Postharvest physiology
Parisa Hayati; Seyyed Mehdi Hosseinifarahi; Gholamreza Abdi; Mohsen Radi; Leila Taghipour; Pedram Assar
Abstract
IntroductionThe Peruvian Groundcherry (Physalis peruviana L.) is a perennial plant that is native to the South American regions and belongs to the Solanaceae family. The harvested fruits are vulnerable to both biotic and abiotic stresses, which can trigger unfavorable physiological and biochemical changes. ...
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IntroductionThe Peruvian Groundcherry (Physalis peruviana L.) is a perennial plant that is native to the South American regions and belongs to the Solanaceae family. The harvested fruits are vulnerable to both biotic and abiotic stresses, which can trigger unfavorable physiological and biochemical changes. As a result, the quality and marketability of the product may decrease by the time it reaches the consumer. The fruit of the Peruvian Groundcherry has a high water content and is sensitive to ethylene, causing rapid ripening with a high respiration rate, making it highly perishable. To ensure quality maintenance after harvest, various postharvest treatments are being studied; however, some methods may not be practical due to low customer preference or lack of effectiveness verification. Therefore, alternative treatments need to be found to prolong shelf life and reduce postharvest losses. Currently, environmentally friendly technologies and treatments are recommended. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) postharvest treatment on the respiration rate, antioxidant activities, and fruit quality of the Peruvian Groundcherry during 21 days of storage, addressing a research gap in this area.Materials and MethodsHandpicked Peruvian Groundcherry fruits were taken from a commercial greenhouse located in Fars province, Iran. The fruits were picked at two stages of maturity based on their color, which was either yellowish green or orange. Following the harvest, the fruits were taken to a horticulture laboratory where they were assessed for appearance, size, color, and any damages. The experimental design was factorial based on a completely randomized design with three replications, each containing 25 fruits. Experimental factors included the GABA concentration (0, 5, 10 and 15 mM), storage time (7, 14 and 21 days) and fruit maturity stage based on color at harvest (yellowish green and orange). Following dip treatments in GABA solutions, fruits were packed in plastic clamshells measuring 20×5×10 cm3 and with a hole ratio of 3%. Fruits were stored at a temperature of 15 ◦C for 21 days, and their quality characteristics and respiration rate were evaluated on a weekly basis.Results and DiscussionThe findings indicated that both groups of treated fruits had a slower increase in respiration rate and lower final respiration rate compared to the control group. The effect of different concentrations of GABA on the final respiration rate of fruits was similar for each stage of fruit maturity. During the storage period, the changes in total soluble solids and total acids of the treated fruits were less than the control group. At the end of the storage period, yellowish green fruits treated with 10 and 15 mM GABA had the lowest amount of total soluble solids; orange fruits had the lowest amount with 15 mM GABA treatment. GABA concentrations had a similar effect on total acids retention of yellowish green fruits, but 15 mM GABA treatment was more effective for orange fruits. Ascorbic acid content and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase enzyme activity were consistently higher in treated fruits than in the control group. In green fruits treated with GABA concentrations, the amount of ascorbic acid increased significantly and continuously, with no significant difference between treatments at the end of storage period. Orange fruits showed a significant increase until the second week of storage, followed by a non-significant decrease. Higher amounts of ascorbic acid in orange fruits were detected by applying higher GABA concentrations. Both groups of fruits had significantly higher amounts of total phenol, carotenoid, and antioxidant capacity in response to increasing GABA concentration, while the minimum amount of these compounds during the storage period was related to the control group. However, orange-colored fruits were more sensitive to treatments compared to yellowish green fruits.ConclusionsThe results of the present study indicate a positive effect of postharvest GABA treatment on reducing respiration rate, improving antioxidant activities, and maintaining the quality and nutritional value of Peruvian groundcherry fruit during a 21-day storage period. Considering the global preference and demand among governments and consumers to use environmentally-friendly treatments of biological origin that pose no risk to human health, we recommend the use of GABA treatment for optimal storage of Peruvian groundcherry fruit. Finally, it is recommended to assess the efficacy of GABA or other safe and environmentally-friendly postharvest treatments on the quality and shelf life of other valuable horticultural commodities.
Pomology
Zohreh Abbasi; Iman Zamani; Mohsen Shafieirad; Amir Hossein Amiri Mehra; Seyyed Mehdi Hosseinifarahi
Abstract
Introduction Strawberry is a significant fruit due to its rich sources of vitamins and plenty of antioxidants and grows worldwide. Thus, studies that provide information on topics in strawberry growth are momentous. Strawberry production is often threatened by various pests. Therefore, pest management ...
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Introduction Strawberry is a significant fruit due to its rich sources of vitamins and plenty of antioxidants and grows worldwide. Thus, studies that provide information on topics in strawberry growth are momentous. Strawberry production is often threatened by various pests. Therefore, pest management is one of the most critical points in strawberry cultivation and production that have to be considered. There are several pests that can have detrimental effects on strawberry production. For example, thrips is an important pest for strawberry in a greenhouse condition. There are many ways to deal with greenhouse pests; one of the best ways is to observe greenhouse hygiene and sanitation and use the proper chemical pesticides. Yet, it is impossible to predict the plant's growth stages in the usual ways to predict the time of using chemical pesticides. The time of each growth stage's occurrence can be predicted only by using simulation models and considering the factors affecting plant growth, such as environmental factors, pests, disease, and nutrition. To this end, this study aims to model the growth process of strawberry plants by considering pests and diseases' impact.Materials and Methods Monitoring the growth stages is a critical component of a successful strawberry growth program. To harvest more, it is vital to develop effective predicting tools. There are several approaches to investigate the change in the size and form of planets based on some growth conditions over time. The best-known mechanism of analyzing the growth process mathematically is simulation modeling. Models can be used as an alternative for statistical analysis of harvest of crops. They enhance the inferences about productive behavior and can be used to evaluate experiments. To introduce a desirable model, it is required to identify the essential features of the growth process, such as environment and climate. In this work, the dynamics of growing strawberry, the evolution of their size in time and their forms are modeled. Meanwhile, the plant's reaction to environmental factors such as pests and effective management factors on the environment and climate created for plant growth is investigated.Results and Discussion The use of growth models increases the analysis that can be made about the productive behavior of strawberry plants. Moreover, the proposed model has efficiency in predicting plant growth. This model, including simple relationships and the general concept of growth, is useful for teaching, learning, and researching to analyze plant growth factors. Furthermore, the proposed model can study how plants react to environmental factors such as pests and significant management factors on the environment and climate of plant growth. Besides, the model can help scholars, researchers, and plant producers with the ability to predict the amount and manner of plant growth and the effect of changing the number of pests. In this paper, the amount of disease and pests' damage for different rates in the growth stages is shown by using the plant growth process's modeling to reduce the amount of damage caused by pests by predicting the amount of damage and provide applicable, low cost and practical solutions. According to the results obtained in this study, since the lack of pest control causes only four out of ten healthy fruits to reach the full growth stage, control and repel pests are essential.Conclusion From the results of this study, it can be concluded that greenhouse owners and producers can simulate several growing seasons in a matter of seconds and predict the amount of harvest and loss of their crop by considering the environmental information of the area of study in which they decide to plant and knowing the effective rates in the process of plant growth and having a model. The greenhouse owners can predict the number of healthy and infected plants using the desired model before harvest by using the help of horticultural experts, collecting information about their environment, climate, soil, etc., and using different aspects affecting plant growth in the desired area. This approach can be extended to other crops to investigate the treatment effects and the production behavior throughout the crop cycle. Using this method predicts the crop cycle and leads to fruit production in a shorter period because the producer can use pesticides at the right time of production to decrease the damages to pests.
Medicinal Plants
Nahle Taghvaeefard; Askar Ghani; Seyyed Mehdi Hosseinifarahi
Abstract
Introduction: The harvest time and type of plant part have important roles in obtaining maximum amounts of active substances from medicinal plants. Medicinal plants vary in terms of phenological stages and maturity and each medicinal plant can be evaluated separately in research. Determining the exact ...
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Introduction: The harvest time and type of plant part have important roles in obtaining maximum amounts of active substances from medicinal plants. Medicinal plants vary in terms of phenological stages and maturity and each medicinal plant can be evaluated separately in research. Determining the exact time of harvest and selecting a plant organ for maximum yield of secondary metabolites can be very important and economically effective. Othroj-Saghir (Citrus medica var. medica Proper) or Othroje-Kabir (Citrus medica var. macrocarpa) is one of the most important citrus species. The southern provinces of Iran, especially the southern cities of Fars province, are the largest areas in which this species is cultivated. In addition to fruit juice, other parts of the fruit especially the flavedo, can be used for medicinal purposes and in food industries. In this study, for the first time, some physical and biochemical changes of different parts of Citrus medica var medica fruits were evaluated during fruit ripening. Also, some active substances (i.e. essential oil content, flavonoid components, etc.) of the flavedo were measured as the most important medicinal parts of the fruit through different stages of ripening.
Materials and Methods: In this study, the effects of fruit ripening on the biochemical properties of different parts of Citron fruit were evaluated. A factorial experiment was set up according to a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with two factors and four replications. The first factor included four levels: different stages of fruit maturity (green mature, intermediate, yellow ripe and over ripe stage). The second factor had four levels: the different parts of the Citron fruit (i.e. outer skin or flavedo, inner skin or albedo, pulp and juice). The most important measured traits were flavon and flavonols, total flavonoids, total phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity. Physical changes in different parts of the fruit (fresh and dry weight of flavedo and albedo, fresh weight of fruit, fruit diameter and height of fruit, etc.) were measured.
Assessments also carried out to identify several features of fruit juice such as acidity, total soluble solids (TSS), titrable acidity (TA) and vitamin C during fruit ripening. Chemical measurements were aimed at determining the most important phytochemical compounds of the flavedo section during fruit ripening. These features included the essential oil percentage and yield, chlorophyll content and polyphenols constituents (rutin, trans-ferulic acid, hesperidin, hesperetin and quercetin by HPLC).
Results and Discussion: The results showed that the fruit maturity stage significantly affected most of the studied traits. The highest amounts of flavon and flavonols (0.377 mg quercetin/g dry weight) and total flavonoids (16.38 mg quercetin/g dry weight) were measured in the flavedo at the over ripe stage. The antioxidant activity initially increased during fruit ripening, but it decreased slightly (75.0%) from the yellow stage to the over ripe stage. The lowest rate of antioxidant activity (53.6%) was observed in the green stage and the highest rate (78.4%) was measured in the yellow ripe stage. The highest amounts of antioxidant activity (83.3% and 73.8%) were measured in the albedo and flavedo samples, respectively, and the lowest amount (54.1%) was recorded in the pulp section. The highest amount of flavedo essential oil (2.37%v/w) was measured in intermediate stage. The chlorophyll content with maturity progress was decreased. Progress in fruit maturity was reduced the most components of polyphenols. The maximum amount of hesperidin, as an important phenolic component, was identified in the peel of Citron fruit (1.86 mg/g dry weight) at the green mature stage. Its amount decreased through the stages of maturity, so that the lowest amount (0.68 mg/g dry weight) was measured at the over ripe stage.
Conclusion: In general, the stage of maturity and plant part had important effects on the amount of biochemical traits. The flavedo part of Citron fruit showed superior medicinal properties. Different active substances react variedly during maturity and so the preferable composition should be harvested according to the desired conditions. The best stages to reach maximum essential oil percentage and polyphenol components are the early stages of maturity (i.e. green mature and intermediate stages).
Seyyed Mehdi Hosseinifarahi; Ghazanfar Mohamadineia
Abstract
Introduction: Bell pepper (Capsicum annuum) belongs to solanaceae family, which is cultivated and consumed in the world due to its high economic value. Bell peppers also have valuable nutritional and medicinal compounds, including natural colors, antioxidants and vitamins A, B and E. Salinity stress ...
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Introduction: Bell pepper (Capsicum annuum) belongs to solanaceae family, which is cultivated and consumed in the world due to its high economic value. Bell peppers also have valuable nutritional and medicinal compounds, including natural colors, antioxidants and vitamins A, B and E. Salinity stress is one of the most important environmental factors limiting growth, which has very adverse effects on plant growth and yield. Salinity stress reduced the yield of agricultural products due to the effect on the competitive absorption and transfer of nutrients in the plant. Nowadays, the increased tolerance of plants to environmental stresses from different pathways involve breeding programs and the use of plant growth regulators and organic substances. In comparison to breeding methods that are often long-term and cost-intensive, it is easy and inexpensive to use plant growth regulators such as Salicylic Acid (SA) and humic acid (HA).
Material and Methods: To investigate the effect of Salicylic Acid (SA) and Humic Acid (HA) on the improvement of tolerance to salinity and absorption of mineral elements under salinity stress in greenhouse culture, a factorial experiment based on Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) was conducted in Yasooj. The first factor was SA in three levels (0, 1, and 2 mM), the second factors HA in two levels (0 and 5 g l-1), and the third factors salinity in three levels (0, 50, and 100 mM). The bell pepper seedlings cv. California were obtained from a commercial producer and planted in 4-liter plastic pots containing perlite and cocopeat (1:1) in 2015. Plants were grown in a hydroponic greenhouse with day/night temperature (24.3 and 15.4 oC) and 60 to 80% RH in the village of Nahrgah in Yasouj. After the plants were established (having about 4–5 leaves), sodium chloride salt was used in the concentrations of 0, 50, and 100 mmol in the nutrient solution for salinity stress. To prevent a sudden shock, the first one week all the pots were irrigated with a 10 mM-food solution and in the second week with a 25 mM salt solution. After that, the plants irrigated 50 and finally 100 mg of sodium chloride. Traits such as plant height, number of leaves, number of flowers, number of fruits, and average fruit weight, and yield, fresh and dry weight of leaf were measured. The content of K, Ca, Fe and Na elements in the leaves and roots of treated and untreated plants were measured by an atomic absorption device equipped with a graphite furnace system. Data analysis (ANOVA) was performed using MSTAT-C statistical software. The means were compared with the Tukey test (P≤ 0.05) and the graphs were plotted with Excel.
Results and Discussion: Results showed that the salinity has negative effects on growth factors. The application of HA and SA reduced the negative effects of salinity and increased growth parameters. The application of HA and Salicylic acid increased the number of pepper fruits under salt stress conditions. The highest number of fruits was obtained in the plants treated with 5 g l-1 HA and 2 mM salicylic acid compared to the other treatments. The results of this experiment showed that the application of HA and Salicylic acid had a significant effect on the content of mineral elements in the leaves and roots of sweet peppers under salt stress. The highest amount of Fe was observed in the leaves of pepper plants treated with 100 mM and the lowest in untreated plants. The highest amount of leaf calcium was obtained in peppers treated with SA 2 mM and HA 5 g l-1 in comparison to other treatments. Application of SA 1 and 2 mM increased the concentration of calcium of the leaves and roots of the pepper plant. The highest root potassium were obtained in plants treated with 5 g l-1 HA and 1mM SA at salinity level of 100 mM in comparison to the other treatments.
Conclusion: Salinity is an environmental factor limiting the production of crops in plants. According to the results of present study, it can be concluded that salinity reduced the growth parameters of the bell pepper plant. The use of SA and HA increased bell pepper tolerance to salinity and improved the vegetative and reproductive characteristics and absorption of mineral elements. Therefore, the application of HA 5 g l-1 and 2 mM SA is suggested to reduce the negative effects of salinity stress on bell pepper.
Seyyed Mehdi Hosseinifarahi; Karamollah Goodarzi
Abstract
In order to investigate the effect of application methods of ZnSo4 on qualitative, quantitative and correction of zinc deficiency in grapevine, an experiment was conducted in completely randomized block design with 10 treatments and 4 replications. Treatments included control, trunk injection three levels ...
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In order to investigate the effect of application methods of ZnSo4 on qualitative, quantitative and correction of zinc deficiency in grapevine, an experiment was conducted in completely randomized block design with 10 treatments and 4 replications. Treatments included control, trunk injection three levels 1.5, 3 and 5 g/l, spray in three levels 1.5, 3 and 5 g/l and soil application (Soil drench) in 75,150 and 200 g/vine. Results showed that highest yield 17.81 and 16.39 kg/vine was obtained in soil application of 200 gr/vine and trunk injection in 1.5 g/l, respectively as compared to control with 7.27 kg/vine. Trunk injection in 3 g/l concentration increased the berry volume to 3.62 cm3 as compared to control plant. All of treatments increased chlorophyll content as compared to control. Also, maximum zinc concentration in leaf was observed in vine’s sprayed with 5 g/l with 127.43 mg/kg dry matter as compared to control with 17.5 mg/kg dry matter. So, the maximum yield was obtained in low concentration of ZnSo4, but optimal concentration of zinc in leaf was observed in plant was sprayed with 1.5% ZnSo4.
Seyyed Mehdi Hosseinifarahi; Keramatollah Goodarzi; Bijan Kavoosi
Abstract
Abstract
The aim of this study was to eliminate Zn deficiency and increasing yield in Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L) cv, Askari، via trunk injection method. The experiment was carried out in the Cisakht region; in randomize complete blocks design with four treatments and four replications. Treatments ...
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Abstract
The aim of this study was to eliminate Zn deficiency and increasing yield in Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L) cv, Askari، via trunk injection method. The experiment was carried out in the Cisakht region; in randomize complete blocks design with four treatments and four replications. Treatments included of Zinc trunk injection in concentration 0.15, 0.3 and 0.5% amount of 500 cc was injected to each vine and Control. Injections were applied in three stages including flowering, after fruit set and veraision. Different traits including yield, chlorophyll, Zn concentration in leaves, TSS %, TA, length, volume and weight of berry were measured. Results showed that trunk injection of zinc increased yield, Chlorophyll, length, volume and weight of berry when compared with untreated control. The TSS %, Zn concentration, TA and ratio of TSS/TA were not affected by trunk injection. However Zn was increased in leaves up to 16.7%. So, trunk injection method in order to correct zinc deficiency and increasing yield in Grapevine cv, Askari، is recommended.
Key words: Grapevine, Askari Cultivar, Zn So4 Trunk injection, Yield, Chlorophyll
