No description available.

Typically, dormant seedlings are transplanted when revegetating nonirrigated disturbed lands in order to prevent transplant shock triggered by water stress. Since dormant seedlings have to be used, this limits the duration of the transplant season. It may be possible to increase this limited season by inducing acclimation responses that would increase drought tolerance. Preconditioning actively growing seedlings to water stress prior to transplanting could induce acclimation responses such as solute accumulation and/or stomatal modulation. Under greenhouse conditions, A. cana and A. intermedium seedlings were subjected to three water stress preconditioning treatments: a well watered control, one dry-down cycle, and three dry-down cycles. After conditioning, seedlings were either allowed to dry-down in their containers until leaf senescence, or were transplanted to disturbed land sites. Plant water potential components, relative water content, and leaf mortality were measured. Immediately following treatments, water relations parameters of preconditioned seedlings were not markedly different from controls in either species. At the end of the final dry-down, water stress preconditioning had not induced active or passive solute accumulation, prolonged leaf survival when exposed to lethal drought conditions, or resulted in differences in transplant survival rates under the experimental conditions of this study.

The major objective of the research was to improve lychee postharvest management, through a greater understanding of mechanical injury and moisture loss. Mechanical injury is a known cause of postharvest loss in lychee, but previously published information has been limited to broad observations. In this study, the symptoms of mechanical damage in lychee were defined, including quantitative measurement of colour changes. Impact injury caused protuberance tip darkening, cracking of the pericarp and significant changes in skin colour. Compression also typically caused tip darkening, and severe loads were capable of puncture, shape distortion and skin cracking. Abrasion and vibration injuries were characterised by strong yellowing of pericarp colour, possibly due to the leakage of cell contents onto the fruit surface. Vibration also caused significant darkening and loss of colour saturation. Vibration has not previously been mentioned as an issue in lychee postharvest management, but appeared to be as important a problem as desiccation browning at the wholesale level, both in incidence and severity. Mechanically damaged fruit consistently showed increased ethylene and carbon dioxide synthesis, and moisture loss was increased by up to 30%. Some significant changes in skin biochemistry and cuticle properties were also detected. The study of damaged tissue by SEM revealed distinctive patterns of surface tissue disruption. Open pericarp cracking was a particularly detrimental injury, causing significantly increased electrolyte leakage and rapid pathogen development. The effects of load characteristics, such as magnitude, method of application, site, repetition and cushioning, on the extent of damage were defined. Fruit characteristics such as cultivar, gross morphology, temperature, hydration and surface wetness were shown to significantly affect damage levels. Small seed size was correlated with increased cracking susceptibility. Fruit surface wetness exacerbated vibration or abrasion damage. Turgid fruit were less susceptible to vibration and abrasion damage, but showed increased susceptibility to impact cracking. Previously neglected aspects of desiccation browning research were studied, including cultivar and maturity effects, sites of moisture loss and the role of air currents. Cultivar effects on moisture loss were obscured by pre-harvest factors, but consistent cultivar differences were detected in desiccation browning, possibly related to skin thickness. In contrast, maturity levels over a marketable range had little effect on weight loss or browning. Moisture was lost fairly evenly over the fruit surface, but poor postharvest handling appeared to massively increase loss from the protuberance tips. Moisture loss was shown to substantially increase ethylene synthesis. The crucial role of air currents in exacerbating lychee moisture loss was emphasised, and the relationship between air speed and weight loss was defined. The research contributed to a greater understanding of the processes of mechanical damage and moisture loss in lychee, leading to improved protocols for the postharvest management of the fruit. Improved management of mechanical damage and moisture loss will ultimately improve fruit quality and reduce postharvest losses, hence increasing returns to industry.

No description available.

This project investigated the physiological responses of grapevine to deficit irrigation strategies including partial rootzone drying (PRD) and regulated deficit irrigation (RDI). The principle objectives of the project were to (1) establish if the response to partial rootzone drying (PRD) is as a consequence of irrigation amount or a unique vine physiological response to PRD; (2) to investigate the effect of limiting environmental conditions on vine responses to PRD and deficit irrigation; (3) to investigate the effect of PRD and deficit irrigation on berry metabolism and maturation; and (4) effect of PRD and deficit irrigation on vine water-use. The experiment used field-grown Shiraz grapevines in a commercial vineyard in the Strathbogie Ranges in north-eastern Victoria. The experiment ran from season 2001/2002 through to 2003/2004 in a medium vigour, warm climate vineyard, with soils of low water holding capacity. (For complete abstract open document)

The major objective of the research was to improve lychee postharvest management, through a greater understanding of mechanical injury and moisture loss. Mechanical injury is a known cause of postharvest loss in lychee, but previously published information has been limited to broad observations. In this study, the symptoms of mechanical damage in lychee were defined, including quantitative measurement of colour changes. Impact injury caused protuberance tip darkening, cracking of the pericarp and significant changes in skin colour. Compression also typically caused tip darkening, and severe loads were capable of puncture, shape distortion and skin cracking. Abrasion and vibration injuries were characterised by strong yellowing of pericarp colour, possibly due to the leakage of cell contents onto the fruit surface. Vibration also caused significant darkening and loss of colour saturation. Vibration has not previously been mentioned as an issue in lychee postharvest management, but appeared to be as important a problem as desiccation browning at the wholesale level, both in incidence and severity. Mechanically damaged fruit consistently showed increased ethylene and carbon dioxide synthesis, and moisture loss was increased by up to 30%. Some significant changes in skin biochemistry and cuticle properties were also detected. The study of damaged tissue by SEM revealed distinctive patterns of surface tissue disruption. Open pericarp cracking was a particularly detrimental injury, causing significantly increased electrolyte leakage and rapid pathogen development. The effects of load characteristics, such as magnitude, method of application, site, repetition and cushioning, on the extent of damage were defined. Fruit characteristics such as cultivar, gross morphology, temperature, hydration and surface wetness were shown to significantly affect damage levels. Small seed size was correlated with increased cracking susceptibility. Fruit surface wetness exacerbated vibration or abrasion damage. Turgid fruit were less susceptible to vibration and abrasion damage, but showed increased susceptibility to impact cracking. Previously neglected aspects of desiccation browning research were studied, including cultivar and maturity effects, sites of moisture loss and the role of air currents. Cultivar effects on moisture loss were obscured by pre-harvest factors, but consistent cultivar differences were detected in desiccation browning, possibly related to skin thickness. In contrast, maturity levels over a marketable range had little effect on weight loss or browning. Moisture was lost fairly evenly over the fruit surface, but poor postharvest handling appeared to massively increase loss from the protuberance tips. Moisture loss was shown to substantially increase ethylene synthesis. The crucial role of air currents in exacerbating lychee moisture loss was emphasised, and the relationship between air speed and weight loss was defined. The research contributed to a greater understanding of the processes of mechanical damage and moisture loss in lychee, leading to improved protocols for the postharvest management of the fruit. Improved management of mechanical damage and moisture loss will ultimately improve fruit quality and reduce postharvest losses, hence increasing returns to industry.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(農学) / 甲第21824号 / 農博第2337号 / 新制||農||1067(附属図書館) / 学位論文||H31||N5196(農学部図書室) / 京都大学大学院農学研究科森林科学専攻 / (主査)教授 大澤 晃, 教授 北山 兼弘, 教授 北島 薫 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

Master of Science / Department of Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation Resources / Kimberly A. Williams / Ivy geranium (Pelargonium peltatum L’Herr ex. Ait.) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) are two economically important greenhouse crops known to be affected by non-pathogenic lesions on leaf tissues. These physiological disorders are often termed edema (oedema) or intumescences, but several other names have been used including enations, non-pathogenic galls or tumors, and neoplasms. These lesions, characterized by small protrusions on leaf tissues that become necrotic over time, are considered to be the result of environmental factors. Our research focused on determining what environmental factors affect these disorders on ivy geranium and tomato. The physiological disorder of ivy geranium is thought to be the result of water uptake exceeding transpiration, resulting in a build-up of water and solutes in leaf tissue that results in the blister-like protrusions in the epidermal layer. Current convention suggests that susceptible plants be grown in an environment that promotes transpiration with low humidity and infrequent watering. Over four experiments, we evaluated the effects of four root medium water contents, five rates of supplemental calcium application and two vapor pressure deficit (VPD) environments on three cultivars of ivy geranium. Our results indicate that high root medium water contents do not increase the incidence of edema on ivy geranium, but increase overall plant growth. Supplemental calcium had no affect on edema or growth, while our VPD results were inconclusive. These results suggest that current convention regarding cultural practices that abate the disorder be revisited. In tomato var. hirsutum ‘Maxifort’, the physiological disorder is characterized by individual epidermal cells swelling, which is unlike the disorder in ivy geranium where solutes build up across a group of epidermal cells. The environmental factors we focused on were two root medium water contents and supplemental UVB light. Our results suggest that root medium water content may play a role in development of tomato intumescences based on visual observation, and UVB light supplementation helps prevent the lesions from forming.

No description available.

Submitted by (edna.saturno@ufrpe.br) on 2016-06-16T14:04:55Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Eric Beserra de Melo Sousa.pdf: 1071653 bytes, checksum: ca700344a6e84f02052ed06eb60dd5b9 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-16T14:04:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Eric Beserra de Melo Sousa.pdf: 1071653 bytes, checksum: ca700344a6e84f02052ed06eb60dd5b9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-02-21 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The cotton culture performs a relevant economical-social importance in Brazil and the entire world, being placed among the ten larger wealth sources in the Brazilian agricultural section. Brazil faces long periods of water shortage in most of the arable areas. Thus, evaluation about water deficit in this culture is necessary. This work was performed in order to evaluate the effect of water stress on growth and water relations of three cotton cultivars (Gossypium hirsutum L.) in greenhouse conditions. An experiment was carried out in a 3 x 4 factorial arrangement with three cotton cultivars (7MH, CEDRO and 7H) and four water levels: 25, 50,75 and 100% of field capacity, with five replicates. The height, stem diameter and number of leaves were analyzed. At the end of the experimental period, dry matter of the leaves, stem, roots, root to shoot ratio and biomass allocation were determined and the leaf area was calculated. About the water relations, the parameters analyzed were: transpiration (E), diffusive resistance (rs), pre-dawn and noon leaf water potential (Yw), relative water content (RWC), and soluble carbohydrates, soluble proteins and free proline contents. These analyses were performed in three times (15, 30 and 40 days after differentiation). Water stress reduced the height, number of leaves, stem diameter, and leaf area in all cultivars. Water deficit reduced leaf, stem, and root dry matter. On the hardest treatments, biomass allocation to leaves and roots increased to all cultivars. Root to shoot ratio increased too on the threecultivars in the hardest treatments. At the end of the experimental period, transpiration was elevated in the plants under 25% FC and diffusive resistance was reduced in the three cultivars. The opposite was observed in the plants with good water availability, exception on the cv. CEDRO. Water deficit reduces the leaf water potential in the two evaluation times and the RWC. In general, the three cultivars under severe stress accumulated soluble carbohydrates, free proline and soluble proteins. Evaluating the growth and water relations, the results suggest that cv. 7MH is more adapted to drought, being followed to cv. CEDRO. / A cultura do algodoeiro apresenta relevante importância econômico-social no Brasil e no mundo, estando situada dentre as dez maiores fontes de riqueza no setor agropecuário brasileiro. Dessa forma, fazem-se necessários estudos que avaliem essa cultura em situações de déficit hídrico, visto que a maioria das áreas cultiváveis no Brasil passa por longos períodos de escassez hídrica. Assim, objetivou-se avaliar o efeito do déficit hídrico em variáveis de crescimento e nas relações hídricas de três cultivares de algodoeiro herbáceo (Gossypium hirsutum L.), em casa de vegetação. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado em esquema fatorial 3 x 4, representado por três cultivares (7MH, CEDRO e 7H) e quatro níveis de água: 25, 50, 75 e 100% da capacidade de pote com 5 repetições. A cada sete dias, foram mensuradas a altura da planta, número de folhas e diâmetro do caule. Também foram mensuradas a transpiração, resistência difusiva, potencial hídrico foliar ( f) pre-dawn e ao meio dia, teor relativo de água (TRA) e as concentrações de carboidratos e proteínas solúveis e prolina livre. Estes últimos avaliados com 15, 30 e 45 dias após a diferenciação (DAD). Ao final do período experimental foi calculada a área foliar e a concentração dos solutos orgânicos para a raiz. As plantas tiveram seus órgãos separados e levados à estufa para a obtenção da matéria seca das folhas, caule e raízes. Com isso calculousea alocação de biomassa para as folhas, caules, raízes e a relação raiz/parte aérea (R/Pa). O estresse hídrico aplicado provocou reduções significativas na altura da planta, número de folhas, diâmetro do caule, área foliar e na produção de matéria seca nas três cultivares estudadas. Houve aumento na alocação de biomassa da folha e da raiz. Também houve aumento na relação raiz/parte aérea nas três cultivares nos tratamentos mais severos. Com o prolongamento do estresse, a transpiração aumentou nas plantas sob tratamento severo (25% da CP) e conseqüentemente reduziu a resistência difusiva nas três cultivares estudadas. O inverso foi observado para as plantas com bom suprimento hídrico, com exceção da cv.CEDRO. O déficit hídrico reduziu o potencial hídrico foliar nos dois horários de avaliação e o TRA. De forma geral, houve acúmulo nos teores de carboidratos solúveis, prolina livre e proteínas solúveis para as três cultivares nas plantas sob estresse severo. Com esses resultados pode-se sugerir que a cv. 7MH é a mais recomendada para ser cultivada em locais com restrições hídricas, seguida da cv. CEDRO, enquanto que a cv. 7H mostrou-se mais sensível.