Unique features

Fruit has its unique features because of variability on their skin and pulp colour, shape as well as smell and aroma. All these factors influence their nutritional quality thus beneficial for good diet and healthy consumption

Hormonal regulation of mango fruit ripening

Mango fruit ripen quickly. It is highly perishable. Short shelf life of mango fruit limits its transportation to distant domestic and international markets. The objective of my research was to elucidate the role of changes in endogenous levels of brassinosteroids (BRs), ethylene, abscisic acid (ABA) and/or indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in modulating the ripening processes of 'Kensington Pride' mango fruit. The endogenous levels of these regulators were regulated using inhibitors of their biosynthesis and/or action to unfold their mechanism in delaying/hastening mango fruit ripening, extending storage life and improving fruit quality as well as to underpin the mode of action of ABA and NO in modulating ethylene biosynthesis and activities of fruit softening enzymes in the pulp during ripening and/or alleviating chilling injury (CI) during cool storage.Higher endogenous level of ABA at the climacteric-rise stage triggered the climacteric peak of ethylene production coupled with a significant quadratic relationship between both of them; suggest that ABA play a key role in modulating mango fruit ripening. The exogenous application of ABA (1.0 - 2.0 mM) promoted skin colour development and fruit softening during ripening, and the trend was reversed with its inhibitor of biosynthesis - nordihydroguaiaretic acid (0.1 - 0.2 mM NDGA). The endogenous level of IAA was higher at the initial stage of ripening and decline over ripening period. The exogenous application of 45 - 60 ng g-1 FW Epi- BL increased the climacteric peak of ethylene and respiration, promoted skin colour, but the changes in the endogenous level of BRs (castasterone and brassinolide) are unlikely to modulate mango fruit ripening as it is present in a trace amounts in mango pulp tissues throughout the ripening period.Exogenous postharvest application of ABA (1.0 mM) increased the climacteric peak of ethylene production through promoting the activities of 1- aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase (ACS), ACC oxidase (ACO) enzymes, and ACC content, decreased the fruit firmness with increased exopolygalacturonase (exo-PG), endo-PG and endo-1,4-_-D-glucanase (EGase) activities, decreased pectinesterase (PE) activity in the pulp, higher total sugars and sucrose, advanced degradation of total organic acids, citric and fumaric acid. The application of 0.2 mM NDGA showed reverse trends for these ripening indicator parameters.NO fumigation (20 μL L-1 or 40 μL L-1) was more effective in delaying fruit ripening when applied at the pre-climacteric (PC) stage, than at the climacteric-rise (CR) stage. NO (20 μL L-1) fumigation delayed and suppressed the endogenous ethylene production, activities of ACS and ACO enzymes, and ACC content, rate of respiration, higher pulp rheological properties (firmness, springiness, cohesiveness, chewiness, adhesiveness, and stiffness) with lower activities of exo-, endo-PG, EGase, but maintained higher PE activity in pulp tissues during ripening at 21°C and cool storage (13°C). NO treatments (20 and 40 μL L-1) significantly alleviated CI index during ripening at ambient temperature following 2- or 4-week of cold-stored (5°C) period. All NO fumigation treatments significantly suppressed ethylene production and respiration rates irrespective of cold storage period. NO–fumigated with above 5 μL L-1 significantly delayed fruit softening up to 2 days and retarded colour development, reduced total sugar and fructose concentrations, increased tartaric and shikimic acid at fully ripe stage during ripening period irrespective of cold-stored fruit.In conclusion, the higher levels of endogenous IAA in fruit pulp during the PC stage and the accumulation of ABA prior to the climacteric stage might switch on ethylene production that triggers fruit ripening. There is a significant quadratic relationship between endogenous level of ABA in the pulp and ethylene production during fruit ripening period. Exogenous Epi-BL promoted fruit ripening, whilst, the changes in endogenous levels of BRs are unlikely to modulate mango fruit ripening. Moreover, the exogenous application of ABA (1.0 mM) promoted the activities of ethylene biosynthesis enzymes (ACS and ACO) and ACC content and ethylene biosynthesis as well as endo-PG activity in the pulp, whilst, the NDGA-treated fruit showed the reverse trends. The application of NO fumigation (20 L L-1) at PC stage can be effectively used to delay the fruit ripening up to 2 days at ambient temperature (21°C) and cool-storage (13°C) through suppression the activity of ethylene biosynthesis and softening enzymes and alleviate CI following 2- and 4-week cold storage (5°C) without any adverse effects on fruit quality

Utilization of organic fertilisers a potential approaches for agronomic crops: A review

Organic fertilisers are of biological origin and the amount of nutrients they produce varies greatly. Besides providing the essential macro and micro nutrients, they also provide an array of plant growth-promoting substances. Organic agronomy is a relatively recent technique of farming in developed countries. While several studies were conducted on the impact of organic fertilisers on soil properties and crop production, further research is needed to determine comparative results between organic fertilisers. This paper aims to review some of the influences and impacts of poultry manure, cow dung, goat manure, vermicomposter and seaweed extracts. Much-needed characteristics of numerous crops were enhanced with the appropriate application of these organic fertilisers. Organic fertilizer applications influences the increase of plant heights, vegetative growth, yields and yield attributes. The application of adequate fertilisers also influences the qualitative parameters and post-harvest traits of most crops. Selecting the best organic fertilisers at an optimal application rate that could be the best source of nutrient supplement in cultivating qualitative crops, is a gap that needs to bridge. Therefore, different application rates of the above organic fertilisers were also studied

Isolation and characterization of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and their effects on growth of strawberry (Fragaria ananassa Duch)

The interaction between plant and microbes can contribute towards plant health and productivity. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are the bacteria that can enhance plant growth performance and production. PGPR were isolated from the rhizosphere of strawberry plants and the beneficial properties were identified. Effects of bacterial isolates on strawberry plant also being observed. Eighty isolates were isolated from three different strawberry cultivars. Seven isolates were positive for the N2-fixation. Eleven and twenty isolates showed solubilizing activity for potassium and phosphate, respectively. Phosphate solubilization efficiency ranged from 30.0 to 42.3%. Three isolates showed positive results for cellulase enzyme production. Meanwhile, the phytohormone (IAA) production of the isolates ranged from 2.001 to 42.414 μg/ml. Plants applied with bacterial isolates, namely STUPM01 (Microbacterium oxydans), STUPM12 (Bacillus cereus), STUPM20 (Leclercia adecarboxylata) and STUPM25 (Pseudomonas umsongensis) showed root and shoot growth enhancement compared to control. STUPM01 showed better performance compared to other isolates

Energy and climate analysis of greenhouse system for tomatoes cultivation using CFD and open studio energy plus software

Tomato plants are sensitive toward climate changes thus affecting growth development and pollination of the plant. This study was conducted to assess energy performance and environment in greenhouse agriculture to support tomatoes cultivation using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and OpenStudio EnergyPlus software. To achieve efficient energy performance and to balance it with the environment in tomato greenhouse, architectural and engineering design have been integrated in the study. Analyses on indoor environment and energy consumption of the greenhouse are carried out by installing various electrical equipment such as exhaust fans and humidifier in the greenhouse to meet indoor environment requirement of good tomato cultivation. Three properties of the greenhouse were monitored and these are temperature, relative humidity and energy consumption. Results show that the proposed greenhouse model in this study could meet the required temperature and relative humidity for good tomatoes cultivation

The interactive effects of fertilizer and water stress on plant growth, leaf gas exchange and nutrient uptake on strawberry Fragaria x ananassa, Duch

Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch) has a large number of nutrients, which are useful for human health. In Indonesia, water stress is one of the climate changes that affect the growth and quality of strawberry. Therefore, fast recovery can be crucial to adjusting crops to water stress. Additional fertilizers can alleviate the negative impact of water stress. The experiment was carried out to determine the best fertilizer sources for the growth, leaf gas exchange, and nutrient uptake of strawberry under water-stressed conditions in April 2019–August 2019. The experiment was arranged in a factorial randomized completely block design (RCBD) with three replications and four fertilizer sources (P1 = without fertilizer, P2 = 92:90:90 kg/ha Nitrogen:Phosphorus:Potassium (NPK) fertilizer, P3 = 20 kg/ha goat dung fertilizer, P4 = 46:45:45 kg/ha NPK fertilizer + 10 kg/ha goat dung fertilizer) and water stress levels (W1 = daily irrigation 100% field capacity (FC); W2 = 2 days irrigation interval (Ⅱ) 75% FC; W3 = 6 Ⅱ 75% FC). It was observed that the interaction of different water stress and fertilizer sources had a significant effect on all parameters except in the total sugar of strawberry fruits. The results indicate that plant growth, leaf gas exchange and nutrient uptake decreased under water stress conditions whereas total proline, total sugar, and water use efficiency (WUE) enhanced. The maximum value of plant height, leaves number, shoot-root fresh weight, shoot-root dry weight, photosynthesis rate, chlorophyll content, nitrogen content and phosphorus content were obtained from the application of 46:45:45 kg/ha NPK fertilizer + 10 kg/ha goat dung fertilizer at 2 days Ⅱ 75% FC. Application of NPK and goat dung fertilizers increased the growth and leaf gas exchange under water stress conditions. Plants that were not fertilized had the lowest growth compared to those with fertilizers

Temperature based control of ventilation system for optimum climate in tomato greenhouse

Tomato has been grown successfully in highlands of Malaysia. However, the production does not meet the demand in the large market due to problem related to climate change and lack of smart control mechanism for the tomato crop to grow healthily in the micro climate. Tomato requires optimum temperature to ensure a good quality fruit production especially under greenhouse system environment. This paper presents an optimum control mechanism for ventilation system in a greenhouse to minimize the energy consumption and meet the temperature requirement for lowland tomato. The control mechanism is tested on a tomato greenhouse system located in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang. The ventilation system in the greenhouse comprises of six exhaust fans and two axial fans. Results show that the proposed control mechanism on the ventilation system is able to maintain the desired temperature for lowland tomato at lower energy consumption. With the automatic control of the ventilation system, an average of 65.8% of energy consumption was saved from the greenhouse as compared to baseline energy without the control system

Effect of aqueous neem leaf extracts in controlling Fusarium Wilt, soil physicochemical properties and growth performance of banana (Musa spp.)

Neem leaf extracts (NLEs) have frequently been used to inhibit plant diseases and for the development of bio-fertilizer, leading to the commercial exploitation of this tree. However, previous studies have indicated contradictory outcomes when NLE was used as an antifungal disease treatment and bio-fertilizer applied through the soil on several crops, including banana. Therefore, the present investigation was undertaken to examine the physicochemical properties of soil, the growth performance of crops, and the severity of diseases caused by Fusarium oxysporum (Foc) on Cavendish bananas treated with aqueous NLE. Banana plants associated with the fungus were significantly affected by high disease severity and symptoms index (external leaves and internal rhizome), a high infection percentage of Fusarium wilt (%), dropping off of leaves as well as rotting of the root. Meanwhile, it was observed that the application of extract significantly improved the crop height, stem diameter, root size and distribution (root surface area, root diameter, and root volume), root–shoot ratio, as well as the soil physicochemical properties (CEC, N, p, K, Ca, and Mg), which enhanced resistance to Fusarium wilt diseases. We conclude that the application of NLE solution promotes better growth of Cavendish banana plants, soil physicochemical properties, and resistance to Fusarium wilt infection

Physical, chemical and microbiological properties of different combination of soilless media and their effect on the vegetative component and nutrient content of hempedu bumi (Andrographis paniculata)

Soilless media (SM) is a common worldwide growing method for industrial horticultural production. It is a good growing medium that relies on the properties that benefit plant growth i.e. physical property, chemical properties and microbial activity. There are several SM with good characteristics such as empty fruit bunch compost (EFBC), coconut coir dust (CCD) and peat. EFBC is one of the organic residues of oil palm that provide beneficial microorganisms a good source of bacteria-rich, high nutrient content. The composting process reduces the pH of EFB by 6.86-7.20 to 4.5-6.0. CCD is recommended as a substitute for other media because of it is excellent for holding water and drainage and has high air porosity due to its large surface area. Microbiologically, CCD is the absence of weeds and pathogens and has anti-fungal properties that prevent soil-borne diseases. It also maintains greater oxygen levels and is reusable after sanitisation. Despite the ideal characteristics of CCD, there are some chemical limitations of this medium, including low pH and low potassium content. Peat has good aeration characteristics that are good for root growth. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the best medium combinations for growth performance and nutrient content of hempedu bumi (Andrographis paniculata). Three types of SM with five different combinationa were used as growing media for the plant; they included C1=CCD (1: -) as control; C2=EFBC + CCD (7:3); C3=EFBC + CCD (3:7); C4=CCD + Peat (7:3) and C5=CCD + Peat (3:7). Prior to the experiment, the physical, chemical and microbiological properties of the media were determined. The experiment was conducted in RCBD with five replications. In this experiment, the parameters of vegetative components (plant height, number of leaves and total leaf area), dry matter yield and partitioning [root, shoot dry weight and root to shoot ratio (R:S)] and the macronutrient nitrogen [(N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg)] of hempedu bumi were determined. C3 showed the highest vegetative component [plant height (39.5 cm), number of leaves (72.7 leaf plant-1), total leaf area (79.8 cm2) and shoot dry weight (3.03 g)] of hempedu bumi. The highest macronutrient content (1.17% N, 0.07% P, 2.45% K, 2.77% Ca and 0.58% Mg) was in the leaf tissues of hempedu bumi when grown in the C3 media. In conclusion, a combination of EFBC+CCD (3:7) is recommended as a suitable growing medium for hempedu bumi due to the greater vegetative components well as the higher macronutrient content it yielded in the leaf tissues of the plant

Ficus carica L

Ficus carica L. or fig is the oldest fruit tree that being cultivated by man. Grouped under genus Ficus, this species is grown widely in Mediterranean region and now being cultivated in an area with temperate or sub-temperate climate. Fig planting in Malaysia is still new, which was brought by a man as a hobby at first. Fig is a unique fruit tree as some variety can produce fruits without pollination. Contain lots of carbohydrates, essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals such potassium, fibre, calcium, iron compared to other fruits, fig have become an important source of diet to people especially in Mediterranean region since ancient time