Pomology
Fatemeh Nekounam; A. Salehi
Abstract
Introduction Apple (Malus damestica L.) is one of the most popular temperate fruits in the world as well as Iran. One of the challenges in managing apple orchards is excessive fruit formation or excessive fruit drop especially in the pre-harvest stage, which affects the performance and marketable product. ...
Read More
Introduction Apple (Malus damestica L.) is one of the most popular temperate fruits in the world as well as Iran. One of the challenges in managing apple orchards is excessive fruit formation or excessive fruit drop especially in the pre-harvest stage, which affects the performance and marketable product. Therefore, the control fruit set is required to help regular fruit production. Currently, the application of synthetic auxins as plant growth regulators are successfully practiced and mainly used in various countries, including all aspects of modern apple production to control and manipulate vegetative growth and regulation of flowering, reduce immature fruit drop, fruit maturity, firmness, and manage apple harvest. Among the auxin-type growth regulators, NAA is a synthetic auxin analogue that may down-regulate abscission-related genes and reduce the sensitivity of the abscission zone to ethylene. It has long been used to reduce or totally prevent pre-harvest fruit drops, to preserve fruit flesh firmness, and to prevent starch degradation in apples. Therefore, this experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of NAA foliar application at different days after full bloom on controlling fruit drop and improving physical and biochemical attributes of ‘Red Delicious’ apple fruits. Findings described here may help to understand the effects this PGR on apple quality and also help on the development of strategies to reduce post-harvest losses of apple fruits.
Materials and Methods In order to study the effect of NAA on controlling fruit drop, fruit yield and quality, a factorial experiment based on randomized complete blocks design with three replications was conducted under Zanjan climatic conditions during 2023. Ten year-old ‘Red Delicious’ Standard apple trees grafted on M.9 rootstock were used as plant material. Treatments consisted of different concentration of NAA (15, 30, 50 and 75 mg L-1) sprayed at different days after full bloom (10, 25 and 40 DAFB). The date of full bloom was 04/22/2023. The fruit growth pattern was based on fruit weight and diameter during DAFB. According to fruit growth pattern, fruit were harvested at physiological maturity stage. Fruit number per replicate, fruit weight, diameter and shape index, fruit firmness, total soluble solids content and taste index were measured. Also, fruit drop percentage, fruit yield as well as fruit efficiency was estimated.
Results and discussion Advanced knowledge of apple fruit development from fruitlet to maturity is crucial for optimal prediction of year-to-year yields and fruit quality. Apple fruit growth has been defined as sigmoidal increase in fruit diameter or fresh weight. Studying two fruit growth patterns based on fruit weight and diameter data showed that fruit weight is a more appropriate indicator for drawing fruit growth patterns, and according to that, the fruits were harvested at the physiological maturity stage. Foliar spray of NAA during different DAFB showed different significant effects on fruit drop and yield efficiency. The highest rate of fruit drop (95.7 % and 85.9 %) was observed with foliar application of NAA at 10 and 25 DAFB, respectively, but its application at 40 DAFB reduced fruit drop by 46.9% compared to the control, and correspondingly the fruit yield increased by 22% compared to the control treatment. The lowest number and weight of fruits per unit shoot cross sectional area was observed in trees treated with different concentrations of NAA at 10 DAFB. The maximum fruit length (72.3 mm), diameter (75.8 mm), weight (180 g) and fruit volume (240 cm3) were obtained with application of 75 mg L-1 NAA at 10 DAFB. The foliar spray of NAA at 10 DAFB significantly increased the fruit density, flash firmness and TSS. But their use in 25 and 40 DAFB had no significant effect on fruit density and flash firmness, and significantly decreased fruit TSS by 23.9% compared to the control trees. Unlike the TSS, the value of fruit titratable acidity showed a significant increase in all three times of naphthalene acetic acid treatment compared to the control, and as a result, the fruit taste index decreased.
Conclusions The present study concluded that the positive effects of NAA in controlling fruit drop and improving the yield and fruit quality will be different depending on the time of application and the weather conditions of the region under study. According to the results, the application of NAA at 40 DAFB reduced fruit drop and increased fruit yield efficiency.
Growing vegetables
Zahra Roudbari; Mohammad Reza Imani; Javad Sarhadi; Sibgol Khoshkam; Reza Yoneszadeh
Abstract
Introduction
To specify the diversity of pepper plant (Capsicum ssp.) population and the inheritance of fruit characteristics for use in seed production breeding programs, there is a need for a diverse population in terms of the characteristics affecting fruit yield. By a large variety of options ...
Read More
Introduction
To specify the diversity of pepper plant (Capsicum ssp.) population and the inheritance of fruit characteristics for use in seed production breeding programs, there is a need for a diverse population in terms of the characteristics affecting fruit yield. By a large variety of options available for each product, there is a greater probability of selecting the best decision. A population's genetic variety may be used in several ways, including selection and hybridization. Pepper is a plant belonging to the genus Capsicum and the family Solanaceae. It is cultivated globally, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. The genus Capsicum contains more than 30 wild and domestic species, which are classified according to flower structure, fruit, and the number of chromosomes (2n= 24, 26).
Materials and Methods
To compare different pepper species based on fruit morphology, a greenhouse experiment was conducted under hydroponic conditions in Zarandieh region, Markazi province, in a completely randomized design with three repetitions in 2021. The seeds of 42 pepper genotypes from 7 species were obtained from Gene Bank of Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK). Initially, the seeds were sown in dedicated planting trays. Once the seedlings had grown six leaves, they were transplanted to the main greenhouse. Within the greenhouse, the rows of cultivation were spaced 160 cm apart, with a 25 cm gap between individual plants. Each genotype was represented by ten plants. Throughout the growing season, the plants were managed by maintaining two branches and removing any surplus ones. In this research, the following characteristics were evaluated: fruit production across three harvests, fruit weight, fruit length and diameter, fruit flesh thickness, fruit flavor (spicy or sweet), unripe fruit color, and ripe fruit color. Descriptive statistics of evaluated trait, including mean, minimum and maximum traits and the percentage of phenotypic and genotypic diversity coefficients, heritability, and the analysis of variance and comparison of means, were used to analyze the data.
Results and Discussion
A diverse collection of pepper was evaluated due to the fruit morphological traits and significant differences among different genotypes in terms of these traits. The average fruit weight of the assessed population was 26.54 g. The minimum and maximum fruit weights of 152.70 and 0.13 g were related to genotypes 409 and 276, respectively. Genotype 318, with an average weight of 144.20 g, was not significantly different from genotype 409. Both genotypes were of the species annuum, but were in two separate groups regarding fruit morphology. The heritability rate of fruit weight was 93%, which is consistent with the results of Usman et al. (2014). Length, diameter and length to diameter ratio (fruit morphology index) are the most important factors in marketing pepper fruit. The mean fruit length, diameter and morphology index were 6.35, 2.57 cm and 3.04, respectively. The highest fruit length was related to genotypes 296 and 318 at 26.33, 20.20 and 19 cm, while the lowest fruit length was 0.70, related to genotype 277. The genotypes with the highest lengths were long pepper and Kapia sweet pepper, respectively, and the genotypes with the shortest lengths tasted spicy. Genotypes 409, 200, 318, 326, 272 and 348 had the largest diameter with 6.50, 6.23, 5.80, 5.67, 5.60 and 5.30 cm, respectively. These genotypes are bell, round, Kapia, triangular, triangular, round and sweet in terms of morphology. The smallest fruit diameter belonged to genotype 293 (0.30 cm), and the nineteen genotypes with a diameter of less than 2 cm did not differ significantly from 293. Twenty genotypes with the smallest fruit diameter have a pungent flavor (Table 1). The range of the fruit morphology index was from 0.56 to 8.99. The lowest and highest values were associated with genotypes 342 and 296, respectively (Table 3). The fruit of genotype 296 was sweet, whereas the fruit of genotype 342 was spicy. The heritability of length, diameter and fruit morphology index were 0.97, 0.97 and 0.98%, respectively. The lowest and highest numbers of fruits per plant in each hand-harvest were 1 and 67 fruits, respectively, belonging to genotypes 342 and 326. However, regarding shallow length, diameter, pulp thickness and, consequently, the low weight of the fruit in genotype 342, an almost low yield of this genotype was obtained in three harvests (2742.67 kg/ha). In contrast, genotype 318, despite its small number of fruits per hand-harvest (3 fruits per hand-harvest), had the highest fruit yield of 25379.20 kg Per hectare due to having fruits with large size and pulp thickness and as a result of high fruit weight. The lowest yields related to genotypes 276 and 293 belonged to C. frutescens L., with fruit yields of 17.60 and 44.00 kg/ha in three harvests. However, there was no statistically significant difference among the performance of these genotypes and the genotypes 277, 210, 282, 358, 261, 332, 394, 304, 311, 407, 321, 215, 427, 203, 342 and 200. The percentage of phenotypic and genetic variations in fruit yield was 61, 55% and the heritability of fruit yield was 81%.
Conclusion
This study evaluated a diverse collection of different species of pepper with a wide range of appearance traits. However, the most desirable and marketable characteristics of the fruit were obtained from genotypes belonging to C. annuum. However, genotypes belonging to other species, which were not addressed due to the high number of fruits per plant and resistance to pests and diseases, can play a complementary role in hybrid seed production breeding programs. Based on the results, genotypes 318 (Kapia, yellow and sweet), 287 (long, red and spicy), 348 (round, red and sweet), 272 (triangular, red and sweet), 309 (black, red and sweet) and 296 (long, red and sweet) could be introduced as cultivars after evaluating their compatibility, in terms of their high yield, suitable size fruits and marketability. In addition, because to the substantial variety of the examined population, breeding efforts might develop hybrid cultivars with unique traits.
Growing vegetables
Mitra Jabbari; Reza Darvishzadeh
Abstract
Introduction
Pepper is a rich source of essential vitamins and minerals. Like tomatoes, pepper plays an important role in preventing heart diseases due to its high amount of antioxidants. Fruit yield is a complex trait that is not only controlled by several genes, but also greatly influenced by the ...
Read More
Introduction
Pepper is a rich source of essential vitamins and minerals. Like tomatoes, pepper plays an important role in preventing heart diseases due to its high amount of antioxidants. Fruit yield is a complex trait that is not only controlled by several genes, but also greatly influenced by the environment. On the other hand, fruit yield is affected by a large number of other traits and their interaction. Therefore, it is very important for plant breeders to know the relationships between these traits and their interaction effects. The path coefficient analysis is a method that clarifies the relationships between traits and their direct and indirect effects on fruit yield. In this method, the correlation coefficient between two attributes is divided into components that measure direct and indirect effects. Considering the limited studies regarding the evaluation of relationships between fruit yield and other traits affecting fruit yield in pepper, this research was conducted with the aim of identifying these important relationships and evaluating their direct and indirect effects in Iranian pepper populations.
Materials and Methods
In order to carry out this research, the seeds of 30 Iranian pepper accessions were collected directly from the farmers. The experiment was conducted in the form of pot cultivation in the research greenhouse of the Faculty of Agriculture of Urmia University in a completely randomized design with five replications during 2015-2016. After the flowering stage, the desired traits were estimated. Variance analysis was estimated, after examining the basic hypotheses of variance analysis by SAS9.4, as well as the genotypic and phenotypic correlation between traits based on the restricted maximum likelihood (REML) procedure in the SAS9.4 software. Step-by-step regression analysis was used to determine the traits with the most variation justified the fruit yield. The Durbin-Watson test was performed to investigate the independence of experimental errors. Analysis of path coefficients was performed based on the results of stepwise regression and genotypic correlation of traits in the R V.4.0.5.
Results and Discussion
In order to understand the relationships between traits and use them in breeding programs, the phenotypic correlation was estimated. In this study based on the results of phenotypic correlation, leaf width and leaf length (0.651), single fruit weight and fruit circumference (0.784), fruit circumference and fruit diameter (0.625) and pulp weight and fruit diameter (0.610), showed positive and significant correlation. The purpose of estimating genotypic correlation coefficient is to determine relationships in conditions which in environmental factors are not involved. In the investigation of genotypic correlation, a positive, strong and significant relationship between fruit yield and pulp weight (0.907), fruit circumference (0.891), fruit diameter (0.697), single fruit weight (0.646) and around the plant (0.381) were observed. Given that most of these traits are factors contributing to fruit yield, the presence of such positive and significant genotypic correlation coefficients is reasonable. It can be inferred that pepper accessions with higher fruit characteristics, encompassing factors such as plant density and branching, are likely to exhibit higher fruit yields as well. It's important to note that correlation coefficients are mathematical tools used to measure the linear relationship between two variables. Their significance lies in their mathematical interpretation, and as such, they alone do not provide sufficient proof of a cause-and-effect relationship. Utilizing the results of stepwise regression, less impactful traits or those with minimal effects were eliminated from the model. As a result, seven key traits were identified as the most influential factors affecting fruit yield: pulp weight, plant density, fruit diameter, fruit count, plant height, total seed weight, and branch count.The first characteristic was pulp weight, which was included in the model and explained 78.8% of the fruit yield changes between genotypes. The second characteristic (around the plant) along with pulp weight explained 80.9% of the fruit yield variations. Fruit diameter, together with the previous two characteristics, explained 81.5% of fruit yield variations. In total, the traits included in the model for fruit yield justified 84.6% of the total changes in fruit yield in 30 pepper accessions. In order to better understanding and more accurately interpret of the results, as well as to know the direct and indirect effects and the effect of the traits that were entered into the model through stepwise regression, the path coefficient analysis method was used in this research. Fruit diameter (0.709) and pulp weight (0.289) respectively showed the most positive and direct effect on fruit yield. Fruit pulp weight through fruit diameter had the most positive indirect effect (0.595) on fruit yield. Around the plant showed an indirect positive effect on fruit yield through pulp weight (0.157), fruit diameter (0.392) and number of branches (0.080).
Conclusion
In the present study, the trait of fruit diameter had a positive, strong and significant genotypic correlation (0.697) with fruit yield, and it also showed a positive direct effect (0.709) on fruit yield, these two coefficients can be considered equal, Approximately. Therefore, direct selection based on fruit diameter proves to be a valuable strategy for enhancing fruit yield. The magnitude of residual effects serves as an indicator of the model's accuracy in path analysis. When this value is substantial, it may be advisable to incorporate additional causal variables into the model. In the current study, the residual effects value (0.213) affirms the model's optimal accuracy.This research highlights the effectiveness of employing stepwise multivariate regression and path coefficient analysis to gain a deeper understanding of the fundamental relationships between traits. It underscores that relying solely on correlation relationships is insufficient for comprehensively justifying the associations between these traits.
Pomology
Mahmud Hasanabadi; Majid Azizi; Gholamhossein Davarinejad; Hojatollah Bodaghi; Hossein Hokmabadi
Abstract
Introduction Grape (Vitis vinifera L.) is one of the most important fruits cultivated in many areas with different climates all over the world. Grape, which is rich in antioxidants, flavonoids, anthocyanins and phenolic acids, is highly regarded in terms of economic value. Salicylic acid is one ...
Read More
Introduction Grape (Vitis vinifera L.) is one of the most important fruits cultivated in many areas with different climates all over the world. Grape, which is rich in antioxidants, flavonoids, anthocyanins and phenolic acids, is highly regarded in terms of economic value. Salicylic acid is one of the compounds which have been used in recent years for improving the physicochemical properties of many fruits. The application of salicylic acid increases the shelf life of crops by inhibiting ethylene production and respiration, as well as by reducing the activity of some enzymes which are responsible for softening the cell wall. Furthermore, salicylic acid results in the enhancement of phenolic compound production by increasing the activity of some enzymes such as phenylalanine ammonia-lyase.Materials and Methods The present study was conducted in 2014 on 13-year-old Shahroodi grapes that were grown using a head-training system with a spacing of 2m × 2m in "Shahrood" County, Semnan Province. A total of 60 grapevines with uniform age and growth characteristics were selected for the experiment. Salicylic acid was obtained from Merck and solutions were prepared using a small amount of organic solvent and surfactant to reduce the surface tension of the solutions. For the purpose, the Salicylic acid powder was dissolved in a few drops of ethanol and a few drops of Tween 20 for improving solution penetration to the plants, The solution was prepared at concentrations of 0 (control), 1, 2, 3 mM. Then the plants were sprayed two weeks after the fruit set stage (when berries were at the pea-sized stage with a diameter of 4 to 5 mm). The experimental design used in this experiment was a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. After harvesting and transporting of fruits to the laboratory, different characteristics were measured:Chlorophyll and carotenoid ContentChlorophyll a, b, and total Chlorophyll and carotenoid content measured according to Arnon (1967) method in grape leaves. The extraction steps were carried out with full precision to minimize contact with heat and light. In order to stabilize the pigments, the samples taken from the central part of the mature leaves were immediately ground in liquid nitrogen. The samples were vortexed two times with an interval of one minute and stored for 1.5 hours at a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius in order to dissolve the pigments in cold acetone solvent. After that, they were centrifuged for 15 minutes at a speed of 6000 rpm. The supernatant after centrifugation of the samples was used to measure chlorophyll and total carotenoids. The absorbance of the samples was read at three wavelengths of 470, 645, and 663 nm using a Shimadzu UV (160) spectrophotometer. Using the absorbance of the samples in these three wavelengths and the equations below, the amounts of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll and total carotenoids were calculated in terms of milligrams per gram of tissue sample weight.Fruit characteristics Fruit characteristics such as fruit yield, fruit firmness (with magnets-Taylor device), sugar and acid content, and content of phenolic compounds were also measured. The fruit tissue firmness was measured using a firmness tester (model FDKA 32, Wagner) and expressed in Newtons per square centimeter. The characteristics of soluble solids (TSS) were expressed using a handheld refractometer (Ataga, Japan) and expressed in terms of Brix, the pH of the extract was measured using a digital pH meter (Sartorius PP-20, Germany). Titratable acidity or TA was done through the titration of the extract using 0.1 normal sodium until pH 1.8-2.8 and its results were reported using the following formula and under the title of tartaric acid percentage.Total phenol content The amount of total phenol was measured by Folin-Ciocalteu method and spectrophotometry. The absorbance of the reaction mixture was measured after 120 minutes of storage in the absence of light at a wavelength of 765 nm using a Shimadzu UV spectrophotometer (160). The amount of total phenol was expressed from the standard curve in terms of mg of gallic acid per 100 grams of extract in three replicates for each sample and standard.Total flavonoid The amount of total flavonoid was measured by aluminum chloride calorimetric method. In this experiment, 50 microliters of methanolic extract from the flesh and fruit skin were combined with 10 microliters of 10% aluminum chloride and 10 microliters of 1 M potassium acetate. Then, 280 microliters of double distilled water were added to the mixture. After the samples were mixed, they were left at room temperature for 40 minutes. The absorbance of the reaction mixture was measured at a wavelength of 415 nm using a Shimadzu UV spectrophotometer (160) in three replicates. A blank containing double distilled water was used for comparison. The amount of total flavonoids was determined based on the standard curve of quercetin and the results were expressed in micrograms of quercetin per gram of fruit skin and flesh weight.Total anthocyanin The amount of total anthocyanin was measured using the difference in pH method. In this method, the absorbance was measured using a spectrophotometer at wavelengths of 520 and 700 nm along with potassium chloride and sodium acetate buffers with different pH values of 1 and 4.5.Results The results of the data analysis of variance showed that the application of salicylic acid resulted in significant differences in the measured characteristics. Therefore, the use of this compound improved the physical and biochemical quality of the treated grape clusters.Comparison of treatments means showed that using 2 mM salicylic acid brought about a significant effect on the amount of chlorophyll (a, b and total) and carotenoids compared to other treatments, especially control. Salicylic acid application caused a reduction in pH and soluble solids, and an increase in firmness, 100-berry weight and yield. The results of the study indicated a significant increase in organic acids and a decrease in reducing sugars in the grape clusters treated with salicylic acid. The highest amount of tartaric acid was found in the treatment with 2 mM salicylic acid, with an average of 0.66, while the control treatment had the lowest amount of tartaric acid, with an average of 0.52. This suggests that the use of salicylic acid led to a reduction in transpiration and consumption of organic acids. In terms of reducing sugars, the highest and lowest amounts were observed in the control treatment (14%/74) and the treatment with 2 mM salicylic acid (13%/60), respectively. Increasing the concentration of salicylic acid up to 2 mM resulted in the enhancement of anthocyanins and phenolic compounds contents, but higher concentrations (more than 2 mM) reduced the amounts of these compounds in treated fruits.Conclusion Pre-harvest use of salicylic acid could have a positive effect on the improvement of qualitative and quantitative characteristics of grape cv. Shahroodi. However, further comprehensive studies are needed to be conducted to recommend this compound to the growers of fruit trees.
Ebrahim Ganji Moghadam; Ameneh Ghahremani; Seyyed Yaqub Seyed Masoumi Khayavi
Abstract
Introduction: Peach (Prunus persica L.) is one of the most essential fruit in Iran and the world. This fruit is suitable for both fresh markets and industrial producer and it is quite favorable by consumers. The efficiency of production is strongly influenced by the chosen peach cultivars. New cultivars ...
Read More
Introduction: Peach (Prunus persica L.) is one of the most essential fruit in Iran and the world. This fruit is suitable for both fresh markets and industrial producer and it is quite favorable by consumers. The efficiency of production is strongly influenced by the chosen peach cultivars. New cultivars are constantly in development by breeders. However, all characteristics are required to be examined include their ecological adaptation ability, productivity, fruit quality, and market value before orchard establishment. Studying the new cultivars is practically essential for exact determination of morphological and phenological features of genotype which is important. However, there is limited information on the global evaluation of fruit quality in breeding progenies and their relationships with pomological traits. Furthermore, the cultivated peach area under Khorasan Razavi province is 1850 ha and the production of fruit is 11283 tons. Therefore, the selection of suitable cultivars for cultivation in the region is very important due to the high economic lifespan of peaches (20-30 years), which in some commercial orchards this period is reduced to 12-15 years. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the pomological and morphological traits of 14 peach genotypes and cultivars in Khorasan Razavi province climatic conditions to select cultivars or genotypes compatible with high quantitative and qualitative performance. Materials and Methods: This study was performed in two-years (2016-17 and 2017-18) experiments based on a complete randomized block design with three replications on 14 peach cultivars and genotypes in Golmakan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Station on 4-years-old trees with density planting system at a spacing of 4 ×5 m. The type of applied irrigation was drip irrigation, with common fertilizer. Trees were trained to an open center system. The vegetative (tree height, trunk cross-section, the crown of the tree), phenological (first bloom, full bloom, end of flowering, flowering period, and harvest time) and reproductive (fruit weight, stone weight, fruit length, fruit width, fruit yield, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, flavor index, and pH) traits were evaluated. It is necessary to explain the soluble solids content by Refractometer (Model 7887, Osk Japan) in terms of percentage and acidity by titration with NaOH (0.1 N) based on predominant peach acid, malic acid. The ratio of soluble solids to acidity was obtained by dividing soluble solids by acidity. The pH of the fruit juice was measured with a portable pH meter at room temperature (23–18 °C). Data analysis was performed using SAS software (version 9.2) and means were compared using Duncan's multiple range test. Stepwise regression and cluster analysis (Ward method) was conducted by Minitab software (version 19). Simple correlation (Pearson) between traits from the mean of two-year data was performed using SAS statistical software (version 9.2), in which positive correlation with blue color and negative correlation with red color was determined, which increased the color intensity indicates an increase in the correlation coefficient. Results and Discussion: The results showed that year and genotype had significantly different effects on all studied traits. ‘Anjiri Maliki’ and ‘Shindabad Hastejoda’ were the earliest and the most late-flowering genotypes, respectively. Among the studied genotypes, ‘Shindabad-5’ and ‘Spring Time’ were the earliest fruiting genotypes, and ‘Meshkinshahr Paeeze’, ‘Kajil’, and ‘Anjiri Zafarani’ were the most late-fruiting genotypes. ‘Haj Kazem’ genotype had the highest tree height (236.18 cm), trunk cross-section (181.83 cm2), and tree crown volume (73.34 cm3), which compared to the control genotype (‘G.H. Hill’) showed 38.62%, 79.9%, and 55.7% increases, respectively. In the second year of the experiment, the characteristics of fruit weight, stone weight, fruit length, fruit width, and fruit yield increased by 41.72%, 43.45%, 16.61%, 16.40% and 81.99%, respectively, compared to the first year. The highest amount of single fruit weight (165.28 g) in ‘Fayette’ genotype, stone weight (7.04 g) and fruit length (65.05 mm) in ‘Shinabad Hastejoda’ genotype, fruit width (66.04 mm) in ‘Shandabad-5’, and fruit yield in ‘Fayette’ and ‘Paeeze Meshkinshahr’ genotypes (with an average of 21.78 and 21.33 kg, respectively) were obtained. ‘Anjiri Zafarani’ genotype had the highest content of soluble solids (16.95%), flavor index (48.38), and acidity (4.65), which compared to control genotype were increased 0.1%, 69.38% and 25.8%, respectively. Fruit yield had a positive and significant correlation with trunk cross-sectional traits, tree crown volume, fruit weight, stone weight, and fruit width. According to this study, the tree height, trunk cross-section, and fruit weight traits were entered into the regression model, respectively, and finally, the traits entered in the model justified 53.23% of the fruit yield changes. Conclusion: Generally, ‘Fayette’ and ‘Shindabad Hastejoda’ genotypes can be recommended as the best genotype for cultivation in the Khorasan Razavi region due to their high quantitative and qualitative yield.
Bahram Behzadi; Ali Rahemi Karizaki
Abstract
Introduction: Tomato is a major source of the antioxidant, lycopene, which has been linked to many health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. It is also a great source of vitamin C, potassium, folate and vitamin K. Optimal planting dates and appropriate cultivars are farm management ...
Read More
Introduction: Tomato is a major source of the antioxidant, lycopene, which has been linked to many health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. It is also a great source of vitamin C, potassium, folate and vitamin K. Optimal planting dates and appropriate cultivars are farm management cases that are effective in increasing yield. The purpose of the planting date is to find the planting time of a cultivar or a group of similar varieties of a plant so that the set of environmental factors at that time would be appropriate for the emergence, establishment and survival of the seedlings. Because of off-season production, tomato has a high economic status in Bushehr Province. Some researchers reported that cultivars with larger fruits had the lowest number of fruits per plant. By investigating the response of tomatoes to time of transplantation, fruit yield and crop characteristics of the cultivars, a number of researchers reported that the date of transplantation had a significant effect on the number of days to flowering, the number of branches per plant, the diameter of the fruit, the number of fruits per Plant and fruit yield, early transfer of seedlings increased the harvest period, while late planting date was significantly effective on flowering, and the plants sooner went to flower.
Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in order to determine the best transplanting date and tomato cultivars. An experiment was carried out in Randomized Completely Block Design with four levels of transplanting dates (6 Sep, 27 Sep, 17 Oct and 6 Nov) in main plots and four cultivars (Petopride 2, Peto Early CH, Cal J-N3 and Kimia) in sub plots with four replications in Bushehr Agricultural and Natural research resource center during 2009-2011.The spacing between rows of planting was 140 cm and plant spacing was 50 cm. Each plot included 4 planting lines of 4 meters long. Before planting in the summer, land preparation was done between June and August. The amount of fertilizer was determined based on soil test results. Phosphorus fertilizers, potassium, micronutrient and one third of nitrogen fertilizers and iron sequestrons, along with decayed animal manure, were mixed prior to deployment of type tubes and mixed with soil. One third of nitrogen fertilizers and iron sequestrons were given during flowering and one-third remained at the time of fruit start. Irrigation was carried out on a regular basis, taking into account the weather conditions and plant requirements. After each harvest, fruit yield, fruit number per plant, fruit weight, yield per plant were measured. To determine the length and diameter of fruit, acidity and soluble solids from each plot, 10 fruits were selected randomly.
Results and Discussion: Interaction effect among the tomato cultivars and transplanting dates on fruit yield, yield per plant, number of fruits per plant, fruit weight and fruit diameter were significant at 1% probability level. In the first year, the highest total yield and fruit yield per plant were obtained from the transplanting date of 6 September and Potoperide 2 cultivar, and the lowest yield was produced with November 15 transplanting date and Kimia cultivar. In the second year, the highest total yield and fruit yield per plant were obtained from the transplanting date of 27 September and kimia cultivar, and the lowest amount was obtained from the transplanting date of 6 November and Peto Early CH cultivar. Planting date is one of the most important management practices which affects the crop growth through the effect on photoperiod, day and night temperature, light intensity and soil moisture. In most cases, earlier planting dates due to the longer vegetative and reproductive growth period of the plant may improve the allocation of photosynthetic materials to the plants.
Conclusions: This study showed that fruit yield and yield components were significantly affected by planting date and cultivars. Generally, delay in planting reduces fruit yield, plant yield, fruit weight and number of fruits per plant. Environmental factors such as light, temperature, CO2, moisture content can be changed from year to year. These factors affect the number of flowers formed in the plant, their pollination, the percentage of fruit formation. Also, the potential of cultivars had a significant effect on yield and its components and the cultivars producing the shorter fruit had the least number of fruits per plant.
Hamideh Fatemi; Hossein Arouiee; Majid Azizi; Seyyed Hossein Nemati
Abstract
Plastic mulches have been used in vegetable production in the most parts of the world. In order to evaluate the performance of the colored plastic mulch and different plant density on Cucurbita pepo var. Rada, an experiment was conducted in Agriculture Faculty of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad during ...
Read More
Plastic mulches have been used in vegetable production in the most parts of the world. In order to evaluate the performance of the colored plastic mulch and different plant density on Cucurbita pepo var. Rada, an experiment was conducted in Agriculture Faculty of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad during the cultural seasons at 2010. The experiment was arranged in factorial experiment based on randomized complete design with four replications. Treatments were mulch at three levels (blue, red and without mulch) and plant spacing at two levels (120 × 30 and 120 × 40 cm). The results indicated that reducing the planting distance (120 × 30 cm) significantly increased the fruit weight and yield. The highest numbers of harvest and fruit yield were found in the red mulch treatment. The fruit yield per plant was 5/36, 3/57 and 2/69 kg in the red, blue mulch and control, respectively.
