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Chronica Horticulturae Volume 64 Number 4
1 month 3 weeks ago

Chronica Horticulturae Volume 64 Number 4 (December 2024) is available for download - proceed to https://www.ishs.org/chronica-horticulturae/vol64nr4.

Topics in this number include

News & Views from the Board

Faux-tanical gardens: the impact of artificial lawns on the structure and function of urban ecosystems
1 month 3 weeks ago

Urban areas are under increasing pressure to contribute to the mitigation of the climate impacts arising from urbanisation. Urban greenspaces, including natural lawns, are recognised as critical resources for ecosystem service provision. Natural lawns contribute a variety of ecosystem services including carbon sequestration, water absorption, and mitigation of the urban heat island effect. However, in recent years, there has been a rise in the installation of artificial lawns that could threaten these contributions to ecosystem services.

The impact of urban agriculture on pollinator communities: a case study of Bologna (Italy)
1 month 3 weeks ago

Insects are the primary pollinators of most wild flora and food crops around the world. However, global declines in pollinator populations threaten the provision of the ecosystem services that insects provide in both managed and natural ecosystems. Urban agricultural sites are expanding in cities, potentially enhancing sustainability by providing sources of habitat for biodiversity. Yet, the extent to which urban agriculture supports pollinator conservation in cities is poorly understood and requires further exploration.

Testing the efficacy of a tractor-mounted insect vacuum against various hemipteran species of shield bugs on crops of soybean, alfalfa, sorghum, and sunflower
1 month 3 weeks ago

Luka Batistič is a researcher and Ph.D student at the Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, working under the supervision of Prof. Dr. S. Trdan. Together with his colleagues, Batistič is focused on developing eco-friendly alternatives to chemical pesticides, specifically exploring the use of mechanical pest control methods. Shield bugs (Pentatomidae) are a major concern in various crops, and their growing resistance to pesticides has increased the need for more sustainable solutions.

Exploring the potential for improved stress tolerance and enhanced fruit set with the addition of iodine in almond, pistachio and avocado
1 month 3 weeks ago

The importance of iodine in human diets is well understood, but despite over 100 years of research, little is known about how iodine impacts plants. Prior research has shown that the addition of exogenous iodine has led to a variety of responses based on species (and even varieties), application timing, the form of iodine, and the rate. Documented responses of most interest to this research are: increased stress tolerance and altered bloom timing.

Monitoring changes in plum fruit quality during postharvest storage
1 month 3 weeks ago

MPlums, as climacteric fruits, undergo significant physiological changes during postharvest storage, primarily influenced by ethylene production and respiration. This study investigated the effects of storage temperature and duration on the physiological and structural changes of the two most popular cultivars in the Hungarian market. The ‘Stanley’ and ‘Elena’ plums were stored at temperatures of 1, 5, 10, and 15°C for 24 days. The ethylene production, respiration and microscopic structure measurements were performed at 4-day intervals.

Sugar, organic acid content and antioxidant capacity of strawberry in relation to colour stability of puree
1 month 3 weeks ago

Consumers appreciate strawberries for their nutritional quality and characteristic flavour. While the distinct flavour can be attributed to the balance between the content of sugars and organic acids as well as the aromatic compounds, the nutritional quality is attributed to the phenolic compounds and ascorbic acid, which also contribute to the antioxidant capacity of the fruit. However, strawberries are not only used for fresh consumption but also for processing. The colour stability of processed strawberry products (nectar or puree) is a concern for the industry.

Genetic dissection of horticultural traits in a reconstructed octoploid strawberry population: a multi-model GWAS approach
1 month 3 weeks ago

Attiq ur Rehman is a research scientist at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) and a PhD candidate at the University of Helsinki, under the supervision of Dr. Tuuli Haikonen. With a robust background in plant breeding and genetics, his doctoral research focuses on strawberry pre-breeding, utilizing advanced genomic tools to explore novel allelic and phenotypic diversity within a “Re-Constructed” (ReC) strawberry population derived from elite selections of the progenitor species Fragaria virginiana and Fragaria chiloensis.

Evaluation of the vegetative-productive behavior of different olive cultivars for their adaptability to high-density cultivation
1 month 3 weeks ago

In recent years, a new high-density model requiring low-vigor cultivars has been proposed for renewed olive growing. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the adaptability of Italian cultivars to high-density cultivation. The study began in 2015 in central Italy in an irrigated olive orchard with trees planted at 5×2 m.

Why does a pepper rootstock confer tolerance to water stress? The case of NIBER®
1 month 3 weeks ago

Yaiza G. Padilla is a biotechnologist specializing in the abiotic stress tolerance mechanisms of horticultural plants and plant breeding for climate change adaptation. She is a postdoctoral researcher in the Horticulture Department at IVIA in Spain, where she studies heat and cold stress tolerance mechanisms of pepper plants to obtain tolerant genotypes that could be used as rootstocks for grafted plants to overcome temperature stress conditions in the field.

Cultivating roots: a historical overview of vegetable growing in Romania
1 month 3 weeks ago

The story of vegetable cultivation in Romania is one filled with resilience, cultural influences and ongoing transformation. It stretches back thousands of years to the Dacians, the ancient people who grew peas, faba beans and lentils, long before modern farming techniques even existed. With the arrival of the Romans in the 2nd century AD, new crops and more advanced farming methods were introduced, laying the foundation for the future of Romanian agriculture. As time passed, Romania’s farming practices progressed with the changing times.

Adapting stone fruits to pesticide reduction: identification of resilience components and exploitation of genetic diversity via genome-wide association studies
1 month 3 weeks ago

Climate change leads to unpredictable epidemiological disturbances, intensifying the multi-disease and pest challenges in fruit tree orchards, leading to significant damage and economic losses. With an urgent need to reduce the application of phytosanitary products, alternative and durable solutions must be found. As such, disease resilience is an appealing concept that still needs to be explored for fruit trees.

Phylogenetic classification and functional prediction of DFR genes in grape vines
1 month 3 weeks ago

Hikaru Ishikawa is a Ph.D. student at the United Graduate School of Agriculture Sciences, Iwate University in Japan, where she is currently studying berry color variation in grapes. In Japan, the berry skin color of grapes varies from green to red and black. Grapes with red skins show a red color due to the presence of cyanidin and peonidin glycosides, which are synthesized downstream of dihydroquercetin (DHQ). Hence, the fruit skin color in grapes is determined by the accumulation of anthocyanin and these compounds.

November 2024 Newsletter: ISHS Division Horticulture for Development
3 months 1 day ago

The November 2024 Newsletter of the ISHS Division Horticulture for Development is now available for download (see link below or navigate to the Division web page)

ISHS Hort Forum Episode 6: Perspectives on Scientific Research to Meet Academic Goals vs. Research to Directly Address Industry Needs
3 months 2 weeks ago

ISHS Hort Forum Episode 6:

Perspectives on Scientific Research to Meet Academic Goals vs. Research to Directly Address Industry Needs

Wednesday, December 4, 2024, Hours: 17:00 – 19:00 Central European Time (CET)

Registration for this episode is open. Use the registration link below to register. Participating is free of charge but registration is required.

Chronica Horticulturae Volume 64 Number 3
3 months 2 weeks ago

Chronica Horticulturae Volume 64 Number 3 (September 2024) is available for download - proceed to https://www.ishs.org/chronica-horticulturae/vol64nr3.

Topics in this number include

News & Views from the Board

Conference proceedings vs. journal papers
3 months 3 weeks ago

Over the past thirty years, there has been considerable commentary about Acta Horticulturae (https://www.actahort.org/).

Many consider Acta Horticulturae to be inferior to scientific journals as it does not have an Impact Factor rating, but publication is a requirement if someone wants to present at an ISHS symposium or congress.

Acta Horticulturae was designed to be a conference proceedings.

Nitrogen storage and biennial bearing in apple
4 months 4 days ago

Biennial bearing is not a novel concept for perennial fruit trees. Biennial bearing, or alternate bearing, is characterized by a heavy crop one year (the “on” year), accompanied by little to no crop the following year (the “off” year). While environmental factors such as spring frosts and drought can initiate a biennial bearing cycle in fruit trees, genetics play an important role, with certain cultivars having a greater likelihood of bearing biennially. In apples, ‘Honeycrisp’ is prone to biennial bearing, even when environmental factors remain constant and in good supply.

Understanding calcium nutrition in peach crop through 44Ca isotope labeling
4 months 4 days ago

Francisca Carrasco-Cuello is a PhD student at the IRTA Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology in Lleida, Spain. Francisca’s work is currently focused on gaining a greater understanding of calcium uptake by peach and nectarine roots and its subsequent distribution to the aerial parts of the tree. She is also studying the role of calcium applications in improving fruit quality and postharvest storability. In tracing calcium uptake and absorption, she has utilized the stable isotope calcium-44.

The transcription factor PbbHLH164 is destabilized by PbRAD23C/D.1 and mediates ethylene biosynthesis during pear fruit ripening
4 months 4 days ago

The phytohormone ethylene plays a pivotal role in climacteric fruit ripening. However, the knowledge on molecular regulation of ethylene biosynthesis remains limited in pears. In our study, a new basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, PbbHLH164, was identified based on the transcriptome analysis of developing and ripening fruit.

Unveiling the impact of far-red light on carbohydrate allocation and yield in dwarf tomato cultivars
4 months 4 days ago

Maria Mastoraki, a PhD candidate at the Horticulture and Product Physiology group of Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands, is investigating the impact of far-red light on carbohydrate partitioning in dwarf tomato plants. Supervised by Dr. Ep Heuvelink and Professor Leo Marcelis, her work focuses on understanding how photosynthetically fixed carbon is allocated to different plant organs – a critical factor in determining crop yield and quality. In tomato cultivation, efficient carbohydrate partitioning to fruit is vital for optimizing both yield and nutritional content.

Screening of a Mentha spp. collection for physiology and essential oil content under field conditions
4 months 4 days ago

Plants of the genus Mentha spp. have numerous applications in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries because of their essential oils (EO). A Mentha collection consisting of 20 different genotypes was examined to identify locally adapted and high yielding genotypes. For this experiment, 12 measurement dates were carried out bi-weekly from April to October 2023, with three harvest dates (1st harvest: July; 2nd harvest: August; 3rd harvest: October).

Assessing the impact of salinity on Viola × wittrockiana: exploring morphological, physiological, and anatomical parameters
4 months 4 days ago

Sara Yasemin recently completed her PhD at Cukurova University (Turkey), and is now working at Siirt University (Turkey) on abiotic stresses, plant responses and improved tolerance for ornamental plants. To enhance plant tolerance to abiotic stress, understanding how they respond to stress is crucial for devising targeted strategies aimed at strengthening their resilience. The pansy, from the Violaceae family, is widely used as an ornamental flower, particularly during winter, in landscaping, outdoor decoration, and potted arrangements.

Towards the identification of quantitative resistance mechanisms of rose to black spot disease
4 months 4 days ago

Laurine Lambelin is a PhD student at the University of Angers, France, working with the Genetics and Diversity of Ornamental Plants team at the Institute of Research in Horticulture and Seeds. Her research is focused on the resistance of roses to black spot disease, caused by the hemibiotrophic fungus Diplocarpon rosae. Black spot is one of the main foliar diseases of garden roses.

Breezing: a new dedicated Italian plum breeding program
4 months 4 days ago

In a mature market, interest in offering new plant material is more important than ever before. Japanese (Prunus salicina) and European (Prunus domestica) plum species, including plum and apricot hybrids, have become the focus of renewed breeding programs to develop novel fruit ideotypes. Resistance to disease, especially plum pox virus (PPV) and brown rot, environmental adaptation and enhancing fruit quality are the most desired features.

(A)biotic stress in Ilex crenata: solving problems of soil pH and black root rot
4 months 4 days ago

Ilex crenata or box-leaved holly has gained popularity for use as an ornamental shrub for topiary and hedges in Western Europe. I. crenata prefers acidic soils, which makes it less than ideal for the typically pH-neutral private garden. When grown in neutral pH soils, I. crenata experiences problems with nutrient uptake. A higher soil pH also creates favorable conditions for the soil-borne fungus Berkeleyomyces basicola, the causal agent of black root rot. This combination of abiotic and biotic stress poses a serious threat to I. crenata planted in gardens.

Use of LED lighting in postharvest and its effect on kiwifruit quality
4 months 4 days ago

New varieties of red-fleshed kiwifruit have recently been introduced into the market and are widely appreciated by consumers. The use of LED lighting offers a novel opportunity to improve the postharvest quality during storage. The aim of this study was to determine if the postharvest application of exogenous light radiation affected the colorimetric characteristics of the fruit, fruit quality and postharvest biotic and abiotic disorders. After treatment under LED lights, all samples increased the amount of total soluble solids due to the dehydration of the fruit.

Management of table grapes through precision nitrogen fertilization
4 months 4 days ago

Patrick Mdemba is currently a Master’s candidate at the French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sde Boqer, Israel. He works under the supervision of Prof. Noemi Tel-Zur and Prof. Arnon Dag. His research is focused on “Fertilization of table grapes with nitrogen” at the Gilat Research Center, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Israel. Nitrogen fertilization is a vital component of vineyard management.

Fruits - The International Journal of Tropical and Subtropical Horticulture: Volume 79/2
7 months 1 week ago

Fruits Volume 79/2

Check out the current issue of Fruits - The International Journal of Tropical and Subtropical Horticulture online at https://www.pubhort.org/fruits/ (Volume 79, issue 2).

International Society for Horticultural Science and CABI agree a journal publishing partnership from 2025
7 months 1 week ago

International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) and CABI are pleased to announce a journal publishing partnership from 1 January 2025.

See also https://www.ishs.org/ejhs 

Chronica Horticulturae Volume 64 Number 2
8 months 2 days ago

Chronica Horticulturae Volume 64 Number 2 (March 2024) is available for download - proceed to https://www.ishs.org/chronica-horticulturae/vol64nr2.

Topics in this number include

News & Views from the Board

Distant hybridization of Hemerocallis with Eremurus and Lycoris
8 months 2 days ago

Yi Lv is a Ph.D student at the School of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, China, under the supervision of Prof. Yike Gao. Cooperating with her co-workers, Yi Lv has conducted distant hybridization breeding between Xanthorrhoeaceae and Amaryllidaceae. Distant hybridization is expected to result in new progenies with traits from genetically different species. This should enable plant producers to respond to new demands and global climate change.

Environmental life cycle assessment of a pilot aquaponic system
8 months 2 days ago

Elisabet Freyja Henriksson is a PhD student at IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, working on environmental sustainability and circularity in vertical farming. Her current research is focused on aquaponics and life cycle assessments (LCA). Aquaponics is generating interest in terms of its potential to produce both vegetables and high-value protein in the form of fish, in a manner that is often claimed to be more sustainable than traditional alternatives.

The use of bumblebees as potential pollinating agents in vertical farming
8 months 2 days ago

Food production across the globe is threatened by pervasive drivers of food insecurity such as climate change, scarcity of agricultural resources and human population growth. Vertical farming (VF) technologies offer promising contributions within a sustainable food production framework by alleviating the stress posed by these drivers. However, VF encounters some obstacles, in that these systems are vastly expensive to establish and are constrained to cultivating crops or varieties that are either self-pollinating or would require manual pollination, further increasing labour costs.

Multiple effects of electrohydrodynamics in a food-grade non-aqueous moringa Pickering emulsions
8 months 2 days ago

Emulsions, such as creams, dressings and desserts, are an important part of the food industry and our daily lives. However, the food industry rarely explores non-aqueous systems such as oil-in-oil (O/O) emulsions due to the difficulty of finding suitable emulsifiers with hydrophobic nature and the few edible compounds available. Different from typical oil-in-water (O/W) and water-in-oil (W/O), O/O emulsions with little or no water can be utilized for the development of food products where water is not desired, such as encapsulation of water-insoluble bioactive and functional foods.

Black soldier fly frass: a new organic fertilizer or biostimulant?
8 months 2 days ago

To feed an estimated population of 9.7 billion by 2050, food production needs to increase significantly while protecting the environment and minimizing food waste. One promising approach lies in organic alternatives to chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Through the farming of insects, organic waste is bioconverted into larval biomass to be used as livestock feed, but the process also generates a new source of organic waste in the form of exuviae and frass, which can be used as crop fertilizers.

Profiling of individual desulfo-glucosinolates and sugar content among cabbage germplasm and selection of multi-functional genotypes for commercial breeding
8 months 2 days ago

Yu Kyeong Shin is a research associate professor at the Department of Horticulture, Jeonbuk National University, South Korea, where she collaborates with Professor Jun Gu Lee on the physiology of vegetable cultivation. She completed her PhD in 2022, with her dissertation entitled “Evaluation of abiotic stress tolerance in vegetable plug seedlings using non-destructive chlorophyll fluorescence analysis.” Cabbage plays a vital role in functional substances such as GSLs (glucosinolates).

Some new jujube processed products for the European market
8 months 2 days ago

Jujube is the most important species in the Rhamnaceae family in terms of its economic, ecological, and social importance. It is also one of the oldest cultivated fruit trees in the world. More recently, jujube is attracting greater interest among researchers, farmers and consumers worldwide. While food products derived from jujube are seldom seen on the European market, we believe that this fruit is extremely important for a healthy diet, in both a fresh and processed form.

Multi-omics reveals release rhythm, biosynthetic mechanism and commercial uses of tea scent in R. gigantea
8 months 2 days ago

Lijun Zhou, a PhD candidate at the School of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, China, under the supervision of Prof. Chao Yu, is exploring the mechanisms responsible for the fragrance of roses. Rose is one of the most important ornamental plants with high edible and medicinal values, and is widely cultivated worldwide for perfume production. Rosa gigantea, with its strong sweet fragrance, has played a prominent role in the breeding of the hybrid tea roses.

Do recently released cultivars of Ranunculus and Anemone still need vernalization?
8 months 2 days ago

Sara Benchaa is a PhD student at Laval University in Quebec City under the supervision of Prof. Line Lapointe. Sara is focused on optimizing vernalization and cultivation conditions for the greenhouse production of Anemone coronaria and Ranunculus asiaticus. As climatic conditions in the Quebec region do not support a diverse range of early spring cut flowers, starting plants in greenhouses and, for many, resorting to forcing, is necessary to produce various flower varieties earlier in the season.

7th International Fascination of Plants Day, May 18, 2024
8 months 3 weeks ago

May 18, 2024, the 7th International Fascination of Plants Day

This year's Fascination of Plants Day, a plant scientists' initiative, has already been adopted by 64 countries worldwide.

email phishing - cybersecurity - scam alert
9 months 3 days ago

Beware of scams implying association with ISHS

The ISHS was made aware of correspondences, being circulated via e-mails, from internet websites, and via regular mail or fax, falsely stating that they are issued by or associated with ISHS, the ISHS Board and/or its officials.

Such scams, which may ultimately seek to extract money and/or personal details from the recipients of such correspondence, are fraudulent.

Neither ISHS nor its officials are engaging in such practices.

ISHS HortForum Episode 5: Agroecology for sustainable horticulture: It's time to address it
10 months 1 week ago

5th episode in the ISHS Horticulture Debate series called "Hort Forum"

Agroecology for sustainable horticulture: It's time to address it

Speaker: Georgina Catacora-Vargas , Universidad Católica Boliviana, Tiahuanacu (Bolivia)

11 months 1 week ago

Chronica Horticulturae Volume 64 Number 1 (March 2024) is available for download - proceed to https://www.ishs.org/chronica-horticulturae/vol64nr1.

Topics in this number include

News & Views from the Board

ISHS HortForum Episode 4: Dynamic Controlled Atmosphere Storage: A paradigm shift in postharvest science
11 months 3 weeks ago

4th episode in a new ISHS Horticulture Debate series called "Hort Forum"

Dynamic Controlled Atmosphere Storage: A paradigm shift in postharvest science

Speaker: Angelo Zanella , Research Centre Laimburg, Ora, (Italy)

Invitation to the 5th ISHS European Horticultural Congress in Bucharest
1 year 2 weeks ago

Dear Member of ISHS Working Group on Mechanization, Digitization, Sensing and Robotics,

Applying a solar model to LiDAR images of an agrivoltaic pear orchard
1 year 1 month ago

Agrivoltaics is the practice of growing crops underneath solar panels. Using photovoltaic arrays above tree canopies has several potential benefits such as limiting transpiration and water use, and protecting trees and fruit from damage (extreme heat, sunlight, hail). Nevertheless, above-canopy photovoltaic arrays reduce light availability. This study aimed to measure the light availability and crop load distribution under two different west-facing solar panel configurations – 45 degree (45W) and near horizontal 5 degree (5W) – and compared it to a control (no photovoltaic arrays).

Red-flesh kiwifruit inner quality scoring by a computer vision system
1 year 1 month ago

Red-fleshed kiwifruit have recently entered the international market. As their nutraceutical properties have generated significant consumer interest, to establish a quality standard along the supply chain, the internal quality of the fruit must be accurately evaluated. Evaluating the redness of kiwifruit flesh poses a complex challenge due to the inherent variability in color localization and spottiness, as well as the wide range of red shades and intensities within each fruit.

Sap flow dynamics of young and mature pomegranate orchards under semi-arid conditions
1 year 1 month ago

Muthianzhele Ravuluma is a PhD candidate at the University of the Free State, South Africa. His research is focused on estimating the current and future use of water in pomegranate orchards in the Western Cape, South Africa. Establishing crops tolerant to water stress is essential to improve food availability. As the climate in South Africa is semi-arid and prone to droughts, climate change is exacerbating the situation with increasing temperatures, increased evaporative demand, more frequent occurrence of droughts, more erratic rainfall and shifts in rainfall patterns.

Influence of silicon application on the agronomic and nutritional performance of container grown highbush blueberries
1 year 1 month ago

Biostimulants can improve nutrient uptake by plants, growth, productivity, fruit quality, as well as plant resilience to abiotic and biotic stresses. Among them, silicon (Si) is reported to be beneficial in mitigating stresses such as plant diseases, salinity, drought, and nutrient imbalances. For organic highbush blueberries, the ability to enhance crop resilience and produce high quality berries is essential to the success of the organic sector in international markets.

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