Atilla Eris

Physical and chemical changes in peaches and nectarines during the modified atmosphere storage

Abstract Peach (“Flavorcrest” and “Red Top”) and nectarine (“Fantasia” and “Fairlane”) cultivars were stored in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) by using 30 μm PP (polypropylene) and 45 μm PE (polyethylene) plastic bags at 0 °C temperature and 90% relative humidity in the same conditions in three different years. The peaches and nectarines were subjected to fungicide and intermittent warming. Physical and chemical changes [weight loss, respiration rate, fruit flesh firmness, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, overall appearance, taste and product decay index] were recorded on 0, 15th, 30th, 45th and 55th day of storage. PP gave the best result for MAP of peaches while PE gave the best result for MAP of nectarines. Peach “Flavorcrest” and nectarine “Fantasia” could be stored for 30–45 days using PP and PE, respectively. Peach “Red Top” and nectarine “Fairlane” stored successfully for up to 45 days using the same cover materials. Peach and nectarine cultivars had a shelf life of 10 days after these storage periods.

Changes of Micronutrients, Dry Weight, and Chlorophyll Contents in Strawberry Plants Under Salt Stress Conditions*

Abstract Various concentrations of NaCl (0, 500, 1000, and 2000 mg/L) were applied to plants of the “Camarosa” and “Tioga” strawberry varieties for 10 weeks. At the end of the experiment, it was determined that the leaf dry weight increased especially at 500 and 1000 mg/L NaCl treatments when compared to control treatment. However, salt applications did not change total chlorophyll content. With the salt applications, iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) content increased, while copper (Cu) content did not change in the aerial part of plants in both varieties. On the other hand, zinc (Zn) content increased in the “Tioga” strawberry variety. In the root part of plants, Fe, Zn, Mn and contents did not change according to salt applications in both strawberry varieties. However, 2000 mg/L NaCl of salt applications increased Cu content in the “Camarosa” strawberry variety significantly. *This study is part of the Ph.D. thesis project supported by Uludag University Research Foundation as project no. 2000/24.

Cold-hardiness of olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivars in cold-acclimated and non-acclimated stages: seasonal alteration of antioxidative enzymes and dehydrin-like proteins.

SUMMARY Seasonal patterns of antioxidative enzymes and proteins and their relations to cold-hardiness of nine olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivars (Ascolona, Domat, Gemlik, Hojoblanca, Lecquest, Manzanilla, Meski, Samanli and Uslu) are documented in the current study. Fully expanded, uniformly sized leaves from 2-year-old shoots of the cultivars were collected from 20-year-old trees in cold-acclimated (CA, in January) and non-acclimated (NA, in July) stages. Leaf samples were exposed to low temperature at 4, x5, x10 and x20 xC for 12 h to determine their cold-hardiness (LT50; assessed by electrolyte leakage). Cold-acclimation produced an increase in freezing tolerance of all cultivars (by lowering LT50). Domat and Lecquest were found to have the highest cold-hardiness among the nine cultivars investigated. Ascolona, Gemlik, Hojoblanca had moderate cold-hardiness, while Samanli, Meski, Uslu and Manzanilla were more sensitive. Activities of catalase (CAT : EC 1 . 11 . 1 . 6), ascorbate peroxidase (APX : EC 1 . 11 . 1 . 11) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase significantly varied depending on the cold-acclimation stage and the cold-hardiness level of the cultivars. Activities of the three antioxidative enzymes and total soluble proteins (TSP) were higher in the CA stage than in the NA stage. Although no accumulation of major polypeptides, except a 23 kDa protein, was detected either in CA samples or NA samples by SDS-PAGE, anti-dehydrin immunoblots revealed that the 43 and 23 kDa polypeptides were detectable during cold-acclimation of olive cultivars. Accumulation of both 43 and 23 kDa dehydrin was significantly higher in the CA stage than in the NA stage in all cultivars. Accumulation of 43 kDa dehydrin was correlated with cold-hardiness of the cultivars, while 23 kDa dehydrin was considered as cultivar-dependent since its accumulation was not parallel to LT50 values of the cultivars. Indeed, the tissues of cvs Domat, Lecquest, Ascolona, Hojoblanca and Gemlik were found to enhance the structural stability of cellular membranes in the CA stage by increasing both the activity of such enzymes as CAT, APX and NADPH oxidase to activate the antioxidative systems and the expression of 43 kDa dehydrins.

Effects of Sodium Chloride Applications and Different Growth Media on Ionic Composition in Strawberry Plant

Abstract The effects of salt (NaCl) applications of various concentrations (0, 500, 1000, and 2000 mg/L) for 10 weeks (69 days) on the morphologic properties and ionic composition of the “Camarosa” strawberry variety grown in perlite and perlite : zeolite (1:1) media were investigated. Injuries of varying severity appeared in the plants depending on the increase of NaCl concentration. At the end of the salt applications, in the aerial part of the plants, the amounts of sodium (Na), chlorine (Cl), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) had generally increased, while the amount of potassium (K) and phosphorus (P) had decreased. In the roots of the plants, salt applications increased the amount of Na and Cl and decreased the amount of K and Mg; however, they did not change the amount of Ca and P. In addition, in the aerial parts of the plant, the amounts of Ca and Mg were higher in the perlite : zeolite (1:1) medium than in the perlite medium generally. It was observed that in the roots, the amount of K was higher in the perlite medium, whereas the amount of Mg was higher in the perlite : zeolite (1:1) medium. It was determined that 500, 1000, and 2000 mg/L NaCl levels caused osmotic effects in the “Camarosa” strawberry variety. Moreover, they possess the ability to bring about osmotic regulation. #This study is part of the Ph.D. thesis project supported by Uludag University Research Foundation as project no. 2000/24.

Some physiological changes in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa ‘Camarosa’) plants under heat stress

Summary The effects of heat injury induced by long exposures were evaluated in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa ‘plants’) Camarosa in this study. Seedlings were grown in 14 × 12 cm pots using perlite for three weeks at 25/10°C day/night temperature, and watered daily by modified 1/3 Hoagland nutrient solution. Half of the plants were transferred to a growth chamber with a constant 25°C, 16/8 h (light/dark) photoperiod regime and 1200 lux light intensity for a week to acclimate the plants. Temperature was increased stepwise (5 K per 48 h) to 30, 35, 40°C and finally to 45°C. In addition to others, plants were transferred from the outside to the growth chamber, at each temperature step to impose a heat shock. Leaf relative water content (RWC, %), loss of turgidity, chlorophyll content (Spad value) and heat-stress tolerance (HTS; LT50) were measured in control and stressed plants. Total soluble proteins and total DNA were extracted from the leaves following the above treatments using standard procedures and total protein contents were determined using a Bradford assay. In general, effects of gradual heat stress (GHS) and shock heat stress (SHS) on the variables studied were mostly significant, except for chlorophyll content, while the effect of temperatures was significant for all the variables. Interaction between the heat stress type and temperature treatments was not significant for leaf RWC, loss of turgidity and chlorophyll content. Data also indicated that total protein and DNA contents were changed significantly by heat stress types (GHS and SHS) and/or temperature treatments. The plants exposed to GHS exhibited a significant increase in HST compared with the plants exposed to SHS (LT50 of 41.5°C and 39°C, respectively). Consequently, gradual heat stress increased HST in strawberry leaves. Increased HST may be associated with the accumulation of several heat-stable proteins in GHS plants.

Annual patterns of total soluble sugars and proteins related to coldhardiness in olive (Olea europaea L.‘Gemlik’)

Summary Annual patterns of cold hardiness, total soluble sugars (TSS) and proteins (TSP) were characterised during two consecutive years (May 2003–April 2005) in leaf and bark tissues of olive (Olea europaea L.) ‘Gemlik’ trees. One-year-old shoots from 13-year-old olive trees were collected each month and exposed to low temperature at 4°C, –5°C, –10°C, or –20°C for 12 h to determine their cold-hardiness (LT50; assessed by electrolyte leakage). A considerable increase in cold-hardiness was observed with decreasing temperature. Leaf and bark tissues exhibited an increase in cold-hardiness during the Autumn, which reached a maximum in mid-Winter, then gradually decreased during the Spring, and reached a minimum in mid-Summer. Results indicated that leaf and bark tissues in both experimental years responded similarly to cold, with a continuous increase in their TSS and TSP contents during field adaptation in Autumn and Winter, which paralleled their cold-hardiness. The annual cycle of TSP from leaf and bark tissue was characterised by one dimensional SDS-PAGE. A seasonal fluctuation was observed in leaf proteins of 66 kDa and 43 kDa, and in bark proteins of 70 kDa, 43 kDa and 16 kDa, which paralleled cold-acclimation. Evaluation of these leaf and bark TSP profiles showed that these polypeptides disappeared in the Summer, followed by their accumulation again during the Autumn and Winter. Moreover, all these polypeptides became less visible during the Spring. The relationships between these five proteins, TSS contents, and cold-hardiness in olive are discussed.

Changes in peroxidase activities and soluble proteins in strawberry varieties under salt-stress

Effects of salt stress on the activity of peroxidase (PRX) isozyme and leaf proteins were studied in the three strawberry varieties, Camarosa, Tioga and Chandler. Plants were watered with modified 1/3 Hoagland nutrient solution containing 0 (control), 8.5, 17.0 and 34.0 mM NaCl for 30 days fallowing 20 days acclimation. PRX activity was assayed in leaf extracts and PRX profiles of control and salt treated plants were performed by native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). During the salt stress Tioga and Camarosa tolerated the cellular damage with less electrolyte leakage while Chandler exhibited a severe cellular damage with the highest (87.5 % in 34.0 mM NaCl treatment) electrolyte leakage. Total soluble protein content was decreased by salinity in Tioga (from 11.35 to 5.86 mg g−1 DW) and Chandler (from 9.35 to 3.90 mg g−1 DW) while it was almost unchanged in Camarosa. Salt stress increased total and specific PRX activity as compared with the control in all the varieties. In native PAGE, one basic isoperoxidase band (Rf=0.27) was observed commonly with different band intensity in all the treatments. Therefore, it might be associated with lignification and recovery of cell membrane damage in strawberry plants under salt stress.

The activities of catalase and ascorbate peroxidase in olive (Olea europaea L. cv. Gemlik) under low temperature stress

In this study, one-year-old shoots of the olive (Olea europaea L.) cv. Gemlik were tested at artificial low temperatures (4, −5°C, −10°C, and −20°C) every month for two years. For low temperature treatment, the degree of cell membrane injury in leaves and barks was determined by ion leakage method. In addition, with regard to antioxidative defense mechanism, activities of catalase (CAT, EC 1.11.1.6) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX, EC 1.11.1.11) enzymes were determined. Leaf and bark tissues subjected to 4°C and −5°C injured to a limited extent in all months. However, more than 50% injury occurred by temperatures equal to or colder than −10°C treatments depending on the season. For −10°C and −20°C treatments, the lowest and the highest injury in leaf and bark tissues were detected during winter and summer seasons, respectively. We determined in this study that CAT and APX enzyme activities are generally higher during fall and winter compared with those in summer. On the other hand, CAT and APX enzyme activities started increasing during fall along with a decreasing freezing injury while the activities of these enzymes decreased to some extent during winter when freezing injury was the lowest. In addition, while CAT activity decreased with low temperature treatments, APX activity did not change until −5°C treatment but decreased with decreasing temperatures starting from −10°C depending on the month the tissue was obtained. In conclusion, olive plant shows considerable tolerance to low temperatures that are achieved after daily gradual decreases by increasing cell membrane stability through complicated mechanisms including antioxidative enzyme metabolisms. In addition, APX may be more effective in maintaining cold-hardiness of olive compared with CAT.

Determination of self-incompatibility groups of sweet cherry genotypes from Turkey.

Determination of S-allele combinations of sweet cherry genotypes and cultivars has importance for both growers and breeders. We determined S-allele combinations of 40 local Turkish sweet cherry genotypes using a PCR-based method. Ten different S-alleles were detected. Although the most common S-allele was S3, as also found in Western genotypes and cultivars, there were some differences in the frequencies of some S-alleles between Turkish and Western sweet cherry genotypes. According to their S-allele compositions, 30 local Turkish sweet cherry genotypes were assigned to 10 previously identified incompatibility groups. For the remaining genotypes, whose S-allele combinations did not fit to any previous incompatibility groups, three more incompatibility groups, XLII, XLIII and XLIV, were proposed. Results obtained from this study will help both sweet cherry growers and breeders to better manage these local Turkish sweet cherry genotypes in their orchards.

Assessment of genetic relationships among 29 introduced and 49 local sweet cherry accessions in Turkey using AFLP and SSR markers.

Summary The characterisation of sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) genetic resources in Turkey may help to increase their use in breeding programmes worldwide, as Turkey is the centre of origin of sweet cherry. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were therefore used to analyse genetic diversity among a total of 78 local and introduced sweet cherry cultivars. Four AFLP primer combinations, and six SSR primer pairs for sweet cherry were used for genetic diversity analysis. A genetic similarity matrix was calculated using the combined data from AFLP and SSR analyses with simple matching coefficient. Genetic similarities among the sweet cherry genotypes studied were higher than 42%. No two accessions had an identical AFLP and SSR marker profile, indicating that all 78 genotypes were unique. An UPGMA dendrogram, based on the similarity matrix, revealed 18 separate Groups at or above the 70% similarity level. While some Groups consisted of both introduced and local genotypes, other Groups had only local genotypes. This result suggests that there was broad genetic diversity among the local Turkish sweet cherry genotypes, which was not present in the introduced sweet cherry accessions. The genetic variation present in local Turkish sweet cherry genotypes may be useful for future breeding programmes. We found that the use of both SSR and AFLP marker systems was effective for distinguishing between genetically-close sweet cherry genotypes. These marker systems can be used to complement pomological and morphological markers during the characterisation and identification of sweet cherry genotypes.