Genetic assessment of the pomological classification of plum Prunus domestica L. accessions sampled across Europe

The genotyping of European fruit tree collections has helped to identify synonyms, determine parentage, reveal key specimens in the collections and provide information on the development of modern cultivars from one or several progenitors. However, studies on European plum Prunus domestica have been lagging behind, mainly because of the hexaploid chromosome number. In this co-operative study, 104 accessions conserved by 14 partners across Europe were phenotyped for 20 descriptors, and genotyped for 8 SSR loci together with 8 reference cultivars. Based on the descriptors as well as additional information supplied by the partners, as well as the scientific and horticultural literature, each accession was assigned to one of six pomological groups; (1) egg plums sensu lato (E), (2) prunes of the French d’Agen type (P/A), (3) prunes of the Central-Southeast European Zwetschen type (P/Z), (4) greengages (G), (5) mirabelles (M) and (6) bullaces, damsons and var. pomariorum (D/B). A MANOVA conducted on descriptor data revealed significant differentiation among the pomological groups as well as a geographic impact on the differentiation of local plum accessions in Europe. SSR data showed that two trios and seven pairs of genotypes had very similar allele profiles and possibly are genetically identical in spite of different accession names. An AMOVA indicated sparse genetic differentiation when accessions were grouped according to geographic origin whereas significant differences were obtained among pomological groups. A Bayesian analysis of genetic structure, as well as a discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC), further revealed levels of similarity among and within the different pomological groups, suggesting that egg plums sensu lato (E) and greengages (G) can be referred to subsp. domestica while damsons and bullaces (D/B) but also Central-Southeast European prunes (P/Z) show more affinity to subsp. insititia. The small and possibly heterogeneous groups with mirabelles (M) and prunes of the d’Agen type (P/A) take an intermediate position suggesting a hybridogenic origin

Early performance of four sweet cherry cultivars grafted on Gisela 5 and Colt rootstocks in a high density growing system

Growing the sweet cherry on different vigor rootstocks, such as Colt and Gisela 5, in a high-density orchard, causes differences in growth and productivity and later imposes the need to change the growing system including pruning, flower and fruit thinning, irrigation and fertilization. In the present research, four sweet cherry cultivars (Summit, Kordia, Lapins and Regina) grafted on Colt and Gisela 5 rootstocks were assessed for morphological traits and productivity. The parameters investigated were: vegetative growth, bearing potential, fruit set, precocity, productivity, fruit growth habit and quality attributes. Compared to Colt, the trees on Gisela 5 had smaller TCSA and the length of two-year-old branches, in the fifth season after planting. Trees on Gisela 5 had a higher number of flower buds per may bouquet compared to Colt, which confirms that bearing potential is highly affected by the rootstock. Growing the sweet cherries on Gisela 5 induced a higher fruit setting in all cultivars except in Kordia. Fruit physical attributes were affected by the cultivar, growing system and experimental year. For all tested cultivars, the yield per tree was significantly lower on Colt compared to Gisela 5. Gisela 5 performed better than Colt, which suggests that Gisela 5 should be used as a rootstock in high density sweet cherry production systems

Application of different techniques on stone fruit (Prunus spp.) drying and assessment of physical, chemical and biological properties: Characterization of dried fruit properties

Drying of stone fruit with different techniques and characterization of physical, chemical and biological properties of convective dried, vacuum dried and lyophilised stone fruit, as well as analysing and structuring the data sets by principal component analysis (PCA) were obtained in this paper. Drying technique significantly influenced the shear force, hardness, springiness and cohesiveness of dried apricot NS4 (Novi Sad 4) samples (p <.05); the total phenolic, flavonoid and monomeric anthocyanin content of dried sour cherry Feketicka, sweet cherry Lapins, sweet cherry Sweet Heart and plum Toptase samples and also the antioxidant capacity of dried sour cherry Feketicka, plum Anna Spath and peach Lela samples. The most noticeable differentiations of the stone fruit groups of samples dried with convective and vacuum drying and lyophilisation were observed in raw and dried sour cherry Feketicka and Erdi Botermo samples. Practical applications: The results and conclusions obtained in this research have various application in food industry in many aspects. First, part of the fruit varieties investigated in this study were developed at the Faculty of Agriculture and their application in the fruit drying industry has been thoroughly investigated. In addition, application of different drying techniques on different stone fruit species were applied in this research. Finally, the possibilities of preservation the most important quality indicators of dried fruit was observed. The impact of obtained conclusions and results in the field of agricultural and food industry is significant, since they could be applied in the industrial processes

European food quality schemes in everyday food consumption: An exploration of sayings and doings through pragmatic regimes of engagement

While European consumers generally support the principles underpinning Food Quality Schemes (FQS), sales of certified products remain modest. This phenomenon is known as ‘attitude-behaviour gap’ and considerable scholarly and policy efforts have been geared towards ‘filling’ or ‘bridging’ the gap. This study aims at casting new light on this ‘discrepancy’ between consumers’ sayings and doings through a study of everyday food practices connected to FQS. We used a qualitative multi-method research design comprising extensive ethnographic fieldwork data gathered from 41 households across seven European countries, including interviews, walk-along tours, and food diaries, in order to understand consumers’ perceptions of FQS in relation to their everyday food consumption practices. Building on convention theory and Thévenot’s work, we showed that food practices can be understood through different ‘regimes of engagement’, namely different ways of thinking and behaving, following different logics corresponding to varying levels of knowledge and interest. We thus argue that the ‘attitude’ behaviour gap’ should rather be reconceptualised as the co-existence of multiple regimes of engagement, namely a dynamic and always evolving process of adjustment through which consumers understand and engage with FQS in everyday food practices