Introduction to Fruit Crops. Mark Rieger (University of Florida). 2006. The Haworth Press, 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580. 462 pp. $69.95 softcover. ISBN-13: 978-1-56022-259-0/ ISBN-10: 1-56022-259-X This book is quite unique
Introduction to Fruit Crops. Mark Rieger. 2006. $69.95 soft. Haworth Press, Binghamton, N.Y. ISBN-13:978-1-56022-259-0 / ISBN-10: 1-56022-259-X. Pages, 462 pp. with Index. Includes 46 pp. of color photos. 8.25” × 10.75” format. Web: http
Abstract
In China, research on tissue culture applications to fruit crop improvement has expanded greatly in the past 10 years. Tissue culture is considered to be an effective method for a) virus elimination from vegetatively propagated plants; b) rapid clonal multiplication of superior cultivars; c) the isolation and avoidance of chimeras that appear in mutation breeding, d) the establishment of haploid and polyploid lines; e) overcoming sterility in breeding through embryo rescue; and f) germplasm maintenance and storage. Tissue culture technology has been used for most of the important fruit crops in China, including a few fruit crops introduced from foreign countries (Table 1). Plants can be regenerated from various explants such as a) shoot-tips and meristems, b) cotyledons, c) anthers, d) immature and mature embryos, and e) endosperm. Plants can also be regenerated from protoplasts via organogenesis, somatic embryogenesis, or axillary bud proliferation. Procedures for the mass production in vitro of plants for commercial purposes have been established in grape (Vitis vinifera L.), hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge), strawberry (Fragaria spp.), and currant (Ribes nigrum L.). An overview of the various tissue culture technologies that are being used to improve fruit crops in China is presented here.
Abstract
Physiological problems observed during postharvest handling of deciduous fruit crops often originate during production as a result of climatic, nutritional, or other cultural factors. Sometimes the likelihood of a problem occurring is partially under genetic control. For a postharvest physiologist to be fully effective in evaluating a problem, he must know the cultural history of the commodity with which he is working. Similarly, the researcher studying cultural factors should know the relationships between treatment variables and quality traits. Often this can best be accomplished by collaboration of researchers working in both fields, but one individual with proper background and interest may also acquire relatively complete information. I consider this symposium highly appropriate to point out interrelations between plant nutrition and commodity quality, and the need for adequate information on quality aspects of nutritional research to enable accurate interpretation of results.
Services (2007) estimated that the loss for agricultural crops after the freeze was $112 million with fruit crop losses of $86 million (D. Hamrick, personal communication). In Missouri, which has a relatively small commercial fruit industry, the economic
Low temperature is one of the most important environmental factors limiting crop plant growth, distribution, and productivity. New cultivars with improved freezing tolerance are a common breeding objective of many temperate fruit breeding programs. Improved freezing tolerance would prevent crop loss due to low temperature and reduce yearly fluctuations in crop quantity and quality. Breeding temperate fruit cultivars for improved freezing tolerance is made difficult by several factors, including complexity of the phenotype, difficulty in accurate measurement of the phenotype, and lack of fundamental knowledge concerning the inheritance and genetic control of this trait. Results from inheritance studies of freezing tolerance in temperate fruit crops as well as recent research in forestry genetics highlight some of the challenges and opportunities for further elucidating the inheritance of freezing tolerance in temperate fruit crops. A tremendous amount of research has been conducted describing the molecular biology and signal transduction of the cold acclimation response in the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana. These findings have begun the transfer to research in agriculturally important crops and hold great promise for elucidating novel methods for generating new fruit cultivars with improved freezing tolerance.
fruit production. Recent investigations suggest that Akebia is worthy of being exploited as a new high-value fruit crop in China for its health benefits and other newly found fruit properties. This article provides a broad review on the most
, especially California. With the semiarid climate and abundant sunshine, jujube is an excellent fruit crop for the Southwest. With more media coverage, promotional activities, and research/extension supports, more and more people could be exposed to jujubes
Abstract
Fruit breeders can easily justify the need to improve cold tolerance. Feature articles describing huge losses from winter cold or spring frosts can be found with regular frequency in grower magazines. In addition millions of dollars are spent annually to protect fruit crops from abnormally cold weather.
The high cost of inputs and water deficit in arid lands demand the use of more drought tolerant species into the agricultue. The flora of the deserts offer a variety of fruits and vegetables that may diversify horticulture. `Cimarrón' wild plum tree or “ciruelo cimarrón” (Cyrtocarpa edulis Brand.:Anacardiaceae) is one of the species with potential importance in arid lands. C. edulis is an endemic tree of the meridional portion of the Baja California peninsula, occurring along arroyos and on gentle slopes in sandy soils. The flesh of the fruits is edible, with a slight acid tang, and is used locally. Actual exploitation is based on the fruit harvest in natural dry forest and xerophilous shrubs, where average density is near 100 trees/Ha. There is a growing interest in marketing the dried fruits, especially for the snack industry, hence, the need to develop a breeding program in order to establish it as a reliable fruit crop.