Fruit quality of five scab resistant apple cultivars (Enterprise, Liberty, Nova Easygro, Sir Prize and Rewena) suitable for organic growing systems were tested. External and internal fruit quality was assessed through standard parameters (fruit weight, firmness, soluble solids, malic acid) and sensorial quality by panel tests (fruit size, shape and colour; hardness, texture, juiciness, sweet/ac...

Laboratory experiments tested whether two economically-important sibling species of tephritid fruit flies have evolved distinct egg-laying responses to chemical stimuli on the fruits of their respective hostplants. The egg-laying preferences displayed by apple maggot flies, R. pomonella, and blueberry maggot flies, R. mendax, on artificial fruits treated with apple and blueberry extract paralle...

In apple cultivation, simulation models may be used to monitor fruit size during the growth and development process to predict production levels and to optimize fruit quality. Here, Fuji apples cultivated in spindle-type systems were used as the model crop. Apple size was measured during the growing period at an interval of about 20 days after full bloom, with three weather stations being used ...

The gram-negative bacterium Erwinia amylovora is the causal agent of fire blight, the most destructive bacterial disease of rosaceous plants, including apple and pear. Here, we compared the virulence levels of six E. amylovora strains (Ea273, CFBP1367, Ea581a, E2002a, E4001a, and HKN06P1) on apple trees and seedlings. The strains produced a range of disease severity, with HKN06P1 producing the ...

UV light provoked stress can evoke antioxidant defence system and consequently induces the synthesis of several phytochemical compounds. Th e aim of the present study was to investigate the infl uence of UV-B light irradiation on surface colour and synthesis of some bioactive compounds in apples skin of cultivars ‘Elstar’ and ‘Jonagold’. Half of each apple was shaded with aluminium foil to comp...

This article is divided into three parts. The first part, the most important one, deals with spectroscopic methods. Different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum are useful for fruit quality characterisation, in particular the visible and near-infrared regions. Concerning the visible one, studies have been carried out on apple, apricot, cherry, mango, peach, red table grape and tomato, when...

Studies were designed to examine the effects of host plants (apple, Malus domestica Borkh., and peach, Prunus persica L.) on the development of oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Oriental fruit moth larvae developed faster on peach than on apple, both on fruit as well as on growing terminal shoots. On fruit, these differences were shown to cause signific...

This study examined the effect of debagging time on color and flavor / taste compounds in the non-red apple cultivar 'Golden Delicious' and red cultivar 'Qinguan' at mid and late stages of fruit development. Debagging briefly improved the red color in both cultivars, the peel of 'Golden Delicious' presenting pale-pink hue. However, rapid anthocyanin accumulation occurred in apple peel at a spec...