JORQUERA FONTENA, EMILIO JOSE
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Diurnal High Temperatures Affect the Physiological Performance and Fruit Quality of Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) cv. Legacy
In this study, the physiological performance and fruit quality responses of the highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) cultivar Legacy to high temperatures (HTs) were evaluated in a field experiment. Three-year-old V. corymbosum plants were exposed to two temperature treatments between fruit load set and harvest during the 2022/2023 season: (i) ambient temperature (AT) and (ii) high temperature (HT) (5 °C ± 1 °C above ambient temperature). A chamber covered with transparent polyethylene (100 µm thick) was used to apply the HT treatment. In our study, the diurnal temperature was maintained with a difference of 5.03 °C ± 0.12 °C between the AT and HT treatments. Our findings indicated that HT significantly decreased CO2 assimilation (Pn) by 45% and stomatal conductance (gs) by 35.2% compared to the AT treatment. By contrast, the intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) showed higher levels (about 6%) in HT plants than in AT plants. Fruit quality analyses revealed that the fruit weight and equatorial diameter decreased by 39% and 13%, respectively, in the HT treatment compared to the AT treatment. By contrast, the firmness and total soluble solids (TSS) were higher in the HT treatment than in the AT treatment. Meanwhile, the titratable acidity showed no changes between temperature treatments. In our study, Pn reduction could be associated with stomatal and non-stomatal limitations under HT treatment. Although these findings improve our understanding of the impact of HTs on fruit growth and quality in V. corymbosum, further biochemical and molecular studies are need. © 2024 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
Salicylic Acid Improves Yield, Fruit Quality, and Post-Harvest Storage in Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium L.) cv. Lapins Subjected to Late-Deficit Irrigation
This study evaluated the effect of salicylic acid (SA) application on yield, fruit quality, and post-harvest storage in Prunus avium subjected to deficit irrigation (DI). A field experiment with six-year-old P. avium cv. Lapins was performed under two water treatments: irrigation at 100% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) [full irrigation (FI)] and irrigation at 60% ETc from the second fruit phase to harvest time (DI). A single 0.5 mM SA was applied to both water treatments at fruit color change. At harvest time, fruits were collected to determine yield, fruit quality, and quality during post-harvest storage (0, 10, 20, and 30 days). The DI reduced fruit yield (11%), fruit weight (8%), and caliber (6%) and increased firmness (7%) and total soluble solids (TSS) (5%) in P. avium compared with FI plants at harvest time. Our study showed that SA application recovered fruit yield (9%), fruit weight (5%), and caliber (4%), improving TSS in DI plants at day 0. Interestingly, SA application significantly reduced P. avium fruit cracking (78% in FI and 82% in DI). Fruit weight was reduced in all treatments, mainly decreasing by 14% in FI and 13% in DI plants at day 30 of post-harvest storage. Fruit weight did not change during post-harvest storage with SA, except on day 30, where a slight reduction was observed. TSS showed no significant differences during post-harvest storage for all treatments. Therefore, SA could be an interesting tool to mitigate the impact of DI on the yield and fruit quality of P. avium and to reduce fruit cracking and prolong fruit quality during post-harvest storage. © 2024 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.