Tyvek housewrap (Du Pont, Wilmington, Delaware), an air-infiltration barrier for use in house construction, has been put to a novel use for making pollination bags for breeding hazelnuts (Corylus avellana L.). Bagged flowers are used in making crosses and incompatiblity testing and remain receptive for up to 3 months. Tyvek has outperformed paper and plastic materials we have tried in terms of durability and cost. Tyvek is a spun-bonded, nondirectionally oriented film of highdensity polyethylene fibers that is permeable to water vapor and air, but is water resistant and pollen-proof, and can be made into bags of any size needed.
Two methods for collecting headspace vapors produced by plant samples are presented. The first involves entraining volatiles in a stream of air and trapping the entrained compounds on a porous polymer such as Tenax. The volatiles are recovered from the trap by solvent extraction or heat desorption and analysed by gas chromatography. A second method entails removing headspace vapor above plant material with a gas-tight syringe and injecting the sample directly into the gas chromatograph. An evaluation of the usefulness of these techniques will be presented.
Abstract
The water balance of both irrigated and unirrigated olive (Olea europaea L. cv. Manzanillo) trees was improved by spraying a film-forming antitranspirant (AT). This was evidenced by increased resistance to water vapor diffusion from the leaves, reduced daytime shrinkage of limbs, and increased leaf and fruit water potential. The improvement in plant water potential by AT was equivalent to the effect of an irrigation. Transpiration at night through incompletely closed stomates, especially when night humidity was low, retarded normal nocturnal rehydration of the olive limbs and fruit. The improved water balance of AT-treated olive trees indicated a potential for increasing fruit growth.
Four film-forming antitranspirants, Vapor Gard, Envy, Wilt-Pruf, and Folicote, and a new metabolic antitranspirant UC86177 were applied to container-grown Ulmus parvifolia Jacq. (Chinese elm), Malus sargentii Rehd. (Sargent's crabapple), Viburnum plicatum tomentosum Thunb. (doubleflle viburnum), Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. `Early Giant' (tomato), Petunia × hybrids Hort. Vilm-Andr. `Royal Pearls' (petunia), and Impatiens wallerana Hook. f. `Blitz Orange' (impatiens) plants. Water status was assessed by the following methods: transpiration as water loss per unit leaf area, wilt by visual evaluation, and xylem pressure potential (XPP) determined with a pressure chamber. Antitranspirant treatment had no beneficial effect on water status of doublefile viburnum. In comparison to control plants, results of wilt ratings, XPP, and transpiration measurements for the elm, crabapple, tomato, petunia, and impatiens plants can be summarized as follows: UC86177-treated plants showed significantly less stress in 11 measures and were not different once; Wilt-Pruf was beneficial 10 times and not different twice; Folicote was beneficial nine times and not different three times; Vapor Gard produced eight beneficial results and four similar results; and Envy was beneficial three times and no different nine times. Species differences in response to antitranspirants as well as differences in product efficacy were demonstrated. UC86177 antitranspirant was shown to be as or more effective in controlling water status than the film-forming antitranspirants and may have potential for protecting various plant species against water stress.
Gas exchange and growth of transplanted and nontransplanted, field-grown Norway maple (Acer platanoides L. `Schwedleri') and littleleaf linden (Tilia cordata Mill. `Greenspire') trees were investigated in an arid climate. In the spring of 1995, three trees of each species were moved with a tree spade to a new location within a field nursery and three nontransplanted trees were selected as controls. Predawn leaf water potential, morning-to-evening stomatal conductance and leaf temperature, leaf-to-air vapor pressure difference, midday stomatal conductance and photosynthetic rate, and growth data were collected over a 2-year period. After transplanting, weekly predawn leaf water potential indicated that transplanted trees were under greater water stress than were nontransplanted (control) trees. However, predawn leaf water potential of maple trees recovered to control levels 18 weeks after transplanting, while that of transplanted linden trees remained more negative than that of controls. In 1995, stomatal conductance and photosynthetic rates were lower throughout the day for transplanted trees. In 1996, gas exchange rates of transplanted maple trees recovered to near control levels while rates for transplanted linden trees did not. Sensitivity of stomata to leaf-to-air vapor pressure difference varied with species and with transplant treatment. Each year transplanted trees of both species had less apical growth than did control trees. Although gas exchange and apical growth of transplanted trees was reduced following transplanting, recovery of gas exchange to control rates differed with species.
Some plant-derived natural volatile compounds exhibit antifungal properties and may offer a tremendous opportunity to control the causes of postharvest spoilage without affecting fresh produce quality or leaving a residue on the produce. E-2-hexenal has shown significant potential for use as a fumigant for controlling Botrytis cinerea in prior studies. In in vitro studies on the mode of action of E-2-hexenal, mycelial growth and percent spore germination were inversely proportional to concentrations of the compound. Spore germination was found to be more susceptible to the compound then mycelial growth. Much higher concentrations of E-2-hexenal were required to inhibit mycelial growth than spore germination. Lower concentrations of the compound significantly stimulated mycelial growth, especially when the volatile was added 2 days following inoculation. Light microscopy analysis revealed that a high concentration of the volatile damaged fungal cell wall and membranes. Treatment with a high vapor phase level of E-2-hexenal during postharvest storage of strawberry fruit at 2°C prevented botrytis development in a subsequent storage period at 15°C. However, treatment with a low vapor phase level enhanced botrytis development. The implications of these results with respect to the practical use of E-2-hexenal and other natural volatile compounds will be discussed.
Abstract
Mature bearing pear [Pyrus communis L. ‘Beurre d’Anjou’ (‘Anjou’)] trees in an arid climate were irrigated weekly at 125% of pan evaporation (wet), biweekly at 100% of pan evaporation (normal), or irrigated only twice (dry) during the summer (1980, 1981), and were fertilized with and without 0.9 kg of supplemental N. Prior to final fruit harvest in 1981, depletion of available soil moisture (ASM) averaged 10%, 16.7%, and 89% for the wet, normal, and dry treatments, respectively. Mid-day leaf water potential (ψL) was correlated with the level of ASM only on bright days of high vapor pressure deficit. Stomatal conductance (κs) and transpirational flux density (F) of dry treatment leaves was lower than that of either wet or normal treatment leaves ψL exceeded −1.4 to −1.7 MPa. Resistance to vapor (water) transport (Rν) of fruit was independent of irrigation regime. Terminal buds had set on shoots from all 3 irrigation regimes at 58 days after full bloom (AFB) in 1981, but resumed growth on normal and wet treatment shoots at 87 days AFB. On 7 of 10 sampling dates during 1981, dry treatment fruit weighed less than normal or wet treatment fruit.
Abstract
Differences in the photosynthetic capacity of leaves of peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch cv. Golden Glory] were investigated in conjunction with their leaf nitrogen and phosphorus content. Photosynthetic CO2 assimilation expressed on a leaf area basis, mesophyll conductance, and leaf conductance to water vapor were all linearly related to leaf nitrogen content expressed on a leaf area basis (R2 = 0.908, 0.921, 0.685, respectively). Leaf intercellular CO2 concentrations tended to decrease slightly with increasing CO2 assimilation rates and leaf N contents, indicating that CO2 assimilation was not being restricted by low intercellular CO2 concentrations and leaf conductances in leaves with lower assimilation capacity. CO2 assimilation, mesophyll conductance, and leaf conductance to water vapor were also linearly related to leaf phosphorus content, but these relationships were not as clear as for leaf nitrogen content. (R2 = 0.601, 0.687, 0.324, respectively). The maximum CO2 assimilation rate per unit of leaf nitrogen for peach leaves in this experiment was between 6.0 and 7.0 nmol CO2 mg N−1 s−1.
Abbreviations: A, net photosynthesis; CYV, canopy volume; E, transpiration; FCYV, fraction of canopy volume; GCA, general combining ability; g 1 , leaf conductance of water; LT, leaf temperature; SCA, specific combining ability; VPD, vapor pressure
Abstract
High storage humidities, wax, and polyethylene film as bin-liners were compared for minimizing loss in storage life and preventing fruit shrivel during storage prior to packaging for market of pear (Pyrus communis L. cv. d’Anjou). Lining the sides and covering the top of bins with 1.25-mil polyethylene film was the most beneficial in preventing fruit shrivel without adversely delaying cooling. Enclosing pears in film bin bags also controlled moisture loss but was detrimental to rapid removal of field heat. Waxing the fruit or covering only the top of bins with film did not reduce the cooling rate but were ineffective in preventing excessive moisture loss. Introduction of water vapor to maintain high humidity markedly reduced moisture loss but caused ice formation on the fruit and storage room floor.