BACKGROUND One of the main factors that reduce fruit quality and lead to economically important losses is oversoftening. Textural changes during fruit ripening are mainly due to the dissolution of the middle lamella, the reduction of cell-to-cell adhesion and the weakening of parenchyma cell walls as a result of the action of cell wall modifying enzymes. Pectins, major components of fruit cell ...

,. Abstract. In most animals, especially those that must swallow food items whole, prey size is related directly to predator size. This paper examines gape limitation and the influence of fruit size on diet in fruit-eating birds, drawing on data gathered over a 5-yr period on 70 bird s]Jecies and 171 plant species in the lower montane forests of Monteverde, Costa Rica. The results suggest that ...

BACKGROUND The National Schools Fruit Scheme (NSFS) is intended to improve fruit intake in young children by providing free daily fruit at school. METHODS We used a parentally completed questionnaire for three consecutive years to study fruit intake in young children before, during and after participation in the NSFS compared with a control region. RESULTS In 2003, 2004 and 2005, a total of...

While excessive plastic use has severe ecological consequences, the distant nature of these consequences may limit their effect on individual behavior. One possibility to address this problem is link behavior more direct consequences. Pro-environmental researchers adopting approach typically try change people’s by providing them with monetary incentives. Here, we pursued an alternative strategy...

We propose a new method of biometric authentication, called agri-biometrics that identifies an individual fruit using a single image of its rind patterns. Our proposed method normalizes the rotations in depth of the fruit and extracts a set of image features, which are compatible to the 'minutiae', from the normalized image; thus, it enables us to apply a state-of-the-art technique of fingerpri...

We conduct a field experiment in 31 primary schools in England to test the effectiveness of different temporary incentives on increasing choice and consumption of fruit and vegetables at lunchtime. In each treatment, pupils received a sticker for choosing a fruit or vegetable at lunch. They were eligible for an additional reward at the end of the week depending on the number of stickers accumul...

Native of the Amazon, the nanche (Byrsonima crassifolia) is a fruit cultivated by family farmers and used in cooking; as such, it represents an opportunity for regional agribusiness. The Embrapa Eastern Amazon set up an active germplasm bank (BAG) consisting of 22 accessions sampled in 11 municipalities of Pará State. Due to its economic potential, there is an interest to advance the genetic br...

This dissertation investigates the feasibility of using the same digital profile images of fruit that are used in commercial packing houses for colour sorting and blemish detection purposes to estimate the volumes of the corresponding individual pieces of fruit. Data sets of actual fruit volumes and digital images of the fruit that simulate both single and multiple camera set-ups are obtained. ...

Reciprocal cleft and pistillate floral bud grafts were made between parthenocarpic ;Fertilla' and nonparthenocarpic ;MSU 713-5' cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) lines to localize the site for stimulation of parthenocarpic fruit set. No fruit set on ;MSU 713-5' controls, scion grafted to ;Fertilla,' or rootstock with ;Fertilla' as the scion. ;Fertilla' controls, rootstock, and scions all produced p...