Consumers are constantly seeking innovative foods that could provide nutraceutical substances that are beneficial for their health. This has resulted in the search for new or underutilized leafy vegetables with the potential to satisfy consumers' demand for new healthy food while concurrently promoting the diversification of crops, the expansion of cultivation areas, and the enhancement of agrobiodiversity. Cutting celery (Apium graveolens var. secalinum) differs from ribbed celery (Apium graveolens var. dulce) in terms of its smaller size, shorter leaves, reduced petiole length, and higher aromatic flavor. This research aimed to develop an agronomic protocol for the hydroponic cultivation of cutting celery to produce baby leaves for fresh-cut products. The seeds of a local ecotype of cutting celery were sown (January and April 2023) in trays filled with a commercial substrate at two growing densities (615 or 947 plants m^-2). The plants were grown in a greenhouse with an ebb-and-flow system supplementing, for each plant density, three different concentrations of nutrient solution as follows: 0 (control); FS, standard Hoagland's solution; and HS, 50% reduced Hoagland's solution. The leaves were harvested when the plants had 5-6 leaves by mowing them 3-4 cm above the plant collar. The regrowth capacity of the plants allowed us to perform a second round of mowing after approximately four weeks. For both mowing activities, the morphological, biochemical, and yield characteristics were evaluated. A sensory analysis was performed on the leaves from the first mowing activity of each growing season by a group of 20 non-specialized consumers aged between 24 and 60 years according to standardized methodologies. Soon after mowing was complete, the fresh-cut leaves from HS and FS were packed and stored at 4°C for 21 days to assess the shelf-life of the minimally processed product. The experimental factors influenced the morphological characteristics of the leaves in terms of length and leaf area. The total yield of the celery baby leaf was higher in winter than in spring. The availability of nutrients influenced the yield levels in various ways according to both the period and the plant density at cultivation. The shelf-life of the baby leaves surpassed 14 days for all the treatments. The sensory parameters were found to be influenced by the treatments and production cycle. The baby leaves of cutting celery had a good vitamin and mineral content, but this varied as a result of the growth parameters and growing season. Cutting celery was shown to be a suitable species for hydroponic cultivation and produced baby leaves with a good shelf-life and nutritional quality.

Citrulline is a non-protein amino acid intermediate in the arginine biosynthetic pathway. It has been observed to accumulate in plants such as watermelon, melon, and chickpea under environmental stress. It has also been demonstrated that this amino acid has the capacity to neutralise hydroxyl radicals and protect cellular enzymes from oxidative damage. It has been hypothesised that endogenous citrulline plays a role in facilitating nitrogen assimilation, deposition, and transport in higher plants. However, there is limited information on the effect of exogenous citrulline supplementation on crop plants. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of citrulline spray treatments on the growth of lettuce and tomato seedlings in transplant nursery production. The experiment was repeated over two production cycles during autumn and spring. The seeds of lettuce and tomato were sown in trays filled with a commercial substrate, and the plants were then grown in a greenhouse with an ebb-and-flow system supplementing a complete nutrient solution. The seedlings were sprayed with citrulline at increasing concentrations (0, 10^-5, 10^-4, 10^-3, 10^-2, 10^-1 M) in three distinct growth stages: at the emission of the first true leaf and after 7 and 14 days. Some morpho-physiological and chemical parameters (height, stem size, fresh and dry biomass, number of leaves, leaf area, SLA, WUE, NUE) were evaluated when the seedlings were ready for transplant (5-6-true-leaf stage). The supply of exogenous citrulline via foliar application had a positive effect on the growth rates and biomass accumulation of the seedlings of both species, with some differences according to the citrulline concentration and growth season. The intermediate doses of citrulline (10^-4-10^-3 M) produced a moderate positive effect on these parameters compared with the untreated control (0 M), whereas the highest growth-promoting effect was found at the highest dose of citrulline (10^-1 M), especially during spring. Citrulline also positively affected the contents of mineral elements in the vegetable seedlings. Citrulline foliar treatments were found to exert a growth-promoting effect on tomato and lettuce plants, but further studies are necessary to fully understand its effect on plant growth and metabolism.

Background

Chocolate mint (Mentha × piperita var. chocolate) is a peppermint variety which owes its name to a chocolate-like scent and dark-red staining of the stems. It is a medicinal and ornamental plant, spread throughout the world due to nursery activities. Chocolate mint essential oil was previously characterized, while the aroma of the whole leaves has been scarcely studied. Indeed, though essential oils are commonly used in cosmetics and perfumery, whole mint leaves are broadly consumed as food products.

Goals

Fresh mint leaves were compared with hot and freeze-dried leaves with the aim of observing the differences between the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of mint leaves subjected to different post-harvest treatments, and assessing the best method to preserve the quality of the final product.

Methodology

Chocolate mint plants (Mentha × piperita var. chocolate) were grown in 10 cm pots at the botanical garden of the University of Salento. After 4 months from planting, 3-4 apical leaves were harvested from plants and mixed in stock. Some of them were analyzed immediately (fresh sample), while others were hot-dried at 42 °C for 16 hours (hot-dried sample) or freeze-dried for 22 hours after freezing at -22 °C for two hours (freeze-dried sample). The three samples were sealed in a 20 ml vial, and a solid phase microextraction (SPME) fiber was exposed to headspace to capture the emitted VOCs. The compounds were then analyzed by gas-chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS).

Results

A total of 17 VOCs were detected among the three samples, with monoterpenes being the most represented category. Most of the compounds found in fresh leaves were preserved after drying, while, interestingly, some compounds occurring in dried leaves were scarcely emitted by fresh leaves. Some differences were also observed for compounds included in the menthol synthesis pathway.

Conclusions

Both hot-drying and freeze-drying preserved the characteristic aroma of chocolate peppermint leaves, proving to be effective methods for post-harvest treatments, allowing for long-term product storage. Furthermore, the data demonstrated a variable presence of chemicals part of the menthol pathway as a result of the various treatments.

Cold stress in citrus fields is threatening fruit production and the establishment of new fields in the north of Florida. Losses in the photosynthetic capacity of citrus plants under low temperatures result from stomatic and non-stomatic limitations derived from structural damage in cell membranes. The present study was conducted to gain insight into how the photosynthetic machinery of citrus leaves is affected by freezing temperatures, using the method of OJIP fluorescence transients. Two-year-old citrus plants were transferred to the growth chamber and posteriorly submitted to a progressive temperature reduction from 22 ^oC to reach -6 ^oC. The plants were kept at -6 ^oC by 1.5 h. The OJIP test was measured on leaves (n = 6) that were darkness-adapted using a portable LI-6800 fluorometer. A light pulse of 1 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹ for 50 ms was applied to determine the minimum fluorescence (F_o), followed immediately by a light saturation pulse of 3000 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹ for 1 s to determine the maximum fluorescence (Fm), the maximum photosynthetic quantum yield of PSII (F_v/F_m), and the actual quantum yield of PSII (photosystem II) electron transport (Φ_PSII). Freezing stress caused a significant reduction in F_o, F_m, F_v/F_m, and ΦPSII parameters, confirming structural and functional damage in the photosynthetic machinery of citrus leaves. On the other hand, OJIP curves showed reductions in the fluorescence levels in the J-I and I-P stages, suggesting limitations in the reduction status of electron carriers (J-I stage) and dysfunctionality in the PSI (photosystem I) because of a low electron flow (I-P stage). Our data demonstrated the negative impact of the freezing stress at specific points of the electron transport chain of photosynthesis. In addition, the OJIP test is a powerful tool to characterize photosynthetic damage and its promising use in high-throughput plant phenotyping programs, which are focused on the selection of citrus plants with high basal tolerance to cold stress.

Extending the cold storage of 'Rocha' pears through 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) and controlled atmosphere storage is a widely used strategy to prevent postharvest disorders. However, this approach inhibits natural fruit ripening, often compromising consumer quality and presenting a significant challenge to the fruit industry. Basically, 1-MCP binds to the ethylene recpetor proteins found in fruit, not allowing ethylene to bind, and triggering the ripening response. Recently, several studies, strategies to mitigate the antagonist ripening effect of 1-MCP have been attempted. In this study, we investigated the potential of abscisic acid (ABA) and glyoxylic acid (GLA) to counteract the antagonist effects of 1-MCP and restore normal ripening. 'Rocha' pears treated with 1-MCP were immersed in ABA or GLA solutions, respectively, and stored at 20 ± 2 °C for 15 days. Ripening indicators, including firmness, skin color, ethylene and volatile organic compound (VOC) production, sugar content, and the expression of ethylene-related genes (PcACS, PcACO, PcETR1, PcETR2, and PcETR5), were assessed throughout storage. Our multivariate and clustering analysis revealed that ABA effectively disrupted the 1-MCP-induced ripening inhibition, significantly boosting ethylene production and, consequently, promoting fruit softening, degreening, sugar accumulation, and specific pear-ripening volatile emissions. These changes were justified by the significant measured increased expression of ethylene biosynthesis (PcACS, PcACO) and receptor (PcETR2) genes, highlighting ABA’s pivotal role in reactivating ethylene perception, signaling, metabolism and, therefore, the ripening process. In contrast, GLA did not promote an increase in ethylene production or other ripening-related changes, likely due to limited ACC synthase activity. Interestingly, GLA-treated fruits showed elevated respiration rates and higher levels of hexanal, (E)-2-hexenal, and ethanol compared to the control, indicating an influence on alternative stressed metabolic pathways unrelated to ripening. This study sheds light on the regulatory interplay between ABA, GLA, and fruit ripening, providing innovative strategies to overcome ripening inhibition caused by 1-MCP in climacteric fruits, with particular focus on ‘Rocha’ pear.

.

Fruit crops are highly vulnerable to climate change, which threatens global fruit production. Dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp.) has shown potential for heat and drought resistance, making it a promising candidate for cultivation in changing climates. This study assessed the adaptability of dragon fruit to medium lowland agroecosystems in Bangladesh over three years (2021-2023), focusing on morphological and biochemical traits across five genotypes at Cumilla. The research aimed to identify key traits related to yield and stress tolerance, employing statistical analyses such as ANOVA, boxplots, genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation (GCV and PCV), heritability, genetic advance as a percentage of the mean (GA%), Pearson’s correlation, principal component analysis (PCA), and heatmap analysis. Morphological evaluation revealed significant genetic variation among the genotypes over the three years, particularly for fruit traits. Purple dragon exhibited the highest fruit weight (572.78g), pulp weight (434.99g), and peel weight (162.73g), whereas Vietnamese red had the lowest values for these traits (fruit weight: 210.45g; pulp weight: 145.22g; peel weight: 62.24g). However, Vietnamese red achieved the highest yield (10.24) in all three years, while purple dragon produced the lowest yield (4.75). Significant variation was observed in traits such as the number of branches per plant (1.57-9.94), flower bud length (19.56-26.11 mm), pericarpal length (203.78-245.65 mm), pericarpal width (31.78-39.98 mm), fruit length (9.95-17.23 cm), and fruit diameter (6.75-12.10 cm). Fruit weight showed significant positive correlations with pericarpal length (r=0.91), pericarpal width (r=0.98), fruit length (r=0.98), and fruit diameter (r=0.96). Yield correlated positively with the number of branches (r=0.82) and flower bud length (r=0.64). Biochemical traits also displayed considerable variability over the three years, with total soluble solids (TSS%) ranging from 9.76 to 16.58%, vitamin C ranging from 9.98 to 17.18 mg/100g, reducing sugar ranging from 6.87 to 9.83%, and total sugar ranging from 8.44 to 11.49%. Reducing sugar was positively correlated with total sugar (r=0.93***) and TSS (r=0.85***), while vitamin C showed a negative correlation with reducing sugar (r=-0.88****) and TSS (r=-0.84***). These findings provide insights into key traits that can be targeted in breeding programs to develop stable, resilient, and high-yielding dragon fruit varieties with desirable biochemical properties, capable of withstanding the increasing challenges posed by climate change.

Greenhouse vegetable production in Andalusia is concentrated in Almeria (Spain), with 33.400 hectares, 80% of which are cultivated under biological control strategies and 3.492 hectares in organic farming. Almeria's agricultural model is distinguished by its cultivation techniques focused on economic, social and environmental sustainability. The Institute for Agricultural Research and Training (IFAPA) supports the sustainability and development of this agricultural model through research, training and knowledge transfer projects that seek to improve the capacity of this horticultural sector.

To assess the current situation of Almeria's greenhouses, we conducted a survey of young farmers on the sustainable practices applied in their farms. This survey provided information on the cultivation systems used, the use of organic fertilizers, pest and disease control methods, biodegradable materials used and waste management.

A total of 105 surveys were conducted, revealing that 62% of the greenhouses use conventional cultivation, 24% opt for integrated pest management and 14% for organic. Although the use of phytosanitary products is common, more than half of the respondents use natural enemies and refuge plants and disinfect the soil mainly with solarization. In organic fertilization, manure is the most used. Two thirds of the respondents manage organic waste with specialized companies, while the rest self-manage it by burying or composting. The management of inorganic waste is mostly entrusted to a management company.

Based on this study, we can conclude that the use of natural enemies and refuge plants is becoming a common practice, promoting greenhouse biodiversity; the percentage of self-management of plant waste has increased over the years, although it is still mostly delivered to a composting plant; studies are being carried out on the use of biodegradable materials for greenhouses; and the delivery of inorganic greenhouse waste contributes to reducing its negative effects on the environment.

It is becoming increasingly necessary to look for alternative crops to conventional horticultural crops in greenhouses in order to diversify crops and agricultural products. The protected cultivation of figs can be an interesting alternative crop as consumers increasingly demand products and fruits of all kinds, which have great taste and are grown in an organic and natural way. In addition, demand is increasing in the United States and Europe for fresh, dried and frozen figs. On the other hand, most fig crops are cultivated with a traditional dry farming system, although in recent years the irrigated cultivation area for the fresh and export market is increasing. In recent years, the IFAPA La Mojonera Center has been working on the development of the protected cultivation of fig trees, achieving very good yields. However, the tests carried out in the intensive cultivation of fig trees in greenhouses seem to determine that water consumption is high.

The objective of this work is to find out if the reduction in fertigation volume in fig tree cultivation in a semi-intensive organic system, with consequent savings in water and fertilizers, affects the production and quality of the fruit. For this purpose, the cultivar “San Antonio” was tested in an organic greenhouse with mesh cover, with a planting frame of 4m x 4m and an irrigation system with four drippers of 3 l h^-1 per tree. Two treatments were established, depending on the volume of fertigation provided, with one treatment fertigating for half the time of the other. To evaluate the production of the crop, each harvest was weighed and to determine the quality of the fruit, morphological parameters and chemical and nutritional parameters such as soluble solids, pH, citric acid, vitamin C, carotenes and phenolics were evaluated in the fruit obtained in each of the treatments.

In our growing conditions, the reduction in fertigation volume had no effect on fig production; however, it did affect the soluble solids of the figs, with a higher sugar concentration observed in fruits obtained with a lower fertigation volume.

The fig tree is a profitable and ecologically versatile fruit crop, as it adapts to all types of soils. Agronomically, it is a little-known fruit tree that requires research due to a lack of knowledge about the plant material, the most appropriate cultivation techniques and conditions, and the packaging used for its preservation, especially when intended for fresh consumption.

Among the issues to highlight in modern fig cultivation are the orientation and destination of the product, productivity, fruit size, color, harvesting costs, and timing of the harvest.

The fig tree presents industrial exploitation possibilities that allow for the production of new processed products, jams, syrups, ice cream, and liqueur in order to increase supply and facilitate commercialization in a timely manner.

For generations, traditional fig varieties have been cultivated and selected in different rural areas. These traditional varieties are those that have the best adaptation to local conditions, promote agricultural biodiversity, and promote sustainable farming practices. Furthermore, they are more resistant to disease and adverse climates.

Fig tree planting is part of a strategy developed by several research centers to prevent depopulation in at-risk areas. At the IFAPA La Mojonera center, fig seedlings have been cultivated using ecological techniques, grafted onto the San Antonio rootstock, from five varieties: Pajarera, Negra rabo largo Alpujarra, Verdal, Gota de miel, and Brevera Muleria.

The varieties analyzed have been characterized through the evaluation of various morphological descriptors, both leaf and fruit, as specified by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) and the Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV). The soluble solids content (°Brix) of the different varieties has also been analyzed, as it is the most significant parameter in intrinsic characterization due to its direct relationship with the sweetness and flavor of the fruit.

In terms of fruits, the Negra Rabo Largo Alpujarra cultivar produced the sweetest and highest-quality figs due to their juiciness.

The Verdal cultivar has the largest fruit size, although it has little flavor. It features a large ostiole, which is sensitive to cracking, which can be a disadvantage due to the potential for insect and mite entry, which can lead to internal contamination.

The Pajarera cultivar is the smallest in size, and due to its characteristics, it could be marketed as dried figs.

This work was carried out in the province of Almería (Spain), which has more than 33,464 ha of greenhouses, with bell pepper and tomato crops representing 37.2% and 25.6%, respectively, of the total area. This is why the introduction of other crops is necessary for the diversification of horticultural crops in the area.

The “garrofón” bean or lima bean corresponds to the species Phaseolus lunatus L. and is native to Central and South America. In Spain, it is mainly cultivated in the Valencian Community, mainly because its tender and tasty beans, known as “garrofós”, are used as an ingredient in the preparation of “paellas” (typical culinary dish of Valencia). The fruits are green pods containing several kidney-shaped seeds. The objectives of the trial were to evaluate, characterize, and select the accessions that were best adapted to greenhouse growing conditions and to the climatic conditions of the province of Almería, with milder winters than in its traditional growing area.

A 1000 m² greenhouse trial was carried out under netting, in which the agronomic performance of 7 cultivars of locust bean, 5 accessions from the COMAV germplasm bank (University Institute for the Conservation and Improvement of the Valencian Agrodiversity), and 2 commercial cultivars from the company Intersemillas S.A. (Pintada and Peladilla) was evaluated.

The total production obtained ranged from 7.2 kg.plant^-1 for cultivar BGV016529 to 14.3 kg.plant^-1 for cultivar BGV008283. The commercial cultivars Pintada and Peladilla yielded 9.2 and 10.4 kg plant^-1, respectively. However, no significant differences were obtained between cultivars.

As for quality analysis, all cultivars were first studied for physical parameters (weight, length, and width of the pod; weight, length, and width of the grain; number of grains per pod). As for chemical and nutritional parameters, acidity, texture, pH, soluble solids, and ascorbic acid content were measured.

The analyses showed that the pod length is between 12.9 and 16.1 cm and the width is between 3 and 3.3 cm. The number of grains per pod is 2.4-3.7, with a fresh weight of grain between 2.4 and 3.8 g. Values for acidity (around 0.03%) or ascorbic acid content (0.4 mg AA/100 mg p.f.) were very homogeneous among all the accessions. They did show variability in soluble solids content (between 1.3 and 1.8 ºBrix) or firmness (between 26.8 N and 35 N).