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The objective of this work was to develop an efficient in vitro rooting protocol for one of the most commercially used citrus rootstocks in Spain, Carrizo citrange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck × Poncirus trifoliata L. Raf.). Single-node cuttings taken from greenhouse-grown plants were cultured in petri dishes containing basal Murashige and Skoog medium. Shoots from nodal stem segments were excised and cultured in a multiplication medium (basal medium supplemented with 1.8 μM 6-benzylaminopurine) to promote the development of axillary buds. Individual shoots (15 mm long) were treated with different hormones at several concentrations for root induction evaluations. The addition of activated charcoal (AC) to the culture medium was also explored. The addition of auxins to the culture medium enhanced rooting percentage. Optimal results were obtained when 1-naphthalene acetic acid (10.8 μM) and gibberellic acid (0.3 μM) were added to the culture medium. The addition of AC to the rooting medium resulted in negative effects on the percentage of rooted shoots but had a positive effect on number of roots per rooted shoot. Chemical names used: activated charcoal (AC); 6-benzylaminopurine (BA); 1-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA); gibberellic acid (GA3); indole-3-butyric acid (IBA)

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Leaf disk bioassays based on oviposition and damage accrued during 72 hours were used to screen 76 strawberry (Fragaria spp.) cultivars for resistance to the twospotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae Koch). Oviposition rates (eggs/female per day) and damage scores were both highly variable, allowing cultivars to be classified, according to a combination of these two variables, into six categories of susceptibility or resistance: highly susceptible- `Canoga', `Ozark Beauty', `Scott', and `Tangi'; resistant—'Aiko', `Annapolis', `Apollo', `Bounty', `Cardinal', `Douglas', `Dover', `Fairfax', `Fern', `Floridabelle', `Glooscap', `Governor Simcoe', `Hecker', `Kent', `Pajaro', `Parker', `Rainier', `Redcoat', and `Vesper'; and highly resistant—`Profumata di Tortona' (F. moschata Duch.). Bioassay based on oviposition rates and damage scores was considered to be an efficient method to eliminate susceptible accessions from a breeding program, but authentication of putative resistance may require further testing in vivo.

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Winter squash is grown in the Northwest of Mexico for export to distant markets with risk of produce loss. A study was conducted to investigate its postharvest behavior as affected by hot water (50°C) for 0, 3. 6, 9 and 12 min, and stored at 10 or 20°C with 75% RH for 4, 8, and 12 weeks. The highest weight loss (11.35%) was in fruits without hot water treatment stored at 20°C for 12 weeks; at this temperature the weight loss was 3.65, 7.18, and 10.19% in the 4, 8 and 12 week storage period, respectively. At 10°C the weight loss was 3.41, 6.83 and 7.56% for the same period. Chlorophyll content decreased as temperature and storage period increased. β-carotene content showed no change at 10°C, but slightly increased after 8 and 12 weeks at 20°C. Fruits showed decay by Rhizopus and Aspergillus. Weight loss, chlorophyll content, and decay were not affected by length of hot water treatment. General appearance was better in fruits stored at 10°C than at 20°C.

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The better emergence and seedling vigor of sweet corn (Zea mays L.) hybrids homozygous for the gene sugary1 (su1) make them more suitable for cultivation under European Atlantic conditions (cold, wet spring) than those homozygous for other traits. Elite sweet corn inbreds homozygous for both su1 and sugary enhancer1 (se1) could improve the table quality of su1 hybrids. The su1se1 inbreds for improving su1su1 hybrid performance can be chosen in several ways. The aim of this paper was to identify donors among su1se1 inbreds that might improve the quality of su1 hybrids. Eight su1se1 inbreds were crossed with eight su1 inbreds that were parents of fifteen su1 hybrids. Hybrids and inbreds were cultivated next to one another in two locations in northwestern Spain in 1999 and 2000. Several possible estimators for identifying su1se1 inbred donors with favorable alleles lacking in the su1 hybrid were determined. These estimators included the relative number of favorable alleles present in the donor but absent in the hybrid (μǴ), predicted three-way cross (PTC), minimum upper bound (UBND), net improvement (NI), probability of the net gain of favorable alleles when there is complete dominance (PNGg), probability of the net gain of favorable alleles when there is partial dominance or epistasis (PNGceg), and general combining ability (GCA). μǴ and NI were chosen for improving hybrid table quality. These estimators indicate that table quality and other traits of su1 hybrids can be improved by using germplasm from the su1se1 inbred lines. The best donor of quality for most of the hybrids was the inbred line IL731a.

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In order to determine the effects that 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) may have on antioxidant metabolism during cold storage, apples (Malus ×domestica Borkh. cv. Golden Smoothee) were treated with 625 nL·L−1 1-MCP immediately after harvest and stored in air for 3 months. Differences in total antioxidant activity and ascorbate levels were determined during storage and related to the activity of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase [SOD (EC 1.15.1.1)], catalase [CAT (EC 1.11.1.6)], and peroxidase [POX (EC 1.11.1.7)] in pulp. The level of oxidative stress in the pulp tissue was also established by determining changes in levels of hydrogen peroxide and in the content of peroxidative markers during storage. Controls and 1-MCP-treated fruit exhibited similar changes in total antioxidant activity and ascorbate levels. However, significant differences in oxidative stress levels were found between treated and untreated fruit. 1-MCP-treated fruit exhibited lower levels of hydrogen peroxide and significantly lower levels in peroxidative markers, especially at the end of the storage period. In line with this last result, 1-MCP-treated fruit also exhibited greater enzymatic antioxidant potential and, more specifically, a higher level of POX activity. Collectively, these results showed that 1-MCP did not detrimentally affect the antioxidant potential of the fruit and provided evidence to support the hypothesis that the beneficial effects of 1-MCP on ripening are not exclusively limited to its effect on ethylene, but also include direct effects on peroxidation and POX enzyme activity.

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Pink stem borer (Sesamia nonagrioides Lef.) is one of the most important insect pests of corn (Zea mays L.) in southern Europe. The objectives of this work were to determine the level of resistance in different sweet corn inbreds and to identify sources of resistance to ear feeding by the pink stem borer. Twenty-eight sweet corn (su1 and su1se1 ) inbreds and four resistant field corn (Su1Se1 ) inbreds were evaluated for ear resistance at different sowing dates, under two methods of artificial infestation. There were significant differences between infestation methods for ears with damaged grain, husks, cobs, and shanks. The inbred×infestation method interaction was significant for general appearance of the ear. The most resistant inbreds were identified by using mean comparisons and principal component analysis of ear damage traits. All inbreds were damaged. Hence, resistance was incomplete and in need of improvement. EP59, H3, I5125, IL767b, and V7726 were the most resistant sweet corn inbreds, which did not differ significantly from A635, the most resistant field corn inbred. General appearance of the ear appears to be a good indicator of pink stem borer resistance and can be used in preliminary evaluation. Variability exists in the resistance of these sweet inbreds to the pink stem borer and the use of field corn inbreds may not be necessary in the improvement of resistance, although further research is needed to determine if the sources differ in the pertinent genes conferring resistance.

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Winter squash are grown in northwestern Mexico for export to distant markets. During transport, fruits deteriorate and develop fungal rots. Squash (Cucurbita maxima Duch. `Delica') was given hot-water dips at 50C for 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 min and stored at 10 and 20C with 75% RH for 4, 8, and 12 weeks. The highest weight loss (11.3%) was in fruits without hot water treatment stored at 20C for 12 weeks—weight losses were 3.6%, 7.2%, and 10.2% in the 4-, 8-, and 12-week storage periods, respectively. At 10C, the weight losses were 3.4%, 6.8%, and 7.6% for the same periods, respectively. ß-carotene content increased from 36.2 to 54.2 mg/100 g after 4 and 8 weeks of storage, respectively, but declined to 42.8 mg/100 g after 12 weeks. Chlorophyll content decreased as temperature and storage period increased, changing from 16.7 to 10.8 mg·liter-1 at 10 and 20C and from 16.9 to 15.8 mg·liter-1 and 8.8 mg·liter-1 at 4, 8, and 12 weeks, respectively. Fruits had decay caused by Rhizopus and Aspergillus. Weight loss, ß-carotene and chlorophyll contents, and decay were not affected by length of hot-water treatment. General appearance was better in fruits stored at 10 than at 20C.

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Paclobutrazol is a plant growth retardant commonly used on greenhouse crops. Residues from paclobutrazol applications can accumulate in recirculated irrigation water. Given that paclobutrazol has a long half-life and potential biological activity in parts per billion concentrations, it would be desirable to measure paclobutrazol concentration in captured irrigation supplies. However, there are no standard protocols for collecting this type of sample. The objective of this research was to determine if sample container material or storage temperature affect paclobutrazol stability over time. In two experiments, paclobutrazol was mixed in concentrations ranging from 0.04 to 0.2 mg·L−1 and stored in polyethylene, clear glass, or amber glass containers at temperatures of either 4 or 20 °C. Paclobutrazol concentration was measured at 3, 14, and 30 days after the start of each experiment. Across the two experiments, there were no consistent trends in reduction of paclobutrazol concentration with respect to container material or storage temperature. In the first experiment, there was an average of 5% reduction across all treatments from day 0 to 30, whereas in the second experiment, concentration did not decrease over the 30-day time period. These data suggest that paclobutrazol is stable in collected water samples for at least 30 days, and that either glass or polyethylene containers are suitable for collecting greenhouse water samples for analysis of paclobutrazol concentration. A minimum volume of 100 mL was determined to be the optimum to analyze water samples with diverse paclobutrazol concentrations.

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Reciprocal effects in sugary × sugary enhancer hybrids of sweet corn (Zea mays L.) have been only reported for sugar content and in a very limited number of hybrids and have not been determined for agronomic traits. By evaluating 34 sugary × sugary enhancer hybrids with reciprocals in three environments, the main objectives of this work were, for agronomic and quality traits, to determine the presence or absence of reciprocal differences in the sugary × sugary enhancer hybrids, to study the interest of using sugary inbreds as seed parents of the sugary × sugary enhancer hybrids, and to determine if reciprocal differences are interacting with different genetic backgrounds and different environments. For agronomic traits as emergence, early vigor, and silking date, significant (P ≤ 0.05) reciprocal differences were found in many of the sugary × sugary enhancer hybrids, but for quality traits, significant (P ≤ 0.05) reciprocal differences were only found in a few hybrids. The sugary lines as seed parents of the crosses tended to have on average a favorable effect on agronomic traits, but this was only considerable in some environmental conditions. The difference between the sugary and sugary enhancer lines as seed parent of the crosses was strongly influenced by the genetic background.

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Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. Italica Group) is an economically important vegetable crop and its consumption may benefit human health. Glucosinolates, a group of secondary plant metabolites found generally in the cultivated Brassicaceae, may protect against the development of certain malignancies. The objective of this study was to evaluate total and individual glucosinolate content of broccoli cultivars widely grown in southern Europe following spring vs. summer planting (early vs. late crop, respectively). Glucosinolates in primary and secondary inflorescences taken from mature plants were analyzed separately by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The cultivars contained primarily 4-methylsulfinylbutyl-, indol-3-ylmethyl- and 1-methoxyindol-3-ylmethyl-glucosinolates. Total and individual glucosinolate levels varied significantly between seasons, among cultivars and between inflorescences. `Shogun' contained the highest total glucosinolate levels (between 35.2 mmol·kg-1 dry weight in primary inflorescences of the early crop and 47.9 in secondary inflorescences of the late crop). Total and individual glucosinolate levels were generally higher in the late than in the early crop. Primary inflorescences generally contained the highest glucosinolate levels in the early crop but secondary inflorescences had the highest levels in the late one.

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