Introduction. Bananas are harvestedat the green preclimacteric stage prior to sale. The time betweenharvest and the initiation of the natural ripening process is calledgreen life. Black Leaf Streak Disease and Sigatoka Disease are themain foliar diseases affecting banana production. Sigatoka Disease (SD)is due to Mycosphaerella musicola, which frequently causesearly ripening in commercial banana plantations, considered as animportant source of damage. Our work aimed at determining the effectivenessof the removal of necrotic leaves, one month before harvest, onrecovering banana quality arising from SD-infested plants. Materialsand methods. Banana plants (totaling 80) at the floweringstage were selected in an experimental plot. These plants were dividedinto two groups of SD infestation levels: level 1 (Severity Indexat flowering < 10%) and level 2 (Severity Index at flowering > 25%).We divided each group into two treatments: a treatment with no necroticleaf removal and a treatment with necrotic leaf removal. Fruitswere harvested at the same physiological age, at 900 degree-days. Fruitquality was characterized by weight, diameter, % of ripe fruit inthe field and fruit green life. Results. Our resultsshowed that the removal of necrotic leaves causes a reduction insize parameters but leads to a strong reduction in SD effects onthe fruit maturity, thereby preventing premature ripening. Bananaplants whose necrotic leaves were removed produced fruit with a verylong green life. Discussion. Removal of necrotic leaves allowsthwarting the negative effect of SD on fruit physiology. This showsthat the presence of necrosis during the last month of fruit growth isresponsible for this fruit physiological modification characterizedby early ripening. Conclusion. Removal of necroticleaves one month before the date of harvest may be a technique thatcan limit production losses when the infestation level by SD ishigh.

Introduction. Mango productivityis low in seasonally wet-dry tropical areas where breeding programsrequire information on factors affecting productivity of mango cultivars.Specifically, our study tested a novel hypothesis that, among Australian-and Florida-bred cultivars, the greater growth of vegetatively vigorouscultivars would contribute to lower levels of fruit production in comparisonwith less vegetatively vigorous cultivars, in a wet-dry tropical environment. Materials and methods. A field experiment was conductedon trees of the cultivars ‘Kensington Pride’ and ‘Strawberry’, both polyembryoniccultivars, and ‘Haden’, ‘Irwin’ and ‘Tommy Atkins’, all monoembryoniccultivars. Results. Shoot growth was recorded overtwo years; in both years the polyembryonic cultivars produced morenew shoot length than the monoembryonic cultivars; ‘Irwin’ was theleast vigorous cultivar in both years. Across cultivars, there wasa negative relationship between normalised (by flowering intensity andcanopy area) fruit number or yield and vegetative vigour as representedby new shoot length. Conclusion. The results supportedthe hypothesis that the greater shoot growth of vegetatively vigorouscultivars contributed to lower levels of fruit production in comparisonwith less vegetatively vigorous cultivars in a tropical environment.This is the first study which demonstrates that the extent of seasonalshoot growth had a fruit production cost for mango.

Introduction. Brazil is a majorproducer of mangoes, but the export volume is still small becauseof the short shelf life of this fruit. The objectives of our workwere to evaluate the effect of modifying the storage atmosphereusing plastic film and temperature, according to different periodsof storage, on the characteristics of Espada mango grown organically. Material and methods. Seven treatments were appliedto the fruits after their harvest: fruits stored at room temperature;at 12 °C / 80–90% relative humidity (RH); washed and stored at roomtemperature; washed and stored at 12 °C / 80–90% RH; washed, packedin PVC and stored at room temperature; washed, packaged in PVC andstored at 12 °C / 80–90% RH; and fruits harvested on the same dayof evaluations, at (5, 9, 13, 16 and 21) days of storage. Resultsand discussion. Storage at 12 °C and 80–90% RH was more efficientin delaying fruit ripening, with minor evolution of peel and pulpcolor and soluble solids contents; this treatment also delayed thedevelopment of anthracnose. Fruits packed in PVC and stored at roomtemperature kept the peel and pulp color for 13 days, compared with9 days for non-packaged fruits. The ideal time to harvest the Espadavariety occurs at 165 days after the onset of flowering, with an indexof “3” for skin color (equal amounts of green and yellow) and pulp color(yellow pulp), and soluble solids of 8.5 °Brix. The low severityof anthracnose found at different evaluation times indicates theprobable tolerance of the Espada variety to the pathogen.

Introduction. The cultivationof high-value fruit species is a profitable agricultural activityin many tropical countries; however, intensive fruit cultivationmay depend on high amounts of external inputs. The objective ofour study was to quantify and compare the resource use during thecultivation of eight tropical fruit species (Rubus glaucus, Solanum quitoense, Passiflora edulis, Cyphomandra betacea, Physalis peruviana, Ananas comosus, Persea americana and Mangifera indica) commonly cultivated in Colombia.It further aimed to identify greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in theselected production systems and to highlight the potential to contributeto climate change mitigation efforts. Materials and methods. Theanalysis was based on data from agricultural databases and applieda life-cycle assessment with energy use and GHG emissions as impact categories.Furthermore, economic indicators were taken into account with theaim of integrating the environmental and economic goals of productionsystems. Results and discussion. Among the eight fruitspecies studied, mango (Mangifera indica) was foundto have the lowest and tree tomato (Cyphomandra betacea)the highest emission profile. The variability in resource use amonggrowers of the same species was high, indicating the need to improve managementabilities at the farm level. Mineral fertilizer production was the highestcontributor to GHG emissions. GHG- and energy-efficient managementalternatives would have a high potential to reduce the carbon footprint offruit cultivation.

Introduction. The aim of ourstudy was to analyze the effect of various levels of light availabilityin the fruit microenvironment (induced by summer pruning) on somefruit quality traits. Materials and methods. Two levelsof summer pruning were set: removal of either 30% or 60% of thecanopy leaf area. These treatments were compared with the control(unpruned vines). Two canopy layers (upper and lower) were identifiedin each treatment and in the control vines. At harvest, yield percane and per shoot was recorded in the two canopy layers; fruitfresh weight, flesh firmness, total soluble solid content and totaltitratable acidity were measured. Fruit Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC)and Total Polyphenols (TPH) were determined at kiwifruit harvestand post-harvest (60 days after storage at 1 °C) in relation totheir position within the canopy (layer) and to the pruning treatmentapplied. Results. Removing 60% of the canopy leaf areainduced higher titratable acidity and flesh firmness of kiwifruitsat harvest; it reduced fruit weight and crop yield, but increasedTAC and TPH compared with kiwifruits of control. Removing 30% leaf areadid not reduce mean fruit weight and crop yield; it increased TACand TPH at harvest by 20%. Post-harvest TAC and TPH evolution didnot differ among treatments. Discussion and conclusion.Pergola-trained kiwifruit vines showed good performances in termsof crop yield and fruit quality when summer pruning reduced the LeafArea Index (LAI) to 3. More intense pruning resulted in a significantincrease in fruit TAC, but reduced fruit weight and crop yield,and delayed softening of pulp.

Introduction. The objectiveof this study was to examine the relationships among the ripeningattributes of ‘Honeycrisp’ apples at harvest and after storage,and the direct and indirect contributions of these attributes topeel greasiness and the incidence of soft scald and soggy breakdownduring storage using correlation and path-coefficient analyses. Materialsand methods. Fruit were harvested from a commercial orchardat least five times throughout the commercial harvest period during foursubsequent years (2008 to 2011). In two of the years, fruit werestored in air for 3 months at 3 °C and/or in a controlled atmosphere(1–2 kPa O2 + 1–2 kPa CO2) for 6 months at 3 °C. Fruit were analyzedat harvest and after storage. Results and discussion.Negative correlations were detected between internal ethylene concentration(IEC) and soluble solids concentration (SSC) or titratable acidity(TA) (the higher the IEC, the lower the SSC and TA) and a positivecorrelation between firmness and TA (the higher the firmness, thehigher the TA). More peel greasiness and higher incidence of soggybreakdown during storage were associated with lower firmness, SSCand TA. Negative correlations were also detected between the incidence ofsoft scald and IEC or peel greasiness. The results of the path-coefficientanalyses suggest that, in ‘Honeycrisp’, interrelationships amongpostharvest ripening indices and each individual disorder differ. Threepossible path models for the interrelationships among ripening attributes (independent variables)and the incidence of peel greasiness, soft scald and soggy breakdown(dependent variables) are presented.

Introduction. Mulberry is themost medicinally important plant of the genus Morus.The mulberry fruit is used for many medical purposes. The speciesorigin and adaptation, plant description, foliage, flowers and fruit,location, soil, and pests and diseases are summarized. Compositionof mulberry. The studies from different countries show thatthe mulberry plant is rich in phenolic compounds, macro-elements(K, Ca, Mg, Na) and micro-elements (Fe, Zn, Ni). Phenolic compoundsare found in all parts of the mulberry plant. Uses.Mulberry fruit can be used for making jam, jelly, pulp, fruit drinks,fruit sauce and cake. Mulberry fruits are rich in anthocyanins andshould be exploited for the industrial production of natural colorto be used in the food industry. Conclusion. The mulberryplant is of significant biological importance for its antioxidantand antimicrobial properties. Our study suggested the use of mulberryas a potential health food, or important antioxidant carrier inthe food and pharmaceutical industries.