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- Author or Editor: Cindy B.S. Tong x
Abstract
Respiration, ethylene production, firmness, polygalacturonase activity, cell wall composition, and soluble uronide content were measured during ripening of two tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) genotypes, ‘Manapal’ and dark green (dg). Respiration rates and cell wall uronide contents of the two genotypes were similar. Climacteric ethylene production rates of dg fruit were about half that of ‘Manapal’ fruit. Firmness and polygalacturonase activity of dg tomatoes were similar to that of ‘Manapal’ fruit until 55 days postpollination, when dg fruit were twice as firm as ‘Manapal’ fruit and exhibited greater polygalacturonase activity. Soluble uronide content did not differ between the two genotypes, except at 50 days postpollination, when that of dg fruit was 60% that of ‘Manapal’ fruit. Cell wall uronide content of dg fruit was 1.5 times greater than ‘Manapal’ fruit at 55 days postpollination. Although dg fruit contained larger, absolute amounts of cell wall noncellulosic neutral sugars than ‘Manapal’ fruit, net changes in sugar composition were similar throughout ripening. Also, ratios of cell wall arabinosyl or galactosyl residues to cell wall galacturonic acid were similar in both genotypes. These data suggest that firmness differences between dg and ‘Manapal’ fruit are not due to differing activities of polygalacturonase or changes in cell wall composition during ripening, but to other factors that may affect solubilization of cell wall uronides.
We evaluated regional variation in the Delta Absorbance Meter® index of absorbance difference (IAD) as a measure of harvest maturity and for predicting the occurrence of storage disorders in ‘McIntosh’ apples [Malus ×sylvestris (L.) var. domestica (Borkh.) Mansf.] in 2016 and ‘Honeycrisp’ apples in 2016 and 2017. Apples were grown in Maine (ME), Minnesota (MN), and Ontario (ON), and they were harvested from one orchard in each region, and two to three times each year, followed by cold storage at 0.5 °C for 2 months in 2016 and 4 months in 2017. In 2016, ‘Honeycrisp’ IAD values were similar in ME and ON, but lower than in MN. In 2017, IAD was greater in ME than in the other two regions during the first harvest, and it similar to MN in the latter two harvests and lower in ON than in the other regions. In ‘Honeycrisp’ apples, IAD was more strongly related to starch pattern index (SPI), internal ethylene concentration, and fruit peel blush than to chlorophyll or soluble solids concentration. Soft scald incidence (SSI) of ‘Honeycrisp’ fruit was greater in ME than in MN and ON in both years. In ME, SSI was related to IAD at harvest in both years, but with an inverse relationship with the first harvest and a positive relationship in the second harvest. A positive relationship also occurred in ON in 2017. SSI was not related to IAD at harvest in MN in both years and ON in 2016. Regional similarities in patterns of change in ‘Honeycrisp’ fruit IAD were not consistent from year to year, and this indicates that a single IAD standard should not be used to assess fruit maturity in different regions. In ‘McIntosh’, IAD values were variable among the three regions and were not related to other maturity indicators. IAD was not useful for measuring maturity in ‘McIntosh’ apples, but it was weakly related to core browning incidence.
The color of red potatoes is due to an accumulation of anthocyanins in periderm tissues. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of several factors on tuber redness. Using the red tuber-producing S. tuberosum ssp. tuberosum cultivar Norland, we observed that chroma (intensity of redness) and anthocyanin content of greenhouse-grown tubers decreased as tuber weight increased. There was a slight or no increase in hue (tint). We used HPLC to determine that pelargonidin and peonidin are the major anthocyanidins (aglycones of anthocyanins) in tuber periderm. The ratio of pelargonidin to peonidin increased as tuber weight increased up to 25 g fresh weight. The decrease in chroma was not due to an increase in cell sap pH; we observed a decrease in cellular pH as tuber weight increased. Controlled-atmosphere storage had no effect on tuber chroma or anthocyanin content compared to air storage. Methyl jasmonate, sucrose, or light treatment did not increase anthocyanin accumulation. Tubers exposed to light had less anthocyanin than those kept in the dark. We are examining the developmental expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes, as well as the effect of maize transcription factors on anthocyanin synthesis, in tuber periderm.
Narrow-sense heritability and among-family and within-family variance components were estimated for antioxidant activity (AA), total phenolic content (TPH), and anthocyanin content (ACY) in blueberry (Vaccinium L. sp.) fruit. AA, TPH, and ACY were determined in the parents and in 10 offspring from each of 20 random crosses for each of 2 years at Becker, Minn. Offspring-midparent regression analysis provided combined-year heritability estimates of 0.43 ± 0.09 (P ≤ 0.0001) for AA, 0.46 ± 0.11 (P ≤ 0.0001) for TPH, and 0.56 ± 0.10 (P ≤ 0.0001) for ACY. Analyses of variance delineated variation among and within families for AA, TPH, and ACY (P ≤ 0.001). Year-to-year variation in the means for all offspring genotypes was not significant for AA or TPH, but there were changes in rank between years for families and for offspring within families for these traits. Year-to-year variation in the mean for all offspring genotypes was significant for ACY, but rank changes were observed only among offspring within families, not among families. In total, 18 of 200 offspring from 7 of the 20 crosses were transgressive segregants for AA, exceeding the higher parent of the cross by at least two sds. Estimates of variance components showed that variation among families accounted for 24% to 27% of total variance for the three traits. However, variation within families was greater than that among families, accounting for 38% to 56% of total variance for the three traits. These results suggest that increasing antioxidant activity in blueberry through breeding is feasible, and that the breeding strategies utilized should exploit the large within-family variation that exists.
Variation in antioxidant activity (AA), total phenolic content (TPH), and total anthocyanin content (ACY) was examined in 1998 and 1999 in fruit of 52 (49 blue-fruited and 3 pink-fruited) genotypes from a blueberry breeding population. The species ancestry included Vaccinium corymbosum L. (northern highbush blueberry), V. angustifolium Ait. (lowbush blueberry), V. constablaei Gray (mountain highbush blueberry), V. ashei Reade (rabbiteye blueberry), and V. myrtilloides Michx. (lowbush blueberry). Using a methyl linoleate oxidation assay (MeLO) on acidified methanolic extracts of the berries, a 5-fold variation was found in AA in 1998 and a 3-fold variation in 1999 among the blue-fruited genotypes. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) revealed variation among genotypes (P < 0.0001) in single and combined years, regardless of inclusion of pink-fruited selections and adjustment for berry size. While mean AA of all genotypes did not change between the 2 years, ranking of some genotypes for AA changed significantly between 1998 and 1999. Of the 10 genotypes that demonstrated the highest AA in 1998, four were among the 10 genotypes that demonstrated highest AA in 1999. Similarly, of the 15 genotypes with the highest AA, 10 were the same both years. As with AA, mean TPH of all genotypes did not change between years and ANOVA demonstrated genotypic variation regardless of adjustment for berry size/weight or exclusion of pink-fruited selections. Changes in genotype rank occurred between years. The difference in TPH between lowest- and highest-ranking blue-fruited genotypes was ≈2.6-fold in both 1998 and 1999. Seven of the 10 highest-ranking genotypes were the same both years and TPH correlated with AA (r = 0.92, P < 0.01) on a genotype mean basis for combined years. ACY correlated less well with AA (r = 0.73, P < 0.01 for combined years). When genotypes were categorized into six groups according to species ancestry, V. myrtilloides and V. constablaei × V. ashei crosses ranked highest and second highest, respectively, for AA in both years. The groups comprised of V. corymbosum genotypes, V. angustifolium genotypes, and those with both V. corymbosum and V. angustifolium in their lineage were indistinguishable from each other. Samples from some of the genotypes were analyzed for oxygen radical absorbance capacity and ferric-reducing antioxidant power, and these aqueous-based antioxidant assays correlated well with the lipid emulsion-based MeLO (all r ≥ 0.90, P < 0.01). The three antioxidant assays may be equally useful for screening in a blueberry breeding program and the choice of assay may depend on the goal of the program and the resources available.
During postharvest storage, apple [Malus pumila P. Mill.] fruit softens and its texture changes noticeably, with adverse effects on fruit quality. These changes are a result of degradation of the cell wall and middle lamella. Enzymes that cause changes in the cell walls have been characterized, but temporal distribution of their activities and their molecular regulation during storage is not well understood. ‘Honeycrisp’ fruit does not soften significantly during storage in contrast to fruit from ‘Macoun’, which softens significantly during storage. Contrasting phenotypes of ‘Honeycrisp’ and ‘Macoun’ were analyzed for changes in transcript levels of four cell-wall–modifying genes in fresh and 3-month-stored fruit from both cultivars. A suppression-subtractive hybridization experiment identified 15 cDNAs differentially expressed in fresh or 3-month-stored ‘Macoun’ fruit. Transcript levels of these 15 cDNAs were further quantified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in fresh and 3-month-stored fruit from both ‘Macoun’ and ‘Honeycrisp’. The combination of a late increase in MdEXPA2 and decreased levels of MdPG and MdAFase1 transcript levels in ‘Honeycrisp’ fruit during storage may lead to its nonsoftening phenotype. Three cDNAs, potentially important for postharvest changes in apple fruit were also identified based on their different expression patterns in fresh and 3-month-stored ‘Macoun’ and ‘Honeycrisp’ fruit.
The relationships between cellular characteristics of cortical tissue and changes in texture during storage under controlled atmosphere (CA, 3% O2 + 3% CO2) or air at 0C were studied. The cultivars used were `Delicious', `Cortland', `Honeycrisp' and its parents, `Honeygold' and `Macoun'. The force needed to break a 7-mm cylinder of apple flesh (breaking force) was greatest for `Delicious' and `Honeycrisp'. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that tissues of firm-fleshed cultivars (`Honeycrisp' and `Delicious') fractured through cells, while that of soft-fleshed cultivars (`Cortland', `Honeygold', and `Macoun') fractured between cells. `Honeycrisp' had fewer cells/100 cm2 than the other cultivars. After 9 months of storage, breaking force, cell size, and K+/Ca2+ decreased, while cell number/100 cm2, Ca2+ content, and K+ content increased for all cultivars. Cell number/100 cm2 was significantly less and breaking force was significantly greater for tissue from CA than air-stored fruit.
The color of red potato tubers is due to an accumulation of anthocyanins in periderm and peripheral cortex tissues. The objective of this study was to characterize changes in anthocyanin content and tuber surface color during tuber development. Using the red tuber-producing potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivar Norland, we observed that chroma (intensity of redness) and anthocyanin content per unit of surface area of greenhouse-grown tubers decreased as tuber weight increased. There was no increase in hue (tint) during the same developmental periods. Using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), we determined that pelargonidin and peonidin are the major anthocyanidins (aglycones of anthocyanins) in the tuber periderm. Northern blot analyses indicated that steady-state mRNA levels of dihydroflavonol reductase (DFR), an anthocyanin biosynthetic enzyme, continued throughout tuber development. These results suggest that anthocyanins are synthesized throughout tuber development, and that cell division and/or enlargement contribute to a decline in chroma and anthocyanin concentration.
Multiple types of flesh browning can occur as storage disorders in ‘Honeycrisp’ apple (Malus ×domestica Borkh.) fruit. Predicting its occurrence is hindered by differing definitions of the types of browning, incomplete understanding of their etiologies, and difficulty in assessing harvest maturity of ‘Honeycrisp’ fruit. In 2013, of ‘Honeycrisp’ fruit grown, harvested over multiple weeks, and stored in Maine, Minnesota, Ontario, and Quebec, only the Quebec fruit developed diffuse flesh browning. A detailed comparison showed that the Quebec fruit differed in size, but not in other quality attributes, from fruit of the other locations. The Quebec fruit experienced lower temperatures during active fruit growth and were increasing in cell size up to harvest. Analyses of climate data from 2009 to 2015 indicated that accumulated growing degree-days (GDD) 50–60 day after full bloom (DAFB) could account for 31% of the variation in diffuse flesh browning, and seasonal GDD <500 are associated with a greater likelihood of injury. Fruit that exhibited diffuse flesh browning had higher magnesium and lower fructose levels than unaffected fruit. As these measurements were made after browning was assessed, the timing of the onset of these characteristics in relation to browning cannot be determined.