BACKGROUND 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) is a potent inhibitor of ethylene action and can maintain the quality and extend the shelf life of fresh produce. But the effectiveness of application of 1-MCP may depend upon its capacity to diffuse into the flesh tissue. However, to our knowledge, no study has been performed on the quality maintenance of pear fruit treated with 1-MCP vacuum infiltration...

Alien invasive species can affect large areas, often with wide-ranging impacts on ecosystem structure, function, and services. Prunus serotina is a widespread invader of European temperate forests, where it tends to form homogeneous stands and limits recruitment of indigenous trees. We hypotesized that invasion by P. serotina would be reflected in the nutrient contents of the native species' le...

Browning disorder, which usually occurs post-harvest in pears subjected to long-term storage, can cause browning of the pear flesh and/or core. In 2011, investigators in China found a novel type of brown spot (designated as surface brown spot, SBS) in pre-harvest 'Dangshansuli' pears (Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd.). SBS has a large impact on the exterior quality of the pears. Interestingly, the br...

The integration of invasive species into native food webs represent multifarious dynamics of ecological and evolutionary processes. We document incorporation of Prunus serotina (black cherry) into native insect food webs. We find that P. serotina harbours a herbivore community less dense but more diverse than its native relative, P. padus (bird cherry), with similar proportions of specialists a...

Irrigation systems increase fruit yield of water shortage orchards in semiarid and arid lands, but their environmental impacts remain unclear. This study carries out a comparative cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) the furrow drip irrigated pear production Loess Plateau China based on 2009–2018 inventory data from integrated experimental stations. The depletion (WD), footprint (WF), glo...

‘Huangguan’ pear (Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd. cv. Huangguan) fruit is sensitive to chilling injury (CI), which exhibits peel browning spots (PBS) during cold storage. Dehydrin (DHN) considered be related tolerance in plants, but its function postharvest storage remains unclear. In this study, six PbDHNs (PbDHN1–6) genes were identified and characterized, the PbDHN proteins sorted into YnKn, SKn ...