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Agronomy
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Advances in Fruit Pre-harvest and Postharvest Quality, Physiology and Technology
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Advances in Fruit Pre-harvest and Postharvest Quality, Physiology and Technology

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural and Floricultural Crops".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2023) | Viewed by 12997

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Giorgia Liguori

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: fruit quality; fruit physiology; fruit postharvest physiology and technology; fruit processing; plant physiology; fruit sustainable processing and treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Noemi Tel-Zur

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Sede Boqer Campus, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer 84990, Israel
Interests: fruit biology; fruit physiology; plant biology; plant breeding
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fruits are an important source of carbohydrates, proteins, organic acids, vitamins and minerals for human nutrition and health. In addition to the health benefits that can derive from their consumption, fruit can also function as precious sources of bioactive compounds for food functionalization or nutraceutical preparations. To improve quality and reduce losses, producers and handlers should understand biological, environmental and technological factors affecting quality and deterioration. Fruits are highly perishable products with an active metabolism subjected to several losses between harvest and consumption through microbial decay, physical injury, and senescence during postharvest life. Preharvest and postharvest handling, processing and technology play a key role in increasing fruit availability and maintaining fruit quality. Fruit quality parameters include size, visual attractiveness, taste, health benefits, shelf life, suitability for handling and processing and so on. The connection between quality build-up in the preharvest period and its impact on technological quality traits have been frequently overlooked, and detailed knowledge is still missing. Fresh fruits are different in terms of morphological structure, composition and physiology; for that reason, commodity requirements and recommendations to maintain quality and improve postharvest life change among the products. During the production chain, specific criteria prevail depending on the product's destination, which includes either the fresh market or the processing industry. Therefore, improving shelf life, maintaining quality and reducing waste by conducting advanced research on fruit physiology and developing new technologies can mandatory to meet the consumer's demand and to reduce food chain losses. The Special Issue is focused on recent research regarding advances in fruit preharvest and postharvest quality, physiology and technology (research articles and reviews are welcome).

Dr. Giorgia Liguori
Dr. Noemi Tel-Zur
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • fruit preharvest and postharvest physiology
  • fruit preharvest and postharvest technology
  • fruit processing
  • fruit handling
  • fruit quality

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 2993 KiB  
Article
The Inhibitory Mechanism of Eugenol on Lasiodiplodia theobromae and Its Induced Disease Resistance of Passion Fruit
by Yanzheng Sun, Liang Shuai, Donglan Luo and Liangjie Ba
Agronomy 2023, 13(5), 1408; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13051408 - 19 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1177
Abstract
The inhibitory effects and mechanisms of eugenol were studied in pathogenic fungi that were isolated from passion fruit affected with naturally occurring fruit rot; additionally, the effect of eugenol treatment on fruit rot resistance in passion fruit was investigated. The corresponding results demonstrated [...] Read more.
The inhibitory effects and mechanisms of eugenol were studied in pathogenic fungi that were isolated from passion fruit affected with naturally occurring fruit rot; additionally, the effect of eugenol treatment on fruit rot resistance in passion fruit was investigated. The corresponding results demonstrated that the pathogenic fungus causing passion fruit rot was Lasiodiplodia theobromae and that the minimal inhibitory concentration of eugenol against L. theobromae was 0.30 mg/mL. Eugenol significantly inhibited mycelial growth and spore germination of this fruit rot fungus. Further, nucleic acid release, electrical conductivity, and protein and soluble sugar content of the fruit rot fungus gradually increased with increasing eugenol concentrations. Propidium iodide staining revealed that the cell membrane integrity of L. theobromae hyphae was disrupted when treated with eugenol. In addition, eugenol treatment inhibited the spread of disease spot diameter after inoculation with L. theobromae, effectively increased APX, SOD, CAT, POD, 4CL, C4H, and PAL activities, promoted the accumulation of disease-stage-related proteins CHI and GLU, and increased the total phenol and flavonoid content during storage in passion fruit. Overall, these results suggest that eugenol has good application prospects for the effective control of fruit rot in passion fruit. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Fruit Pre-harvest and Postharvest Quality, Physiology and Technology)
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19 pages, 3378 KiB  
Article
Fruit Quality and Primary and Secondary Metabolites Content in Eight Varieties of Blood Oranges
by María Ángeles Forner-Giner, Manuel Ballesta-de los Santos, Pablo Melgarejo, Juan José Martínez-Nicolás, Amparo Melián-Navarro, Antonio Ruíz-Canales, Alberto Continella and Pilar Legua
Agronomy 2023, 13(4), 1037; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13041037 - 31 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1850
Abstract
In Europe, the cultivation of blood oranges for fresh consumption is increasing due to their excellent organoleptic and nutraceutical properties, which give this fruit the status of functional food. Blood orange has a higher content of bioactive compounds, which confer additional benefits for [...] Read more.
In Europe, the cultivation of blood oranges for fresh consumption is increasing due to their excellent organoleptic and nutraceutical properties, which give this fruit the status of functional food. Blood orange has a higher content of bioactive compounds, which confer additional benefits for human health. The main morphological and qualitative parameters were studied together with the content of primary metabolites by 1H NMR and secondary metabolites by HPLC-ESI-DAD-MSn from eight varieties of blood orange grafted on Citrus macrophylla. Tarocco Dalmuso was the variety with the highest values of weight (350.6 g), caliber (86.4 mm and 88.6 mm) and juice content (214.2 g). Tarocco Gallo obtained the most interesting qualitative parameters (13.95 °Brix; 22.75 MI). The most intense red juice was in Sanguinelli (a* = 9.45) and, in crust, it was in Tarocco Scirè (a* = 40.13). The most abundant primary metabolites were proline, aspartate and asparagine, citric acid and sucrose. The results showed that the juice of the Moro had the highest levels of total flavones and flavanones (90.07 and 592.88 mg L−1, respectively), and Sanguinelli in total anthocyanins (101.06 mg L−1). To conclude, Tarocco Dalmuso obtained the best values of agronomic parameters, and Moro and Sanguinelli in the content of phenolic compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Fruit Pre-harvest and Postharvest Quality, Physiology and Technology)
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18 pages, 9308 KiB  
Article
Effect of Water Stress and Rehydration on the Cluster and Fruit Quality of Greenhouse Tomatoes
by Munia Alomari-Mheidat, Mireia Corell, Pedro Castro-Valdecantos, Luis Andreu, Alfonso Moriana and María José Martín-Palomo
Agronomy 2023, 13(2), 563; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13020563 - 16 Feb 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1257
Abstract
The water needs for tomato crops are very high and could limit the viability of cultivation in semiarid environments. There is no agreement among works on irrigation regarding the sensibility of the flowering period. In addition, there is a lack of studies about [...] Read more.
The water needs for tomato crops are very high and could limit the viability of cultivation in semiarid environments. There is no agreement among works on irrigation regarding the sensibility of the flowering period. In addition, there is a lack of studies about the effects of water stress on fruit and cluster development under severe water stress. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of water stress and rehydration during cluster development. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse (Seville, Spain) in two different growth cycles (autumn 2021 and spring 2022) using three different cultivars. Two irrigation treatments were applied: a control, with full irrigated conditions, and severe stress, without irrigation during the development of the fifth cluster (43 days (autumn) and 21 days (spring) after transplantation) followed by rehydration. Plant height was significantly decreased, by approximately 10%, in the irrigation treatment during the autumn cycle, however, not in spring. A delayed cluster emergence occurred, however, the final number per plant at the end of the experiment was the same when rehydration was applied (73 and 56 days after transplanting). In the autumn cycle, only the fruit size was considerably affected, with more than a 50% reduction on some dates, though not in the first cluster. However, the extremely severe water stress during the spring cycle, with strong defoliation, reduced the number (around 50%) and size (around 40%) of the fruit. Total soluble solids increased only on isolated dates of the harvest in the stress plants. The response of cherry cultivars to water stress was similar in terms of quality parameters. Fruit size was the most sensitive yield component, and no recovery was detected at harvest after rehydration. The effect of severe water stress was different depending on the evaporative demand and, more importantly, on fruit size. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Fruit Pre-harvest and Postharvest Quality, Physiology and Technology)
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20 pages, 3235 KiB  
Article
Effect of Taro Corm Mucilage and Black Seed Oil as Edible Coatings on the Shelf-Life and Quality of Fresh Guava
by Sumaiya Sultana Shanta, Tanvir Ahmed, Md Fahad Jubayer, Minaxi Sharma, Kandi Sridhar, Md Mozammel Hoque, Md Rahmatuzzaman Rana and Baskaran Stephen Inbaraj
Agronomy 2023, 13(2), 538; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13020538 - 14 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2638
Abstract
This study aimed to assess the influence of taro mucilage (TM) and black seed oil (BSO) as an edible coating to extend guava fruits’ shelf-life and quality attributes. Four different edible coatings were applied, namely, T1 (1% TM + 0.75% glycerol + 0.5% [...] Read more.
This study aimed to assess the influence of taro mucilage (TM) and black seed oil (BSO) as an edible coating to extend guava fruits’ shelf-life and quality attributes. Four different edible coatings were applied, namely, T1 (1% TM + 0.75% glycerol + 0.5% BSO), T2 (5% TM + 0.75% glycerol + 0.5% BSO), T3 (0.75% glycerol + 0.5% BSO), and T4 (1% chitosan + 0.75% glycerol + 0.5% BSO). Different quality parameters, including weight loss, surface color, firmness, chlorophyll, vitamin C, phenolic content, antioxidant, malondialdehyde, and microbial load, were measured at a regular interval. Significant differences were observed between the coated and uncoated (control) fruits. Compared to the control fruit, weight loss was decreased in all the treated fruits, and T2 treatment retained the highest weight compared to other treatments. Fruits treated with T2 and T4 treatments retained high levels of vitamin C throughout the storage period. After 9 days, T4 treatment showed the lowest increase of microbial growth compared to other treatments. At the end of the storage period, results showed that the sample treated with 5% mucilage retained a higher level of polyphenol, antioxidant, and vitamin C content. Furthermore, the addition of BSO improved the antibacterial and antioxidant properties of coated guava. The results of this study indicate that a polysaccharide-based edible coating mixed with BSO improved the quality parameters and extended the shelf-life. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Fruit Pre-harvest and Postharvest Quality, Physiology and Technology)
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18 pages, 5413 KiB  
Article
Scion/Rootstock Interaction Studies for Quality Traits in Mango (Mangifera indica L.) Varieties
by Mukesh Shivran, Nimisha Sharma, Anil Kumar Dubey, Sanjay Kumar Singh, Neha Sharma, Vignesh Muthusamy, Maneesh Jain, Bikram Pratap Singh, Nisha Singh, Nirmal Kumar, Narendra Singh, Shruti Sethi and Radha Mohan Sharma
Agronomy 2023, 13(1), 204; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13010204 - 09 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2223
Abstract
To explore the quality rootstocks which impart better quality fruits in mango varieties, we studied the interactive effect of the scion and rootstock using five mango varieties (Mallika, Amrapali, Dashehari, Pusa Arunima, and Pusa Surya) grafted on three rootstocks (Olour, Kurukkan, and K-5). [...] Read more.
To explore the quality rootstocks which impart better quality fruits in mango varieties, we studied the interactive effect of the scion and rootstock using five mango varieties (Mallika, Amrapali, Dashehari, Pusa Arunima, and Pusa Surya) grafted on three rootstocks (Olour, Kurukkan, and K-5). A total of 25 physico-chemical parameters were studied in the five grafted varieties viz., fruit weight, yield efficiency, fruit per plant, pulp percent, total soluble solids (TSS), acidity, physiological loss in weight (PLW), peel thickness, respiration rate, etc., and were found to be altered through scion–rootstock interaction. Among the five mango varieties, Olour rootstock proved best to improve the fruit quality and shelf life using the grafting approach. Physico-chemical-traits-based clustering was unable to precisely group scion varieties according to their grafting rootstock. A total of 35 shelf-life specific markers were designed from ripening genes, such as expansin, polygalactouranase, ethylene insensitive, ethylene sensitive, etc. Of these specific primers, 24 showed polymorphism among the studied genotypes. The gene diversity (GD), allele per locus (An), polymorphism information content (PIC), and major allele frequency (MAF) observed were 0.43, 2.00, 0.34, and 0.63, respectively. Cluster analysis clearly showed that scion grafted on Kurukkan and Olour rootstock, and scion varieties grafted on K-5 rootstock grouped together have more similarity. A total of eight simple sequence repeats loci (SSRs) markers were associated with eight physiological traits. Strong association of SSR loci NMSLC-12 and NMSLC-14 with yield efficiency and fruit weight were observed with a phenotypic variance of 85% and 70%, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Fruit Pre-harvest and Postharvest Quality, Physiology and Technology)
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9 pages, 2399 KiB  
Communication
Structural Changes Caused by CO2 or Ethanol Deastringency Treatments in Cold-Stored ‘Giombo’ Persimmon
by Nariane Q. Vilhena, Magda Andréia Tessmer, Isabel Hernando, Ricardo Alfredo Kluge, Amparo Quiles and Alejandra Salvador
Agronomy 2022, 12(10), 2464; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12102464 - 11 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1190
Abstract
Persimmon cv. Giombo is astringent at harvest and must be subjected to astringency removal treatment. To date, the most widespread treatment for this variety involves applying ethanol instead of high CO2 concentrations, which is the usual treatment with other varieties. This study [...] Read more.
Persimmon cv. Giombo is astringent at harvest and must be subjected to astringency removal treatment. To date, the most widespread treatment for this variety involves applying ethanol instead of high CO2 concentrations, which is the usual treatment with other varieties. This study aims to evaluate the effect of high CO2 or ethanol concentrations as deastringency treatments on the quality and flesh structure of ’Giombo´ persimmon during cold storage. The deastringency process was faster in the fruit treated with CO2 than with ethanol. One day after treatment, the CO2-treated fruit showed lower soluble tannin levels than those detected sensorially for this variety, while with the ethanol-treated fruit, these values were obtained after 25 storage days plus the shelf-life period. The tannin insolubilisation process was observed by light microscopy. Loss of flesh firmness during storage was more pronounced when fruit were previously treated with ethanol than with CO2. This is closely related to greater parenchyma degradation during storage caused by ethanol treatment, which was observed by a microstructural study by cryo-scanning electron microscopy. Therefore, as deastringency treatment for ‘Giombo’, applying CO2 instead of ethanol treatment is recommended for better fruit quality, especially when fruit are to be cold-stored. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Fruit Pre-harvest and Postharvest Quality, Physiology and Technology)
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22 pages, 2288 KiB  
Article
Influence of Cactus Pear Mucilage-Based Edible Coating on Marketability and Edibility Parameters of Minimally Processed Loquat Fruits
by Giorgia Liguori, Giuseppe Greco, Raimondo Gaglio, Luca Settanni, Paolo Inglese and Alessio Allegra
Agronomy 2022, 12(9), 2120; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12092120 - 07 Sep 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1696
Abstract
Loquat fruit, popular all over the world for its mild, subacid, and sweet taste, has been classified as a non-climacteric fruit with a very short postharvest life. The fruit decays quickly after harvest, and losses in titratable acidity, taste, and juiciness, and internal [...] Read more.
Loquat fruit, popular all over the world for its mild, subacid, and sweet taste, has been classified as a non-climacteric fruit with a very short postharvest life. The fruit decays quickly after harvest, and losses in titratable acidity, taste, and juiciness, and internal browning occurs rapidly during shelf life. The aim of our study was to assess the effects of cactus pear mucilage-based coating on quality, nutraceutical value, microbiological growth, and sensorial parameters of minimally processed white-flesh Martorana and orange-red-flesh Gigante Rossa loquat fruits during cold storage. The effect of mucilage edible coating on the postharvest life, qualitative attributes, and nutraceutical value of fruit were evaluated by coloring, firmness, total soluble solids content, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, antioxidant activity, total phenols, and total carotenoids content. Our data showed a significant effect of mucilage coating on preserving quality, nutraceutical value, sensorial parameters, and improving postharvest life of minimally processed loquat fruits. Furthermore, coated fruits showed a significantly lower microbiological growth than uncoated loquat fruits during the cold storage period. Our study suggests that minimally processing coated loquat fruit could allow producers to also sell to the market loquat fruits that present large spotted areas in the epicarp, which are usually considered unmarketable. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Fruit Pre-harvest and Postharvest Quality, Physiology and Technology)
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