The most important part of fruit cultivation is transplanting, which can be completed efficiently by an automatic transplanter. In this study, an automatic solanum lycopersicum transplanter was developed. It is primarily composed of the following devices: a seedling tray fixator, a mechanical transplanting arm, double horizontal driving modules, double vertical driving cylinders, a seedling separation device, double-crank five-bar planting devices, a power distribution system, and a PLC control system. An experimental test on an automatic transplanter was carried out on dry land. The experimental results showed that when the planting frequency was 80 plants/(min·row), the transplanting success rate was 93.89%, the missed planting rate was 1.58%, the replanting rate was 0.65%, the lodging rate was 1.94%, and the exposed seedling rate was 1.94%. Each device of the automatic transplanter was coordinated to complete the transplanting process. The automatic transplanter met the operation requirements, and it not only transplanted in dry land but also provided a theoretical basis for fruit cultivation in solar greenhouses in the future.

Abstract Background Fruit cracking impacts the quality of sweet cherry, significantly affecting its marketability due to increased susceptibility to injury, aesthetic flaws, and susceptibility to pathogens. The effect of 1% biofilm (Parka™) application regimes on fruit cracking and other quality parameters in the ‘0900 Ziraat’ cherry cultivar was investigated in this study. Fruit sprayed with water were served as control (U1). Fruit treated only once with biofilm three, two and one week before the commercial harvest were considered as U2, U3 and U4, respectively. Fruit treated with biofilm three, two, and one week before harvest were considered as U5; three and two week before harvest as U6; two and one week before harvest as U7; and fruit treated three and one week before harvest as U8. Results In both measurement periods, the lower cracking index was obtained in biofilm-treated sweet cherry fruit. However, the firmness of biofilm-treated fruit was higher than that of the control fruit. The lowest respiration rate was observed in U7, while the highest weight was recorded in U4 and U5 than the control. The biofilm application decreased fruit coloration. The biofilm application also increased the soluble solids content of the fruit. The U2, U3 and U4 applications at harvest showed higher titratable acidity than the control. In both measurement periods, the vitamin C content of the U2, U5, U6, U7 and U8 applications was found to be higher than that of the control. The total monomeric anthocyanin of the U3 and U8 applications was higher than that of the control. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity of the U2, U3 and U5 in the DPPH, and the U7 and U8 in FRAP were measured higher thanthat of the control. Conclusions The application of biofilms has the potential to mitigate fruit cracking, prolong postharvest life of sweet cherries, and enhance fruit firmness.

Considering of muskmelon cultivation importance in Chomu block of Jaipur district, an experiment was conducted during summer season (February- May 2021 and 2022) at Jaisinghpura (Chomu) to evaluate field efficacy of Chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC+ fruit fly trap. Cumulative pooled data on percent fruit infestation showed low fruit infestation (11.14%) in assessed treatment (T2) as compared to farmer practice (T1-17.75%) and control (26.12%). Similarly, two-year cumulative pooled data on number of infested fruit plants-1 exhibited lowest number of fruit infestation i.e. 0.94 fruit plant-1 in assessed treatment as compared to farmer practice (2.03 fruit plant-1) and control (3.31 fruit plant-1). Fruit yield in assessed treatment was 275 qha-1 in the year 2021 and 285 q ha-1 2022. However, the control yield of fruit was 190 and 205 q ha-1 during year 2021 and 2022, respectively. In farmer practice, fruit yield was 250 qha-1 for year 2021 and 240 q ha-1 for 2022, as compared to assessed technology. Net return of assessed technology for the year 2021 was Rs. 4,92,500 ha-1 and that was Rs.1,97,900 ha-1 more as compared to control (Rs.2,94,600 ha-1), however net return of farmer practice was Rs. 4,34,500. Similarly, for the year 2022 net return was Rs. 5,28,300 ha-1, Rs. 4,19,800 ha-1 and Rs. 3,39,300 ha-1 of assessed technology, farmer practice and control, respectively. During the aforesaid year, net return of assessed technology was Rs. 1,89,000 ha-1 higher to control. Economic performance of assessed technology was superior to farmer practice during both the years.

This study was conducted to present primary data for the development of functional beverages by measuring quality characteristics and antioxidant properties and preparing coffee with dried fruit powder. The pH, water content, and brownness were higher in the control group than in the fruit-added sample group. Total polyphenols were highest in the Prunus Fruit Coffee (PFC) at 2765.43±87.03 mg GAE/L. In terms of DPPH, the fruit addition group (consisting of dried apple, dried cherry, and dried plum) was higher than the control group, and the LFC was the highest at 70.04±2.01%. ABTS showed high antioxidant properties in all sample groups, and LFC showed the highest content at 83.01±1.06%. Caffeine was the highest in the control group, all sample groups showed lower content than the control group, and AFC showed the lowest content at 664.70±16.36. As a result, the fruit-added coffee groups are higher than the control groups in terms of quality characteristics and antioxidant properties, and it is considered that the fruit groups are suitable as functional food materials when developing coffee products.

Preharvest fruit drop is one of the main challenges in apple production as it can lead to extensive crop losses in commercially important cultivars including ‘Honeycrisp’. Plant growth regulators, such as aminoethoxyvinylglicine (AVG) and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), which hinder ethylene biosynthesis and perception, respectively, can control preharvest fruit drop, but an assessment of their effects in ‘Honeycrisp’ fruit grown under US mid-Atlantic conditions is lacking. In this study, we evaluated the effects of AVG (130 mg a.i. L⁻¹) and 1-MCP (150 mg a.i. L⁻¹) on preharvest fruit drop, ethylene production, fruit physicochemical parameters, skin color, and transcript accumulation of ethylene and anthocyanin-related genes in ‘Honeycrisp’ apples throughout on-the-tree ripening. We showed that both AVG and 1-MCP significantly minimized preharvest fruit drop with respect to the control fruit. Additionally, AVG was the most effective in decreasing ethylene production, downregulating ethylene biosynthesis and perception-related gene expression, and delaying fruit maturity. Nevertheless, AVG negatively impacted apple red skin color and exhibited the lowest expression of anthocyanin-biosynthesis-related genes, only allowing apples to reach the minimum required 50% blush at the last ripening stage. Conversely, 1-MCP-treated fruit displayed an intermediate behavior between AVG-treated and control fruit, decreasing ethylene production rates and the associated gene expression as well as delaying fruit maturity when compared to the control fruit. Remarkably, 1-MCP treatment did not sacrifice red skin color development or anthocyanin-biosynthesis-related gene expression, thus exhibiting > 50% blush one week earlier than AVG.

Abstract Background Owing to its high perishability, the market life of nectarine fruit is very short. Cold storage is a principal approach to limit post-harvest quality loss in nectarines. The objective of this research was to evaluate the impact of postharvest methyl jasmonate (MeJA), salicylic acid (SA) and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on quality properties of nectarine fruit, specifically weight loss, firmness, phenolics and antioxidant activity, following cold storage and subsequent shelf life. Fruit immersed in water were considered as control. The fruit were stored at 0 ± 0.5 °C and 90 ± 5% RH for 56 d, then kept at 20 ± 0.5 °C and 70 ± 5% RH for 2 d in shelf life. Results The results demonstrated that single or combined treatments of MeJA, SA and 1-MCP were effective on quality characteristics. During cold storage, fruit treated with MeJA + 1-MCP (3.66%) and SA + 1-MCP (3.54%) exhibited lower weight loss than the control (4.08%). In the final two measurements of storage, the flesh firmness of fruit treated with SA + 1-MCP (54.5 and 54.06 N, respectively) was higher than that of the control. At the end of cold storage, the SA + 1-MCP treatment (17.4%) exhibited higher soluble solids than the control (15.37%) and SA (15.20%) treatments. However, the total phenolics content was found to be higher in nectarine fruit treated with single SA than in the control, as well as in fruit treated with SA + 1-MCP and single 1-MCP. Wooliness in fruit treated with 1-MCP, SA and MeJA was found to be lower than in the control, while fruit had higher acceptance. Conclusions As a result, the SA + 1-MCP and MeJA + 1-MCP treatments were more efficacious in retarding the weight and firmness decline of nectarine fruit during storage. Also, it was revealed that 1-MCP, SA and MeJA could be employed as efficacious instruments in nectarine fruit with respect to wooliness and acceptance, which influence consumer preferences.

Persistent calyx affects the fruit quality of the Korla fragrant pear including increasing fruit hardness. In order to reduce fruit hardness and improve fruit quality, in this study, we used the Korla fragrant pear which has persistent calyx. Korla fragrant pear fruit at different development stages were treated with foliar fertilizers of 101 and calcium–magnesium (Ca–Mg) solutions, and the hardness and pectase, cellulose, lipoxygenase, and amylase activities of persistent calyx fruit were determined and analyzed. We found that the fruit hardness of two foliar fertilizers increased compared with the control after treatment. The fruit hardness of calcium–magnesium foliar fertilizer and 101 foliar fertilizer treatments were increased by 11.7% and 6.8% compared with the control, respectively. Furthermore, the activities of cellulase, pectinase, and lipoxygenase were increased by 30%, 12.7%, and 42% after treatment with calcium–magnesium foliar fertilizer, respectively. The 101 foliar fertilizer inhibited the contents of cellulose and starch. In summary, the internal quality of Korla fragrant pear fruit treated with calcium–magnesium foliar fertilizer was better than 101 foliar fertilizer. It was confirmed that calcium and magnesium foliar fertilizer had a good control effect on the hardness of Korla fragrant pear persistent calyx fruit, and its fruit quality was also improved. This study has great application value in production practice.

To investigate the regulatory effect and possible mechanism of exogenous sodium nitroprusside (SNP) treatment on the pericarp browning of refrigerated ‘Nanguo’ pear fruit, the effect of 1.0 mmol/L SNP pretreatment on the pericarp browning of ‘Nanguo’ pear fruit during shelf life at room temperature after 180 days of refrigerated storage was investigated. The results showed that browning symptoms appeared in the SNP-treated fruit three days later than the control fruit, and at the end of the shelf life, the browning incidence and browning index were 41.8% and 31.9% of those of the control fruit, respectively. The treatment protected the structural integrity of pericarp cells and inhibited the elevation of membrane permeability. Further analysis revealed that at the end of the shelf life, the superoxide anion, hydroxyl and 1,1-diphenyl-2-trinitrophenylhydrazine (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity of the SNP-treated fruit were 1.65, 1.13, and 1.24 times higher than those of the control fruit, respectively. Meanwhile, the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) was significantly reduced, which was 25.2% and 32.8% lower than that of the control group, respectively, and the activities and gene expression of polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase were 17.5%, 28.8%, 37.5% and 39.2% lower than those of the control group, respectively. In addition, the synthesis of phenolics was inhibited to some extent. In conclusion, SNP treatment could alleviate the occurrence of pericarp browning in refrigerated ‘Nanguo’ pear fruit by inhibiting membrane lipid peroxidation and maintaining cellular structural integrity and function.

Enhanced skin blush is critical in many apple cultivars to ensure crop profitability and acceptability. Anthocyanin content is a crucial determinant of apple skin blush. Reflective groundcovers are a preharvest management strategy that can improve apple skin blush, but integrative studies assessing its effects at the environmental, physiological, gene, and metabolite levels are lacking. In the present study, we assessed the impact of reflective groundcovers on light environment, preharvest fruit drop, internal ethylene concentration (IEC), fruit-quality-related physicochemical parameters, skin coloration, expression levels of important anthocyanin biosynthesis-related structural genes and transcription factors, and total anthocyanin content of ‘Evercrisp’ fruit located in the canopy’s lower third during on-the-tree ripening, for 2 years, under mid-Atlantic US conditions. Fruit treated with reflective groundcovers displayed an enhanced red skin coloration, reaching >60% blush 1 week before commercial harvest and 2 weeks earlier than control fruit. This resulted from a significantly increased transcript accumulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis-assessed genes, which was promoted by an increased light reflectance (>5–25 times greater than control), which also led to a correspondingly higher total anthocyanin content. Additionally, reflective groundcover-treated ‘Evercrisp’ fruit also exhibited an increased IEC and an advanced maturity, but without differences in fruit drop, as compared to control fruit, during on-the-tree ripening. Reflective groundcovers deployment would allow for an earlier harvest (of at least one week) of ‘Evercrisp’ fruit, which would be packing out in the premium grades as compared to control, thus increasing fruit crop value.

Papaya (Carica papaya) fruit has a short shelf life and suffers significant postharvest losses due to climacteric, instant ripening and perishable nature. Pre-storage hot water treatment (HWT) has significant potential to delay decay incidence in horticultural commodities. The present study was designed to evaluate effectiveness of HWT on ‘Red lady’ papaya fruit for minimizing the fruit decay and maintaining the quality during storage. Physiologically mature unripe ‘Red lady’ papaya fruit harvested from a commercial papaya orchard. Selected fruits were treated at three different hot water temperatures (50 °C, 52 °C and 54 °C) along with a control (room temp) for 10 minutes thereafter stored at 12 °C and 85–90% RH for four weeks. Different sensory evaluation, fruit quality scales and enzymatic activities were observed at weekly intervals. Fruit stored after 54 °C HWT showed lower weight loss (4.63%), decay incidence (5.1%) and higher fruit firmness (12.92 N) relative to control. Fruit treated at 52 °C HWT improved the fruit acidity, but total soluble solids decreased than control. The results revealed that ascorbic acid (33.33 mg/100 g), total phenolic contents (35 mg/g FW) total antioxidants (47.50% DPPH inhibition), and antioxidative enzyme activities were improved by 52 °C HWT. It is concluded that pre storage papaya fruit treatment (HWT @ 52 °C) preserves the quality of fruit throughout storage on the other hand at 54 °C HWT helps in decreased fruit decaying. It can be summarized that papaya fruit can be treated with hot water in the range of 52–54 °C to support the fruit shelf life and suppress fruit decay along with maintaining fruit quality.Practical applications: Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is a climacteric fruit which is highly susceptible to fungal attacks after harvest. Due to its perishable nature, it becomes decayed and huge amount of highly nutritious and medicinally important fruit is wasted. Recently people are more concerned about food safety which limits the use of fungicides for controlling the fruit decay in papaya. However, heat treatment has tremendous potential to control microbial decay, and keep food commodities safe from hazardous chemicals. In this study, the hot water treatment has successfully suppressed the fruit decay and maintained fruit quality of papaya in the course of entire period of cold storage. These findings indicated that use of hot water treatment is a practical approach for increasing the shelf life of papaya fruit.