条件下,得到质地均一、口感香甜的开心果G榛子植物基乳饮料.