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‘Akizuki’ (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai) is a dominant Asian pear cultivar with gradually increasing cultivation area in Shandong province. However, this cultivar is found susceptible to cork spot disorder in recent years. In this study, we explored the physiological-biochemical mechanism of cork spot disorder in pear fruit, and investigated the effectiveness of spraying calcium (Ca), boron (B) solution or prohexadione calcium (P-Ca) on cork spot incidence. Cork spotted fruit had the characteristics of significantly larger fruit size with shorter fruit pedicels. Compared with normal fruit, cork spotted fruit had lower content of total soluble solids, soluble and reducing sugar, and vitamin C. In addition, cork spotted fruit accumulated much higher levels of N and Mg, and lower levels of K and P. However, Ca deficiency was not observed in cork spotted fruit, on the contrary, we determined high concentrations of Ca and free Ca2+ in disordered fruit. At the same time, the ratios of K/Ca, Mg/Ca, and (K+Mg)/Ca were significantly lower in cork spotted fruit as compared with normal fruit. Among all treatments, spraying with 3500 times dilution of P-Ca at 15-day intervals from 30 to 90 days after full bloom showed promise for reducing cork spot incidence in ‘Akizuki’ pear without affecting fruit quality attributes. This research herein reveals the physiological-biochemical characteristic of cork spot disorder, and implicates P-Ca as a potential tool to reduce cork spot incidence in Asian pear cultivar Akizuki.
A 920 bp fragment of the ACC oxidase gene promoter from tomato (LEACO1) was used to drive GUS gene expression. The LEACO1 0.92kb fragment contained two stress-responsive short motifs; a 10 bp TCA motif (5'-TCATCTTCTT-3') twice (allowing two substitutions) and an 8 bp element (5'-AA/TTTCAAA-3') once. The TCA motif is found in over 30 stress- and pathogen-inducible genes while the 8 bp element is necessary for ethylene-response in the carnation GST1 and the tomato E4 gene promoters. Previously in chrysanthemum, cytokinin regulation with LEACO1 0.92kb produced dramatic increases in lateral branching and bud initiation. Tobacco plants carrying LEACO1 0.92kb –GUS were used to examine the response of the LEACO1 0.92kb promoter to various hormones and hormone inhibitors. GUS activity in LEACO1 0.92kb –GUS plants was detected in leaves and stems, but not roots. High expression was detected in shoots with the apical bud intact, but GUS activity decreased with the apical bud removed. Applying IAA to the shoot apex after removing the apical bud, restored GUS activity. However, the IAA transport inhibitor TIBA reduced GUS activity in shoots with intact apical buds, and in IAA-treated shoots with excised buds. In shoots with excised apical buds, GUS activity increased when the ethylene precursor ACC was applied, but decreased in intact shoots when the ethylene biosynthesis inhibitor AOA was applied. These data suggest that auxins produced in the apical meristem are capable of regulating LEACO1 0.92kb activity, probably through auxin-induced ethylene biosynthetic pathway activity.