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Crop Load and Rootstock Influence on Dry Matter Partitioning in Trees of Early and Late Ripening Peach Cultivars

ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. vigor, starch, fruit size, Prunus persica ABSTRACT. Effect of crop load on dry matter partitioning was studied on 3-year-old peach ((Prunus persica (L.) Batsch (Peach Group)) trees of the early ripening 'Early May Crest' (EMC) grafted on 'GF677' and Penta (Prunus domestica L.) rootstock and the late ripening 'Flaminia' grafted on 'GF677' rootstock ((Prunus persica x Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D. A. Webb) and grown outdoors in 230-L containers, for 2 years. Fruit thinning was carried out 10 days after fruit set to produce different crop loads. Trees were sampled destructively throughout two growing seasons and divided into above- ground and root components, for dry matter …

Sull’impiego di inoculi AM in ambito vivaistico

The effect of saline water on Phillyrea angustifolia L. seedlings

Water limitations in the Mediterranean areas are very common and the use of saline water for plant irrigation is becoming a necessity. Salinity generally affects plant growth and physiological processes, and can eventually lead to leaf injuries and plant death. For these reasons, the selection of salt tolerant species is a priority for landscaping purposes in the Mediterranean areas. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of saline water on Phillyrea angustifolia plant performance. Seventy-five rooted cuttings were grown in the greenhouse in 4-liter pots and irrigated for 5 months with saline water at different NaCl concentrations for two consecutive years. In 2010, 45 plant…

Split water application for a water supply reduction in Callistemon Citrinus pot plant

Article Irrigation management in Greenhouse Nursery Production (GNP) is based on empiric methods based on farmer personal experiences with over-irrigation results. The effects of irrigation volume and daily application were studied in a pot experiment carried out on rooted cuttings in a greenhouse The irrigation volume treatment was performed on Full and reduced Treatment. The treatment of water application was carried out with split supply and unsplit supply. The effects of the treatments were evaluated in terms of biomass accumulation and partitioning, leaf area, photosynthesis and stomatal response, chlorophyll content, and water productivity. Callistemon showed a good adaptation to the …

Water Deficit Affects the Growth and Leaf Metabolite Composition of Young Loquat Plants

Water scarcity in the Mediterranean area is very common and understanding responses to drought is important for loquat management and production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of drought on the growth and metabolism of loquat. Ninety two-year-old plants of &lsquo

Comparing different methods to determine soil physical quality in a mediterranean forest and pasture land

Soil physical quality (SPQ) can be assessed by different experimental methodologies and criteria and the optimal/critical values or ranges for SPQ indicators are still approximate. Sampling soils with minimal anthropic pressures should allow improvements in SPQ assessment. Different experimental methodologies and criteria were applied to sample a Mediterranean oak forest (Quercus ilex L.) and pasture land, in Sicily, with a varying degree of anthropic disturbance. Soil water retention was determined in the laboratory and the field, using the BEST (Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer parameters) procedure of soil hydraulic characterization. Capacity-based indicators, the S index, and locatio…

Water retention characteristics of substrates containing biochar and compost as peat and perlite replacements for ornamental plant production

In Italy peat and perlite are commonly used as growth substrates in ornamental plant nurseries. Requests for ecologically sustainable growth substrates have recently focused research on the study of new media. In this context, biochar and compost, by-products of other production chains, may play a relevant role. Four growth substrates were prepared by mixing (v/v) different porous matrices including a 2-mm sieved sandy loam soil namely: 50% peat and 50% perlite (PPr), 50% compost and 50% biochar (CB), 25% peat, 25% perlite, 25% compost and 25% biochar (PPrCB) and 25% peat, 25% compost and 50% mineral soil (PCM). Water retention curves of porous matrices and growth substrates were determined…

GROWTH AND BIOMASS PARTITIONING OF YOUNG LOQUAT PLANTS UNDER WATER DEFICIT

Water scarcity in the Mediterranean areas is very common and understanding responses to drought is important for loquat management and production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of water deficit on growth and biomass partitioning of loquat. Ninety 1-year-old plants of 'Marchetto' loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) grafted on quince were grown in the greenhouse in 12-liter pots and three water regimes were imposed starting on 11 May and until 27 July, 2013. One-third of the plants was irrigated to reintegrate 100% of the water consumed (CTR); a second group of plants was irrigated with 66% of the water consumed by CTR plants (MD); a third group was irrigated with 33%…

Utilizzazione delle risorse energetiche e nutrizionali in piante di arancio a diversa densità di impianto

Evoluzione delle caratteristiche qualitative dei frutti di pesco lungo la filiera

Growth and biomass partitioning of Arbutus unedo, Laurus nobilis, Phillyrea angustifolia and Rhamnus alaternus seedlings under water deficit

Water scarcity in the Mediterranean areas is very common and the selection of drought tolerant species is a priority for landscaping purposes in the Mediterranean areas. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of water deficit on growth and biomass partitioning of Arbutus unedo, Laurus nobilis, Phillyrea angustifolia and Rhamnus alaternus. Seventy-two seedlings per species were grown in the greenhouse in 4-liter pots and three water regimes were imposed starting on 6 April and until 9 June, 2010. One-third of the plants was well irrigated to maintain soil water content in the 25-35% range (CTR); a second group of plants was deficit-irrigated to maintain soil water content in …

Adaptation of the tropical hybrid Euphorbia×lomi Rauh to the exposure to the Mediterranean temperature extremes

Abstract Poysean ( Euphorbia × lomi Rauh) has been introduced in the Mediterranean countries as an ornamental plant for indoor uses. When used outdoor, few information is available about its ability to withstand the Mediterranean temperature extremes. An experiment in an open stand was performed to evaluate poysean tolerance to the winter and summer temperatures of the thermo Mediterranean climate and its ornamental value for urban greening. Two genotypes of poysean (Nguen Muang, NM; and Soi Budsanin, SB) with similar bracts and flower colours were grown at either 2 or 3 plants per pot during 23 months. Number of flower racemes and leaves per plant and plant height were recorded monthly. Ov…

Physiological and Technical Aspects of Cactus Pear [Opuntia ficus-indica(L.) Mill.] Double Rellowering and Out-of-Season Winter Fruit Cropping

Abstract A commercial cactus pear plantation in Sicily, Italy was manipulated to induce late cropping. The spring flush of flowers and cladodes were removed as was the second induced bloom of flowers and cladodes. The third induced bloom was harvested for a late out-of-season crop of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica Mill.). The double removal induced a third flush of flowers and cladodes during late August with a fruit production that ripened the following winter (to March). The number of flowers per fertile cladode was halved after the double removal and the length of the fruit development period increased from 100-120 days to 160-190 days for the out-of-season crop. Polyethylene covering…

Evaluating carbon fluxes in orange orchards in relation to planting density

SUMMARYOrange (Citrus sinensis L.) is one of the main fruit crops worldwide and its evergreen orchards may have a great potential for carbon (C) sequestration, but no data are currently available. In order to understand carbon fluxes in orange orchards, an experiment was undertaken on traditional and intensive planting systems.The experiment used C. sinensis scions grafted onto Citrus aurantium (bitter orange) rootstock. One orchard contained 14-year-old trees of the cv. Tarocco Scirè (a blood orange) grown in a traditional system with 494 trees/ha. The second orchard contained 12-year-old trees of the cv. Newhall (a seedless navel orange) grown in an intensive system with 1000 trees/ha. Ne…

La frutticoltura biologica nella provincia di Palermo

Influence of within-tree and environmental factors on fruit quality of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) in Italy

Introduction . Opuntia ficus-indica fruit quality was studied, in the main sites for cactus pear cultivation in Italy, with the ultimate goal of understanding the main sources of variability and increasing crop value. Materials and methods. A first study was carried out in 2006 on mature Opuntia ficus-indica trees, cvs. Gialla and Rossa, grown in ten commercial orchards located in the main sites for their cultivation in Italy. Trees were managed to produce an out-of-season crop in October, through the removal of the spring flush at bloom time, during the first week of June. Trees had a similar crop [(52 ± 10) kg of fruits·tree–1 ], and no more than six fruits were left on each of the fruiti…

EVALUATION OF SEED GERMINATION AND SEEDLING GROWTH OF SICILIAN AND INTERNATIONAL LOQUAT CULTIVARS

Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica, Lindl) is commonly grafted on seedling rootstocks in Sicilian orchards. Seedling production is characterized by low germination percentage and velocity and slow plant growth. The aim of this study was to evaluate loquat seed germination of Sicilian and international cultivars. Seeds from 11 cultivars (Algerie, Bianco Dolce, BRT20, Claudia, Fiore, Golden Nugget, La Mantia, Magdal, Mercenò, Peluche, Tanaka) were collected from mature fruits in commercial orchards. Part of the seeds received a pretreatment with 1% HCl for 24 h. Germination data were collected at 30 days from sowing. Ninety days after germination, plants were transplanted into 2-L pots. The Sicilian…

Crop load and rootstock influence on dry matter partitioning in trees of early and late ripening peach cultivars

Effect of crop load on dry matter partitioning was studied on 3-year-old peach [(Prunus persica (L.) Batsch (Peach Group)] trees of the early ripening 'Early May Crest' (EMC) grafted on 'GF677' and Penta (Prunus domestica L.) rootstock and the late ripening 'Flaminia' grafted on 'GF677' rootstock [(Prunus persica x Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D. A. Webb] and grown outdoors in 230-L containers, for 2 years. Fruit thinning was carried out 10 days after fruit set to produce different crop loads. Trees were sampled destructively throughout two growing seasons and divided into above-ground and root components, for dry matter and carbohydrate analysis. At the end of the fruit development period, in the…

Seedling growth of a native ( Ampelodesmos mauritanicus ) and an exotic ( Pennisetum setaceum ) grass

Scarce information is available on the biological reasons why a small subset of introduced species can effectively establish within novel ecosystems. A comparison of early growth traits can help to explain the better performance of alien invasive species versus native co-occurring species. In one year-long experiment, we compared the early life stages of Ampelodesmos mauritanicus (Poir.) Dur. & Schinz (Amp), a native perennial Mediterranean grass, and Pennisetum setaceum (Forssk.) Chiov (Penn), an emerging invader grass in sub-arid and Mediterranean-climate areas. The Penn seedlings grew significantly faster and were approximately 2.5 times taller than the Amp seedlings, reaching a fina…

Postharvest Application of Aloe vera Gel-Based Edible Coating to Improve the Quality and Storage Stability of Fresh-Cut Papaya

Ready-to-eat products are damaged by various factors, including exposure to O2 and CO2, extreme temperatures, and rapid decay, due to trauma during processing. The use of natural antimicrobial agents and antioxidants might extend the shelf-life of the fruits. The aim of this work is to investigate the effects of four different antibrowning and gelling agents added into the Aloe vera gel-based edible coatings and applied to fresh-cut papaya. EC1 treatment consists of Aloe vera gel (30% v/v), EC2 contains CaCl2 (5% v/v), EC3 contains K carrageenan (0.5% v/v), and EC4 contains sodium alginate (1.5% v/v) and K carrageenan (0.5% v/v). The fruits treated with EC2 showed the best results while mai…

Germination Pattern of Chamaerops humilis Seed after Short-Time Storage

Dwarf fan palm (Chamaerops humilis) plays an important ecological role in the thermo Mediterranean vegetation stage, both in woodlands, xerophitic shrub communities and degraded ecosystems. Dwarf fan palm is typically propagated from seeds. Whereas other palm species show reduced germination after few months of seed storage, no information is available on the effects of storage time on seed germinability . We examined the germination pattern of dwarf palm seeds aged after a storage of four, six or eight months in comparison to fresh seed (control). A covariance analysis was performed to test the effect of time within seed-storage treatment. The germination patterns were significantly fitted…

FRUIT PRODUCTION OF CULTIVATED CACTI: A SHORT OVERVIEW ON PLANT ECOPHYSIOLOGY AND C BUDGET