The production of paprika (Capsicum annum L.) under small-scale farm conditions in southern Africa is constrained by low soil fertility and lack of appropriate cultivars. The objective of this study was to determine the growth responses and fruit yields of six cultivars of paprika to organic and inorganic nutrient sources. The study was conducted in 2007 and 2008 at Chitedze Agricultural Research Station in Malawi. A combination of six paprika cultivars and four nutrient sources, namely (1) organic input from Gliricidia, (Gliricidia sepium) biomass, (2) inorganic fertilizer, (3) integrated nutrient input (Gliricidia biomass + inorganic fertilizer), and (4) control (no nutrient input) were compared. Each combination was replicated five times. A split-plot design was used where nutrient sources formed the main plot and cultivars the sub-plots. Plant height differed due to nutrient source in 2007 and 2008, while differences due to cultivar were minor. The control plots produced the shortest plants (height < 50 cm), while plots receiving the integrated nutrient input produced the tallest plants (height > 60 cm). Numbers of branches and fruits per plant differed due to nutrient source and cultivar during most of the study period. Plants receiving either organic inputs (Gliricidia biomass) alone or the integrated nutrient input alone had significantly higher stem, leaf and fruit weight compared with the control. Average fruit yield was lower in control plots than in plots receiving the organic input alone or the integrated nutrient input. Among cultivars, Papri-King, Papri-Supreme and Papri-Queen produced higher dry fruit yield. The ASTA and RAL colour rating was within the internationally accepted range for fruit from the treatments.

Persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) fruit undergoes intensive cell wall modification during postharvest fruit softening. Xyloglucan metabolism is important in cell wall disassembly. We cloned cDNAs for two xyloglucan endotransglycosylase/hydrolase genes (DkXTH1 and DkXTH2) from ‘Saijo’ persimmon fruit treated with dry ice to remove astringency. In order to determine the ethylene dependence of XTH gene expression, fruit were exposed to 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), an inhibitor of ethylene action, prior to removal of astringency. Ethylene production increased in mature control and 1-MCP-pretreated fruit after dry-ice treatment, and flesh firmness decreased to the same extent during dry-ice treatment in the control and 1-MCP-pretreated fruit. After dry-ice treatment, control fruit softened completely, but fruit firmness was maintained in 1-MCP-pretreated fruit. Accumulation of DkXTH1 mRNA was induced simultaneously with commencement of ethylene production in mature control fruit. Pretreatment with 1-MCP delayed accumulation of DkXTH1 mRNA. DkXTH2 expression also coincided with fruit softening but was intensified by 1-MCP treatment during the deastringency treatment. These results indicate that fruit softening was related to both DkXTH1 and DkXTH2 expression in ‘Saijo’ persimmons.

The present research study was accomplished on five varieties of pomegranate (Dholka, Bedana, Kandhari, Jyoti and G-137) during 2008–09 and 2009–10 to investigate the effect of nutrients and growth regulator on fruit cracking. Treatments comprises of calcium sulphate (2000, 3000, 4000 ppm), GA₃ (40, 80, 120 ppm), borax (25, 50, 75 ppm) and control (water) were applied as foliar application on 15ᵗʰ May (fruit set) and 15ᵗʰ June (fruit active development stage). The minimum fruit cracking was observed in CaSO₄ 3000 ppm followed by CaSO₄ 2000 ppm, GA₃ 40 ppm and borax 50 ppm as compared to control in both seasons. Among selected varieties, minimum fruit cracking was recorded in Jyoti followed by G-137 and maximum in Kandhari. There were significant differences noticed in treatment varietal interaction means and minimum fruit cracking was recorded with the treatment of CaSO₄ 2000 ppm in Jyoti, Dholka and Kandhari however in Bedana and G-137 was recorded with CaSO₄ 3000 ppm as compared to control. Fruit yield per tree was recorded to be highest in GA₃ 80 ppm followed borax 75 ppm, borax 50 ppm, borax 25 ppm as compared to control, regardless of the varieties. In addition to that correlation among the fruit morphological parameter and fruit cracking also estimated in Dholka variety and found that fruit cracking was positively associated with fruit diameter, fruit L/D ratio, fruit weight, fruit volume, rind weight and grain moisture where as negetively with rind thickness, fruit firmness index and rind moisture.

An experiment was conducted in ‘NA7’ cultivar of Indian gooseberry (Emblica officinalis Gaertn) to assess whether pre-harvest foliar application of Ca (as calcium carbonate), B (as borax) individually or their combination influences physiological problems (poor fruit set, blossom and fruit drop, deformation of fruits etc.), fruit yield and quality or not. Treatments consisted of Ca as CaCO3 at 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, boron as borax at 0.2%, 0.4% 0.6%, Ca+B (mixed) 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6% and plants sprayed with water served as the control. Treatments were applied five times on full grown tree of Indian gooseberry cultivar ‘NA7’ at pre bloom, full bloom, at fruit set initiation, pea stage (fruit development stage) and pre-harvest stage (one month before harvest). Results indicated that fruit harvested from plants which were sprayed with Ca+B 0.4% had significantly lesser incidence of fruit deformation (0.8%), blossom and fruit drop (32.6%) than in the plants kept under control (2.8% and 79.2%, respectively). The maximum yield (158.6 kg/tree) was recorded with the application of calcium carbonate + borax 0.4%, while minimum was recorded under control (105.2 kg/tree). In totality all the treatments have increased the fruit weight, fruit size, number of fruit/shoot, and quality of fruits as compared to control. The maximum dry matter (20.2%), juice content (78.5%), vitamin C (626.49 mg/100 g) was recorded with calcium carbonate + borax 0.4%. Similarly, it was also observed that such fruit (sprayed with Ca+B 0.4%) were bold, had slightly higher TSS (16.5%) at harvest than those in control (15.1%). Studies indicated that preharvest foliar application of Ca+B is quite useful for reducing the incidence of physiological problems and getting higher marketable yield in ‘NA7’ Indian gooseberry. Ca+B 0.4% significantly increased fruit size, fruit length and breadth. Calcium carbonate at concentration of 0.4% significantly reduced the fruit drop and increased the retention of blossom and deformed fruit.

Despite problems of low fruit set, small fruit size and alternate bearing, the Hass cultivar dominates commercial avocado production worldwide. To increase yield and fruit size, gibberellic acid (GA₃) (25mgL⁻¹) was applied at different stages of ‘Hass’ avocado tree phenology: (i) mid–late April (flower abscission), end of June–beginning of July (fruit abscission and beginning of the exponential phase of fruit growth), and mid-January (beginning of pre-harvest fruit drop); (ii) end of June–beginning of July; and (iii) mid-September (near the end of the major fruit abscission period; period of exponential fruit growth). In both years of the research, applications of GA₃ in April and June–July were within the periods of intense flower and fruit abscission, respectively; fruit abscission was low in September and January. Maximum air temperature was not related to flower or fruit abscission. In the on-crop year (391 fruit per untreated control tree), a single application of GA₃ at the end of June–beginning of July significantly increased total yield (kilograms only) and yield of commercially valuable fruit (178–325g/fruit) (as kilograms and number per tree) compared with the control (P<0.0001). GA₃ applied in September increased total yield (kilograms only) and yield of commercially valuable fruit (kilograms and number per tree) to values intermediate to and not significantly different from all other treatments, except trees receiving multiple applications of GA₃. This treatment reduced total yield and yield of commercially valuable fruit (kilograms and number per tree) relative to all treatments (P≤0.0002). In contrast, during the off-crop year (32 fruit per control tree), no GA₃ treatment had a significant effect on yield or fruit size compared with the control and all other GA₃ treatments. For ‘Hass’ avocado, there was no negative effect from applying GA₃ at the end of June–beginning of July in both the off- and on-crop years; 2-year cumulative total yield and yield of commercially valuable fruit were increased by 27kg (128 fruit) and 22kg (101 fruit) per tree, respectively, above the yield of untreated control trees (P<0.0001).

We compared the long-term effects of whole-vine source-sink manipulation on yield, composition, and quality of fruit from mature field-grown kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis Planch. var. chinensis) ‘Hort16A’ vines. Four contrasting source/sink-modifying treatments were applied to vines each year from Spring 2003 to 2007: 1) control-standard canopy management techniques, no trunk girdle; 2) extended trunk girdle (ETG)-girdle was opened in late summer, kept open over winter, and allowed to heal the next spring; 3) "feast"-cropload was kept low and leaf numbers kept high, no trunk girdle; and 4) "famine"-fruit numbers were kept high and vines were heavily pruned to stimulate regrowth, no trunk girdle. Fruit from the famine vines were smaller with lower dry matter concentration (DMC; dry weight as a percentage of fresh weight) and had delayed maturity relative to fruit from the control vines. Return bloom was reduced in the famine vines, resulting in 42% less fruit in the famine vines compared with the feast vines, and this difference remained consistent across all three seasons. Fruit from the feast treatment were larger with advanced maturity relative to fruit from control vines; there were no differences in fruit numbers in subsequent seasons. Fruit DMC was higher and maturity was advanced in the ETG vines relative to the control vines. Fruit numbers in the ETG vines consistently increased relative to the control vines each season. There were no consistent treatment effects on fruit mineral concentrations, except that fruit from the feast vines had higher nitrogen concentrations than fruit from the famine vines. Seasonal variation in the incidence of storage disorders was large; in years when disorders were present, physiological pitting incidence was higher in fruit from the treatments that advanced maturity and the incidence of low temperature breakdown was highest in treatments that delayed maturity. Although the treatments affected vine productivity, fruit DMC, and storage performance, there was no evidence of a gradual decline in quality and productivity after 4 years of treatment application.

This study was performed to decrease frost damage of 'Wonhwang' pear (Pyrus pyriforia) trees by operation of sprinkler and wind machine during a flowering in Naju, Chonnam. Sprinkler and wind machine were stipulated to activate less than 2℃ during April of 2010. Orchard minimum temperature was elevated by sprinkler and wind machine compared to those of control when the temperature was less than 0℃; both treatments reduced approximately 50% frost damage of inflorescence and increased two times fruit set compared to the control. Trees treated by sprinkler and wind machine produced approximately 50% uniform fruit compared with 38% uniform fruit in control trees. Fruit setting degree of uniformity was 2 times higher at the control trees than those of the sprinkler- and wind machine-treated trees, which indicated that the control trees had lack of uniformity of the fruit setting degree, mostly due to the severe frost damage of the flusters.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of fresh fruit availability at worksites on the fruit and vegetable consumption and related psychosocial determinants of low-wage employees. DESIGN: A prospective, randomized block experimental design. SETTING: Seven apparel manufacturing and 2 food processing worksites. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 391 low-wage employees in 6 intervention worksites and 137 low-wage employees in 3 control worksites in Los Angeles, CA. INTERVENTION: Fresh fruit deliveries with enough for 1 serving per employee, 3 days a week for 12 consecutive weeks. The control worksites did not receive the fruit deliveries. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants’ fruit and vegetable consumption, fruit and vegetable purchasing habits, self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and overall health were measured at baseline, weeks 4 and 8, and following the 12-week intervention. ANALYSIS: Descriptive statistics and growth curve analysis using hierarchical linear modeling were employed to analyze the data. RESULTS: Participants in the intervention worksites showed a significant increase in fruit, vegetable, and total fruit and vegetable consumption, purchasing of fruit, family purchasing of vegetables, and self-efficacy toward eating 2 servings of fruit each day compared to the control worksites. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Improving access to fruit during the workday can improve fruit and vegetable consumption, purchasing habits, and self-efficacy of low-income employees.