Irregular fruit production across successive years is a major issue that limits the profitability of most temperate and tropical fruit crops. It is particularly affected by the reciprocal relationships between vegetative and reproductive growth. The concept of the costs of reproduction is defined in terms of losses in the potential future reproductive success caused by current investment in rep...

Organic vegetable production has specific research and innovation requirements which are not shared by other parts of the food and farming sector. A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the interactive effects of few permitted organic inputs such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, biochar, and different ratios of peat:worm casting on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) growth, mycorrhizal dep...

When fruit set and rainfall are sufficient, grape yields in Arkansas are high, but rain is not always sufficient in Arkansas. There is enough, in terms of inches, but it often comes at the wrong times. Records during the past 20 years have shown that in all but 3 years in Northwest Arkansas, there have been brief dry spells during the growing season that lasted for at least two or three weeks. ...

Storage of freshly harvested fruit is a key factor in modulating their supply for several months after harvest; however, their quality can be reduced by pathogen attack. Fruit pathogens may infect their host through damaged surfaces, such as mechanical injuries occurring during growing, harvesting, and packing, leading to increased colonization as the fruit ripens. Of particular concern are fun...

The growing interest on the replacement of synthetic antioxidants with natural ones has directed many research toward the plant-derived raw materials. The special attention is focused on inexpensive or residual sources from food agricultural industries. Fruit peels are valuable wastes obtained from domestic and industrial sources. The potential of fruit wastes as sources of natural antioxidants...

Sun-related physiological disorders such as sun damage on apples (Malus domestica Borkh) are caused by cumulative photooxidative and heat stress during their growing season triggering morphological, physiological, and biochemical changes in fruit tissues not only while it is on the tree but also after it has been harvested. The objective of the work was to establish the interaction of auxin (in...