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Exogenous polyamines can elevate postharvest fruit cold resistance and alleviate cold injury. However, the mechanism, by which polyamines mediate cold tolerance, is still to be explored. So in this paper, the conjugated polyamines in tonoplast and vacuole conformation were illuminated in the flesh cells of peach fruit subjected to cold stress, which were pretreated with exogenous putrescine. The results showed that under cold condition, fruit firmness decreased and flesh browning area increased, and vacuole conformation changed. The cold injury could be alleviated by pretreatment with exogenous putrescine, as judged by stabilization of the vacuole conformation, increased fruit firmness and reduced flesh browning area. Furthermore, the cold alleviation was coupled with the increases in the levels of covalently conjugated putrescine and non-covalently conjugated spermidine and spermine in the tonoplast. The results suggested that these conjugated polyamines in tonoplast and vacuole conformation might be involved in putrescine-mediated cold tolerance. The suggestion was further verified by applications with inhibitors, phenanthroline and methylglyoxal-bis (guanylhydrazone) (MGBG). Phenanthroline and MGBG could restrain the putrescine-induced increases in covalently and non-covalently conjugated polyamines mentioned above in the tonoplast, respectively, and increase flesh browning area, decrease fruit firmness and vacuole conformation stabilization. So, we can conclude that exogenous putrescine alleviates cold injury in peach fruit via elevating the contents of the polyamines conjugated to the tonoplast and thereby maintaining vacuole conformation.

The aim of the study was to assess the impact of the use of biofertilizers on the degree of colonization of cucumber and tomato plant roots by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and the number of AMF spores in the rhizosphere soil. Two experiments were carried out in containers on cucumber and tomato plants under field conditions. The plants were fertilized with standard NPK fertilizer, mineral fertilizers: POLIFOSKA 6, Super FOS DAR 40 and urea in the full recommended dose and reduced by 40%, microbiologically enriched, and only with strains of beneficial microorganisms (Bacillus spp., Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Paenibacillus Polymyxa, Aspergillus niger, Purpureocillium lilacinum). The experimental results showed a beneficial effect of the POLIFOSKA 6 mineral fertilizer enriched with beneficial bacteria of the Bacillus genus on increasing the colonization of the roots of tomato and cucumber plants by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Compared to the control, fertilization with microbiologically enriched urea at doses of 100% and 60% reduced the frequency of mycorrhizas in the roots of tomato and cucumber plants. The use of POLIFOSKA 6 100% and Super FOS DAR 40 at a dose of 60% resulted in an increase in the number of spores in the rhizosphere soil. The experimental results will allow the development of new biofertilizers as alternative methods of fertilizing plants and improving soil quality compared to standard mineral fertilization.

This study was conducted to determine the effect of traffic stress by soil compaction on zoysiagrass by analyzing the aerial and underground parts and hyperspectral analysis. Zoysiagrass plants were subjected to a compaction strength gradient from 35 to 80 kgf/cm² to confirm the compaction resistance and recoverable limit and measure the physiological change during stress. Changes in leaf color, photosynthesis, and hyperspectral reflectance due to continuous weak and strong traffic stress were measured, and vegetation indices were evaluated for the critical traffic stress injury assessment. As a result, the stem of the zoysiagrass was severely damaged up to 70 kgf/cm² based on soil hardness. The recoverable limit strength of soil compaction was 55 kgf/cm² under weak response pressure conditions. Collectively, our results show that the damage of weak compaction strength on the zoysiagrass was quickly recovered after the stop of traffic stress, especially since the growth of the underground part was increased by weak traffic stress. However, if the compaction strength above 65 kgf/cm2 lasted for a long time, the growth of the underground part is limited by lowering the energy supply for the recovery occurred, in turn, the recovery occurred slowly after the compaction was stopped. Among the vegetation indices obtained from hyperspectral data, pigment specific simple ratio for chlorophyll a (PSSRa), pigment specific simple ratio for chlorophyll b (PSSRb), and pigment specific simple ratio for carotenoids (PSSRc) were effective in evaluating the damage of traffic stress.

To investigate the regulation mechanism of exogenous plant growth regulators on the sugar accumulation of ‘Fengtang’ plum fruits, and to provide theoretical support for improving the sugar content of ‘Fengtang’ plum fruits. The expression of fruit sugar fractions and related genes was determined by spraying different concentrations of exogenous  abscisic acid (ABA) and Gibberellic acid 3 (GA3) during the critical period of sugar accumulation in ‘Fengtang’ plum. The results showed that exogenous ABA treatment increased fruit soluble solids content, delayed the decline in fruit firmness, increased fruit sucrose and sorbitol content and decreased glucose and fructose content at 90 and 100 days after flowering, while exogenous GA3 treatment decreased fruit sorbitol and sucrose content and increased glucose and fructose content at 110 days after flowering; Exogenous ABA treatment significantly increased the expression of the fruit sugar transporter protein genes PsSWEET4 and PsSTP1 as well as the sucrose phosphate synthase genes PsSUS4 and PsSPS2 at 90 and 100 days after flowering, whereas exogenous GA3 treatment increased the expression of the neutral converting enzyme genes PsNINV1/3/4 at 90, 100, and 110 days after flowering to convert sucrose to fructose and glucose. The conclusion is that ABA increases fruit sugar content by increasing the expression of the fruit sugar transporter protein genes PsSWEET4 and PsSTP1 as well as the sucrose synthase genes PsSUS4 and PsSPS2, whereas GA3 decreases sugar accumulation and delays fruit ripening by decreasing the accumulation of sugar during ripening by increasing the expression of the neutral transforming enzyme genes PsNINV1/3/4 to break down sucrose into fructose and glucose.

To study the effects of long-term and short-term high temperature stress and recovery on the physiological functions and appearance quality of chrysanthemums, a controlled experiment with chrysanthemums was conducted. The treatments were 25 °C for 3 days (T1D3), 25 °C for 9 days (T1D9), 41 °C for 3 days (T2D3) and 41°C for 9 days (T2D9). The results indicated that there is no significant difference between the T1D3 and T1D9 groups. Conversely, the total chlorophyll content (Chl), net photosynthetic rate (PN), and maximum quantum yield of Photosystem II (PSII) (FV/FM) under T2D3 and T2D9 decreased by 27.07%, 43.30%, 5.62%, and 44.85%, 68.22%, 8.29%, respectively. The JIP-test results showed that the T2D9-stressed plants had a lower efficiency and functional antenna size, and a higher activity of the reaction centre than T2D3. The contents of malondialdehyde, soluble protein and proline increased by 3.67 nmol/g FM, 298.75 μg/g, and 192.99 μg/g, and the antioxidant enzymes activities were inhibited significantly under T2D9. After the stress was relieved, Chl, PN, and FV/FM under T2D3 recovered to the same level as T1D3, while T2D9 did not. Furthermore, the diameter of the flowers in T2D3 showed no significant difference with the chrysanthemums under T1D3. However, the plants in T2D9 recovered poorly. Both the diameter of the flowers and the anthocyanin under T2D9 reduced significantly comparing with T1D9, indicating that the damage in the chrysanthemum seedlings caused by long-term high temperature was irreversible.

The use of vermiliquers obtained from earthworm in hydroponic crops is well received as alternative for fertilization of leafy vegetables. The vermiliquer boosts growth, defense compounds and increases the uptake of nutrients and minerals by plants. The growth and enzymatic activities related to stress and phenolic compounds were explored in hydroponic lettuce crops treated with different concentrations of vermiliquer. The treatments consisted in three different vermiliquer, a Mesh Vermiwash, a Direct Vermiwash, and the Vermileachate, and its combinations as a complement for complete fertilization. The addition of vermiliquer to hydroponic lettuce affected the leaf and root fresh weight, and reactive oxygen species like superoxide dismutase (SOD) or phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL). Vermileachate (Vl) plus Direct Vermiwash treatment was higher in the first week in leaf and root lettuce, indicating an effect biostimulant. Vl gave the highest enzymatic activity in SOD and PAL, indicating an effect elicitor. In summary, vermiwash proved to improve hydroponic lettuce crop and enzymatic activities related to stress.

Apple trees of the cultivar ‘Sampion’ were planted at the Experimental Orchard of National Institute of Horticultural Research in Dąbrowice. In a three-year experiment (2019–2021) the following fertilization combinations were applied: AquaGel (commercial hydrogel), AquaGel combined with a consortium of beneficial bacteria, AquaGel combined with a consortium of beneficial filamentous fungi, organic compost alone, compost combined with a consortium of beneficial bacteria, and compost combined with a consortium of beneficial filamentous fungi. The presence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi was assessed both in the rhizosphere soil and in the roots of apple trees. The results of the study indicate the most advantageous effect of compost combined with bacteria or fungi on the degree of root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and the formation of their spores in the soil.

Growth biostimulators activate some physiological processes that increase the efficiency of the usage of nourishing substances, stimulate the development of plants and allow reduced fertiliser consummation. Most biostimulators are capable of reacting against the effect of biotic and antibiotic stresses as they increase the crop production of the cultures and represent an opportunity of growing quality and healthy food. The article affects the results of the influence of RadiCifo L24 and Euroradix over the growth and development of grafted cuttings in vine rootings. The study was carried out through the dessert seedlees grapevine variety ‘Zornitsa’ grafted over the Berlandieri × Riparia (SO4) pad. Before rooting, paraffin is applied to 2/3 of the stratified grafted cutting’s length and is then immersed in a 2% solution of RadiCifo L24 (for 20 minutes) and Euroradix (for 5 minutes), after that the cuttings are rooted to 15-17 cm in depth (to the non-paraffined part). According to the biometrics rating (number of developed shoots, number of roots), the variant with the growth stimulator RadiCifo L24 seems to be a more effective method for the production of first-class vines of the ‘Zornitsa’ variety, thus it can be recommended for the production of vine planting material.

Salinity is one of the critical environmental factors that decreases the water availability and induces nutritional imbalance in crops. In order to study the effect of calcium nitrate [(Ca(NO₃)₂] in the nutrient solution under salinity conditions, an experiment was designed with different salinity (0, 50, and 100 mM) and Ca(NO₃)₂ (2, 3, and 4 mM) levels on Cucurbita pepo (zucchini). Based on the results, an increase in the salinity from 0 to 100 mM caused a decrease in the leaf potassium and calcium concentration, whereas the iron, magnesium and zinc concentrations increased. The most effective Ca(NO₃)₂ level in increasing the nutritional quality and yield of zucchini was 3 and 4 mM. Salinity at 50 and 100 mM significantly increased the leaf sodium concentration and leaf area as well as the leaf number per plant, while the application of both Ca(NO3)2 levels modulated the harmful effects of salinity. The amount of malondialdehyde (MDA), proline and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) as well as the catalase (CAT) activity increased under the severe salinity conditions, whereas the application of 4 mM Ca(NO₃)₂ had the potential of removing the negative effects of severe salinity. The catalase activity increased along with the increase in the Ca(NO3)2 concentration, which was independent from the salinity level. However, the amount of proline, MDA and H2O2 decreased in plants fed with 3 and 4 mM Ca(NO₃)₂ compared to the control in the presence of salinity. These findings suggest that both the 3 and 4 mM concentrations of Ca(NO₃)₂ under 50 mM salinity could be used to improve the zucchini performance by maintaining the ion homeostasis and inducing the antioxidant defence system.

In this study, LbCu/ZnSOD, LbFeSOD, and LbMnSOD genes were cloned, the role of strigolactones (SLs), a novel plant hormone that is ubiquitous in plants in modulating plant responses to abiotic stress, on the three superoxide dismutases (SODs) under polyethylene glycol PEG-6000 stress were researched in the petals of cut lily flowers. The results indicated that during the development of the lily bud, the expression levels of LbMnSOD gradually increased and those of LbCu/ZnSOD decreased, while the LbFeSOD expression remained at a very low level. When the cut lily flowers were subjected to 10% PEG-6000 stress, the relative water content (RWC) declined, the malondialdehyde (MDA) content and relative electrical conductivity (REC) dramatically increased in the petals. However, when exogenous SLs were employed, the RWC were improved, while the MDA and REC were reduced. Meanwhile, the SLs significantly increased the activities of the total SOD (T-SOD), Cu/ZnSOD and MnSOD, the expression levels of LbCu/ZnSOD and LbMnSOD, especially LbCu/ZnSOD, were markedly up-regulated in the petals. In conclusion, our research indicates that SOD enzymes, especially Cu/ZnSOD and MnSOD, are involved in the drought stress tolerance; the application of strigolactones can enhance the activities of the two SODs, and may increase the expression of LbCu/ZnSOD and LbMnSOD via a positive feedback mechanism in the cut lily petals.

In long-term cultivation of apple trees, replantation disease may occur, caused by a set of biotic and abiotic factors, occurring in the soil, e.g. the accumulation of pathogenic and harmful microorganisms. Beneficial microorganisms can be of great importance in limiting orchard replant disease. In our study, the Urea fertilizer was enriched with Aspergillus niger and Purpureocillium lilacinum fungi, while the Polifoska 6 and Super Fos Dar 40 fertilizers with strains of the bacteria Bacillus spp., Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, and Paenibacillus polymyxa. The aim of the three-year study was to determine what effects the application of mineral fertilizers enriched with beneficial microorganisms, applied in 100% doses and in doses lower by 40% had on the microorganisms in the rhizosphere of apple trees. The number of bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas in the rhizosphere of apple trees was the highest in the combination with Urea 60% + fungi and Polifoska 60% + bacteria. These values were 2–3 times higher compared with the control. In the combination with Polifoska 60% + bacteria, the number of fluorescent Pseudomonas bacteria was five times higher compared to the control. The highest number of actinomycetes was observed in the third year of the study, in the combination with Polifoska 60% + bacteria. The use of this fertilizer increased the number of these bacteria more than five-fold compared with the control. The beneficial effect of Polifoska 60% + bacteria, Super Fos Dar 100% + bacteria, and Urea 60% + fungi on phosphate-solubilizing bacteria was observed in the third year of cultivation. The additional application of filamentous fungi together with Urea did not have a significant effect on this group of microorganisms. The obtained results show that in many cases the application of the selected fertilizers positively influenced the microorganisms inhabiting the apple-tree rhizosphere. Particularly noteworthy is Polifoska enriched with the selected bacteria, the use of which significantly increased the number of beneficial bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas.

Terpene synthase (TPS) is a key enzyme in the synthesis of terpenoids in plants and plays an important role in the regulation of the synthesis of aromatic substances in plants. In this study, we treated Chrysanthemum indicum var. aromaticum as the experimental material to clone the CiTPS gene. The open reading frame of CiTPS is 1 818 bp, encoding a putative protein of 605 amino acids. There is a monoterpene synthase conserved domain and a highly conserved sequence, DDXXD, (N,D)D(L,I,V)X(S,T)XXXE and RRX8W, respectively, which belong to the monoterpene synthase family. The multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis showed that the CiTPS gene belongs to the TPS-b subfamily. The pBI121-TPS-GFP recombinant plasmid and the pBI121-GFP empty vector plasmid were introduced into Agrobacterium by electroporation and transferred into wild-type tobacco by the Agrobacterium-mediated method. Three transgenic CiTPS lines were screened, and the secretions of wild-type tobacco and transgenic tobacco T1 leaves in the vigorous growth period were analysed. The volatiles of the transgenic lines were similar to those of wild-type tobacco, but their monoterpenes increased significantly, and the sesquiterpenoids and diterpenoids decreased or remained unchanged, indicating that the CiTPS gene is related to the synthesis of the monoterpenes.

This paper presents the results of a two-year trial on the yield, total phenolic and flavonoid contents and total antioxidant capacity of the ‘Willamette’ red raspberry under organic and conventional farming. A trial was conducted in a commercial plantation of ‘Willamette’ raspberries located in the southwestern part of Serbia. The total phenolics and flavonoids in the raspberry fruits were determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and aluminium chloride assay, respectively. The ferric reducing antioxidant power assay was used to evaluate the total antioxidant capacity of the raspberry fruits. The results of this study showed that the raspberry yields were significantly affected by the different farming systems. The raspberry yield in conventional farming was higher than that of organic farming. Contrastingly, the raspberries from the organic farming contained higher levels of the total phenolics and flavonoids and also had a higher total antioxidant activity compared to those from the conventional farming in both 2021 and 2022. This study also showed that the total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the ‘Willamette’ red raspberry have a significant and positive correlation with their total antioxidant capacity, indicating that the phenolic compounds play an important role in the antioxidant activity of the raspberry.

Boric acid (BA) is commercially acceptable and economically feasible material to enhance the shelf life of pears, oranges and other horticultural plants. Here, we investigated the effect of BA on the shelf life and post-harvest quality of table grapes (cv. ‘Kyoho’). The grapes were immersed in a BA solution with different concentrations [0 (as the control), 10, 30, 50 mM] for 10 min and stored at 25 ± 1 °C for 10 days. Compared to the control, the BA treatments maintained higher berry firmness by inhibiting the activity of polygalacturonase (PG) and cellulase. In addition, the BA-treated grapes maintained higher antioxidant enzyme activities, such as catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), and lower metabolic toxic products, like the superoxide anion (O2-) production rate, malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) content than the control. The experimental results showed that the post-harvest application of BA effectively delays the senescence of grapes compared with the control, and the 10 mM BA treatment had the most obvious effect.

Plant growth regulators (PGRs) and proper fertilisers are used to increase quality of the Salak Pondoh, such as in the plant production, fruit number and size. This study aims to determine the type and dosage of PGRs and the best type of fertiliser to increase the production bunch and fruit of Salak Pondoh. The method used was a Factorial Completely Randomised Design (FCRD) with 36 treatments (excluding the control) and 3 replications. Three treatments were conducted: first, as a control, no PGR treatment + fertilisation (no fertilisation, manure, and NPK). Second, a 3 × 3 factorial scheme. Treatment of PGR GA3 (50, 100, 150 ppm) + fertilisation (no fertilisation, manure, and NPK). Third, a 3 × 3 × 3 factorial scheme was used. Treatment of PGR Gracilaria sp. extract (50, 100, 150 ppm) with different solvents (n-Hexane, methylene-chloride, ethanol) + fertilisation (no fertilisation, manure, and NPK). The parameters observed were the number length, area of the bunch, length and area of the fruit. The results showed the highest number of bunches was found in PGR GA3 50 ppm. While, the highest bunch area was found in PGR Gracilaria sp. ethanol 150 ppm. The PGRs only increased the formation of the bunches and did not increase the length and width of the bunches and the fruit size. Fertilisation affected the Salak production in the form of the number, length and width of the bunches, and the fruit size. In addition, the fertiliser increased the number of the bunches, bunch area, and length and area of the fruit. The interaction of the PGR and fertilisation had no significant effect on increasing the Salak Pondoh production. The best result in increasing the Salak Pondoh production was PGR Gracilaria sp. ethanol 100 ppm with manure fertilisation.

The mango (Mangifera indica L.) is a common tropical and subtropical fruit and the second main fruit crop in Egypt. In this work, start codon targeted (SCoT) and inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were employed to study the genetic relationship among twenty-three mango genotypes grown under the El-Giza district conditions. These genotypes consist of four newly introduced cultivars, six new progenies and thirteen closely related mango cultivars which were included as cultivar references for the best definition. Based on the overall SCoT and ISSR data, a total of 52 bands were generated (18 for SCoT and 34 for ISSR) with a total polymorphic percentage equal to 53.84% (44.44% for SCoT and 58.82% for ISSR). Based on the whole set of SCoT and ISSR marker data, the genetic similarity coefficients ranged from 80 to 97% with a mean equal to 88.5% and the first two principal axes explained about 31% of the total genetic variation among the mango accessions. The SCoT and ISSR data revealed that the four newly introduced mango genotypes, namely 'Aya', 'Kasturi', 'Maya' and 'Omer', are novel genetic resources based on their genetic profiles, which can be used for future breeding programmes in Egypt.

Many studies have demonstrated that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and deficit irrigation (DI) have positive effects on the fruit yield or quality. This study aims to test whether the watermelon sugar content and yield can be improved by appropriate amounts of AMF and DI methods and to clarify the underlying physiological mechanism. Diploid and triploid watermelon cultivars and their pumpkin rootstock-grafted seedlings were treated with AMF, DI and DI + AMF in a randomised complete block design with five replications. The results showed that DI significantly reduced the relative water content (RWC), PN, alkaline α-galactosidase activity, but increased the insoluble acid invertase (IAI), sucrose synthase (SuSy) and sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) activities compared with the well-watered (WW) treatment, which led to a decrease in the fruit yield and an increase in the fruit sugar content. Although the AMF improved the RWC, PN and alkaline α-galactosidase, IAI, SuSy and SPS activities in all the watermelon lines under both the DI and WW conditions, the improvement magnitude of these parameters was more pronounced in the pumpkin-root watermelon lines than the corresponding own-root watermelon lines, especially under the DI condition. The integrated application of AMF and DI increased the fruit yield to a level similar to the WW value in the pumpkin-root watermelon lines and sugar content to an optimal level in all the watermelon lines.

Solid phase of digestate (SD) of agricultural biogas plants, containing undecomposed fibrous fractions of organic matter, is usable as a constituent of growing substrates. The content of soluble salts and available nutrients is limiting for SD addition into growing substrates. For addition of SD with initial 80% moisture its content of ammonium nitrogen and available potassium is limiting. The SD with natural moistness can be used in peat based substrates up to 10% volume. The content of ammonium nitrogen during the drying of SD with the use of waste heat from biogas plants is decreased. Optimal proportion of dry SD (dSD) in peat based substrates ranged from 20 to 40% volume. Peat based substrates with 20% volume of dSD had suitable physical and chemical (e.g. content of available potassium < 300 mg/l) properties. These dSD-peat growing substrates have been successfully tested in greenhouse experiments with pot plants (Petunia, Impatiens, and Pelargonium). The addition of dSD to peat based substrates increased air capacity and decreased easily available water content. However, the basic fertilization of the dSD-peat growing substrates is necessary to optimize the content of nutrients.

This review is designed to address various alternative weed-control practices and their possibilities in the fruit orchard in terms of sustainability. Correct weed management and maintenance of adequate orchard biodiversity are crucial for sustainable orchard soil management. The key is to practice an alternative weed-management approach (single or integrated) rather than to use possibly harmful chemicals only. Integration of modern equipment with a shallow tillage system can provide effective weed control in tree rows, including optimised tree performance and soil biodiversity. Living mulch suppresses weeds and enhances orchard biodiversity, while selection of less competitive and less pest-attracting species is crucial. Plastic covers offer long-term weed control, but additional nutrient amendments are required to maintain the balanced fertility of the soil. Wood chip mulch is suggested where the materials are available on or near the farm, and where there is lower incidence of perennial weeds. High pressure water and robotic systems are still in their infancy for fruit orchards, and required more research to confirm their efficiency.

This research was aimed at assessing the impact of different doses of nutrients on growth and flower quality of the Asiatic hybrid Lilium ((Lilium × elegans Thunb.) cv. 'Fangio') under the soilless culture. Five nutrient (fertigation) regimes were applied (T1: daily, T2: twice a week, T3: weekly, T4: twice a month and T5: control). Increasing the nutrient supply increased chlorophyll content index (SPAD, 45-93%), leaf area (30-55%), number of flowers per plant (25-67%) and substrate electrical conductivity (EC: 28-300%) compared to control. Although T3 (weekly nutrient supply) had lower shoot N, P, K⁺ and Ca⁺² concentrations than T1, this regimen increased the number of flower buds by 20% and flower longevity by 56% compared to T1. Overall, weekly nutrient application is effective at maintaining flower quality and yield in the 'Fangio' lily, and compares favourably with programs in which fertigation is more frequent and the level of total applied nutrients is higher.

For two years, the tomatoes (cv. 'Belle' and 'Clarabella'), ungrafted, self-grafted and grafted onto the 'He-man' rootstock, were grown under two irrigation regimes, i.e., partial-root zone drying (PRD) and fully irrigated (FI), to investigate whether grafting can alleviate drought stress and promote water-use efficiency (WUE). The grafted plants under the FI regime had the highest vegetative growth, which was the result of more leaves and greater leaf area and were only significantly different from the PRD grown ungrafted plants. The grafted plants had the highest yield as a result of the greater number of larger fruits and the yield did not differ between the irrigation treatments. No differences were found in the leaf NPK concentrations, while the Ca and Mg were higher under the PRD regime. The ungrafted plants under the PRD regime had the highest total soluble solids and acidity in the fruit juice. The grafted plants had a significantly higher WUE, more pronounced in the PRD regime. The different types of irrigation did not influence the vegetative growth and the yield in the greenhouse grown grafted tomato. The PRD and rootstock effects should be additionally investigated with deficit irrigation.

Experiments were carried out to study the consequences of inoculating Rhododendron 'Nova Zembla' and 'Alfred' microcuttings and young plants with Serendipita indica (formerly Piriformospora indica), an endophytic fungus. The inoculation at the in vitro rooting stage decreased the in vitro root and shoot quality, but after planting microplants in a greenhouse in a non-fertilised peat substrate, the plants grew 33% taller, with 10% more leaves and with more abundant roots in comparison with the non-inoculated microplants. The young plants rooted in vitro, acclimated in a greenhouse in a peat substrate and inoculated with S. indica at the time of the transplantation to the pots displayed, after 15 months, an increase in the shoot lengths by 35% and 13%, depending on the cultivar, in the leaf number by 47% and in the chlorophyll content by 31% when compared with the non-inoculated plants. The beneficial effect of S. indica on the young Rhododendron plants indicates the possibility of its practical use in the nursery production of this plant.

Dormant bud cryopreservation is a valuable tool for the germplasm of temperate trees preservation. Freezable water content, as an important cryopreservation characteristic, was analysed by DSC. Scions of modern apple tree varieties (Malus domestica) were collected during the winter season from orchards, freeze-dehydrated to 26-32% of water content at -5°C and cryopreserved by the two-step procedure. Samples were rehydrated in moist peat after 4 months of cryopreservation and grafted on rootstocks in a field. Regeneration by sprouting buds on rootstocks was evaluated. The varieties were divided into three groups according to their water content and percentage of crystallized water. The regeneration in the three groups decreased with decreasing bud water content. Regeneration was higher than 80% in most of the varieties and reached 100% in almost 1/3 of the tested varieties. In only one variety, was regeneration lower than 40%, which is still a high regeneration rate for considering apple genotypes as successfully cryopreserved. According to this study, the two-step cryoprotocol was successfully optimized for Central European conditions.

The experimental design included seven cover crop species and six kinds of soil tillage in the field cultivation of carrot. The use of cover crops had a positive impact on the yield of marketable roots of carrot in comparison with the cultivation without the cover crops. A significant increase of marketable yield was noted after phacelia, buckwheat, mustard and sunflower. The flat ploughless tillage significantly reduced the marketable yield of roots in comparison with traditional ploughing. The largest marketable yield of roots was obtained from cultivation on ridges after mixing the biomass of buckwheat or phacelia or mustard with the soil, and the smallest, after reduced spring tillage using aggregate without cover crops. The largest marketable yield in flat ploughless tillage was obtained when using grubber before winter, and the biomass of phacelia was mixed with soil. Growing carrot on the ridges had a positive influence on increasing the share of the marketable yield of roots in comparison with other variants of cultivation including the conventional tillage. The all cover crops with the exception of spring vetch significantly increased the share of marketable roots in the yield compared with cultivation without cover crops. The largest percentage of the marketable yield was noted after use of phacelia.

The promising branching agent cyclanilide [1-(2,4-dichlorophenylaminocarbonyl)-cyclopropane carboxylic acid] is not permitted in the EU and the low vigour rootstocks preferred by growers make the branching of young sweet cherry (Prunus avium) trees difficult in the temperate zone production regions. To increase the number and length of new branches ("feathers") on such trees, chemical (6-benzyladenine [BA], gibberellic acid [GA_4/7]), mechanical (leaf pinching, summer notching) and various combined treatments were tested from 2015-2018. The numbers of feathers divided into three different lengths (1-10 cm, 10-30 cm and > 30 cm) were assessed as the main indicator of quality, supplemented with other morphological characteristics. Summer notching induced an insufficient number of feathers and led to some negative effects on the trees. The number of feathers from BA or BA with GA_4/7 treatment also was insufficient. The effect of pinching alone was variable. The number of all feathers generally was highest when pinching was combined with BA, regardless of the year or cultivar.

The aim of the research was the determination of the tolerance of different pear grafting combinations to various levels o lime concentration in calcareous soils. The experiment was carried out under pot conditions for a two-year period (2015-2016). Two factors including combination of rootstocks/scions (3 × 3) and levels of lime concentration were employed to evaluate leaf responses including total iron (Fe), available Fe, chlorophyll (Chl) (a, b, total), and chlorophyll fluorescence attributes (F0, Fm, Fv/Fm) as well as annual growth and internode length of current shoots. Results showed that soil lime significantly reduced tree growth but conversely intensified iron chlorosis. Also, contrary to our expectations, the Pyrodwarf/Pyrus communis L. (Dargazi) combination displayed more tolerance to high lime concentrations, whereas the OH × F/Williams Duchesse combination did not exhibit suitable tolerance. As a pear rootstock native to Iran, Dargazi seedling rootstock in combination with different scions was found to have relatively better growth under low lime concentrations, but its response under high lime was not as favourable as expected. Cultivar Dargazi combined with different rootstocks showed a better response to high lime stress compared to other scions, while cultivar Williams Duchesse exhibited lower tolerance to high lime concentration when combined with different pear rootstocks.

Research in southern Italy assessed the effects of biodegradable mulch on fruit yield and quality of two greenhouse tomato cultivars, 'Coronel F₁' and 'Kero F₁'. Three mulching types (two MaterBi biodegradable black films, MB N2/12 amnd MB N8; black polyethylene film, low-density polyethylene (LDPE)) and not mulched control were compared. 'Coronel F₁' showed higher values of fruit yield, total crop biomass and leaf area index (LAI). MB N8 and LDPE films led to the highest fruit yield and growth indexes, whereas not mulched control to the lowest. Fruit dry residue and soluble solids were highest under MB N2/12 and MB N8, titratable acidity was highest under MB N8. Fruits grown under MB N8 and LDPE mulches attained the highest levels of colour components "L" and "b" respectively, and MB N8 the highest fruit firmness. MB N2/12 and MB N8 showed the highest levels of antioxidants and antioxidant activity. Biodegradable polymers improved root growth conditions and fruit quality, showing suitable features for sustainable vegetable production.

Sweet cherries are self-incompatible, which is determined by a gametophytic self-incompatibility system (GSI). The self-incompatibility is controlled by a multi-allelic S-locus. Knowledge about the S-allele constitution of the cultivars is essential for fruit growers and breeders. Recently, molecular PCR-based methods have been developed to distinguish all S-alleles in sweet cherries. In our work, we analysed S-locus genotypes by 13 universal and allele-specific PCR primer combinations within 117 registered, old and local sweet cherry cultivars from the Czech genetic resources of the Research and Breeding Institute of Pomology in Holovousy, the Czech Republic. We confirmed the previous S-genotyping for 66 accessions except for Drogans Gelbe, Hedelfinger, Erika, Meckenheimer Frühe, Badeborner, Bing, Alfa, Gamma, Huldra, Rivan, Valerij Tschkalov, Viola and Winkler's Frühe. It could be due to either mislabelling or mistakes in the previous analyses. Newly, S-genotyping was determined for 51 accessions in which we found 4 new S-loci combinations. We detected the S-locus combinations in 19 incompatibility groups. The most frequent incompatibility groups were III (S₃S₄), II (S₁S₃), IV (S₂S₃), and VI (S₃S₆) with 22, 20, 12 and 12 genotypes, respectively.

In raspberry, the expression of the primocane fruiting trait is influenced by the environment. Although there are several factors that influence the expression of this character, it is well known that low temperatures that occur during the growth season of the primocane, are important and affect the flowering. In this study, plants in their early stages of development were exposed to low temperatures (2°C) for one month, in a dark cold chamber. The following genotypes primocane and floricane were used: 'UC103', 'Autumn Bliss', 'Heritage', 'Meeker' and 'Tulameen'. Flowering and growth were recorded until the end of the season and the morphology of the meristem was characterized in this moment. Interaction between cold and genotype was detected in all parameters studied. In 'Heritage', a slight primocane, growth and flowering were favoured by exposure to cold. Thereby, low temperature affects flowering, but this effect depends on primocane fruiting degree of each genotype, slight primocane the cold favored flowering and growth. However, strongly primocane the cold had no effect on flowering and growth.

White asparagus is a highly appreciated, high-value crop with a distinguished economic relevance among vegetables. Freshly harvested asparagus is available only during a short part of the year and the demand varies. The produce is perishable and only proper handling can ensure its quality after a reasonable shelf life. In this study, we investigated a new method to reduce one of the most important reasons for quality decline: fresh matter losses. The potential benefits or disadvantages of moist asparagus packaging for unpeeled white asparagus (cv. 'Gijnlim') was tested. We used polythene sleeves or bags, lined with cellulose fleece to hold added water for moisturizing. 500 g bunches of spears were filled in the bags. Spears were partly covered by the sleeves or totally covered by the bags. All spears were stored for 3 to 11 days at the temperature of 2°C, 8°C and a combination of 2°C/22°C.The last temperatures were to simulate retail conditions. In wet bags spear fresh weight increased, losses in bags with dry fleece were low. Maintaining of fresh weight in wet bags coincided significantly with higher bending firmness, and lower shear force, which points to less fibrousness. Wet storage also reduced the incidence of dried cut surfaces but promoted the incidence of lengthwise fractures and, in combination with higher temperature, grey-brown discolouration and colour saturation. Wet packaging may be beneficial primarily under low temperature and low air humidity storage conditions.