Dare to be resilient: the key to future pesticide-free orchards?

Considering the urgent need for more sustainable fruit tree production, it is high time to find durable alternatives to the systematic use of phytosanitary products in orchards. To this end, resilience can deliver a number of benefits. Relying on a combination of tolerance, resistance, and recovery traits, disease resilience appears as a cornerstone to cope with the multiple pest and disease challenges over an orchard's lifetime.

The Molecular Characterization of a New -Infecting Cheravirus and Complete Genome Sequence of Stocky Prune Virus.

As part of a virome characterization of species, a novel cheravirus was discovered in two wild species, and , and in an apricot () accession. The sequence of the two genomic RNAs was completed for two isolates. The Pro-Pol conserved region showed 86% amino acid (aa) identity with the corresponding region of trillium govanianum cheravirus (TgCV), a tentative member, whereas the combined coat proteins (CPs) shared only 40% aa identity with TgCV CPs, well below the species demarcation threshold for the genus.

Changes in cell wall neutral sugar composition related to pectinolytic enzyme activities and intra-flesh textural property during ripening of ten apricot clones.

The changes of texture and cell wall characteristics of apricot were investigated in ten clones at two maturity stages. Fruit firmness, cell wall composition and enzyme activity of three apricot flesh zones were analysed. The AIS (alcohol-insoluble solids) were characterised by high amounts of uronic acid (179-300 mg g AIS) and relatively high amounts of cellulosic glucose (118-214 mg g AIS).

Genetic Structure of a Worldwide Germplasm Collection of L. Reveals Three Major Diffusion Routes for Varieties Coming From the Species' Center of Origin.

The characterization of the largest worldwide representative data set of apricot ( L.) germplasm was performed using molecular markers. Genetic diversity and structure of the cultivated apricot genetic resources were analyzed to decipher the history of diffusion of this species around the world.

Distinctive Gene Expression Patterns Define Endodormancy to Ecodormancy Transition in Apricot and Peach.

Dormancy is a physiological state that plants enter for winter hardiness. Environmental-induced dormancy onset and release in temperate perennials coordinate growth cessation and resumption, but how the entire process, especially chilling-dependent dormancy release and flowering, is regulated remains largely unclear. We utilized the transcriptome profiles of floral buds from fall to spring in apricot () genotypes with contrasting bloom dates and peach () genotypes with contrasting chilling requirements (CR) to explore the genetic regulation of bud dormancy.

Association of the phenylpropanoid pathway with dormancy and adaptive trait variation in apricot (Prunus armeniaca).

Trees use many mechanisms to adapt and respond to stressful conditions. The phenylpropanoid pathway in particular is known to be associated with a diverse suite of plant stress responses. In this study, we explored the relationship between the phenylpropanoid pathway metabolite production, gene expression and adaptive trait variation associated with floral bud reactivation during and following dormancy in Prunus armeniaca L.

Impact of canning and storage on apricot carotenoids and polyphenols.

Apricot polyphenols and carotenoids were monitored after industrial and domestic cooking, and after 2months of storage for industrial processing. The main apricot polyphenols were flavan-3-ols, flavan-3-ol monomers and oligomers, with an average degree of polymerization between 4.7 and 10.

Relative efficiency of morphological characters and molecular markers in the establishment of an apricot core collection.

In order to optimize the management of genetic resources, in most cases a representative sample of the germplasm collections needs to be developed. The establishment of a core collection is thus of major importance either to minimize the cost associated with the management of the associated germplasm or to apply analysis onto representative bases. In order to select a representative core collection among the Tunisian apricot germplasm of 110 accessions large, the Maximization strategy algorithm was used.

Comparison of the genetic determinism of two key phenological traits, flowering and maturity dates, in three Prunus species: peach, apricot and sweet cherry.

The present study investigates the genetic determinism of flowering and maturity dates, two traits highly affected by global climate change. Flowering and maturity dates were evaluated on five progenies from three Prunus species, peach, apricot and sweet cherry, during 3-8 years. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) detection was performed separately for each year and also by integrating data from all years together.

Pomological and nutraceutical properties in apricot fruit: cultivation systems and cold storage fruit management.

We have investigated the effect of cultivation systems and fruit post-harvest management on the antioxidant properties of apricot fruits. Trees of five cultivars 'Tyrinthos', 'Cafona', 'Bella d'Italia', 'Vitillo' and 'Pellecchiella' were cultivated under integrated and organic systems. Fruits were collected at full maturity stage and analyzed either immediately or after storage at 4+/-0.

Ethylene regulation of carotenoid accumulation and carotenogenic gene expression in colour-contrasted apricot varieties (Prunus armeniaca).

In order to elucidate the regulation mechanisms of carotenoid biosynthesis in apricot fruit (Prunus armeniaca), carotenoid content and carotenogenic gene expression were analysed as a function of ethylene production in two colour-contrasted apricot varieties. Fruits from Goldrich (GO) were orange, while Moniqui (MO) fruits were white. Biochemical analysis showed that GO accumulated precursors of the uncoloured carotenoids, phytoene and phytofluene, and the coloured carotenoid, beta-carotene, while Moniqui (MO) fruits only accumulated phytoene and phytofluene but no beta-carotene.

Genetic linkage maps of two apricot cultivars ( Prunus armeniaca L.) compared with the almond Texas x peach Earlygold reference map for Prunus.

Several genetic linkage maps have been published in recent years on different Prunus species suggesting a high level of resemblance among the genomes of these species. One of these maps (Joobeur et al., Theor Appl Genet 97:1034-1041 [(1998); Aranzana et al.

Genetic diversity in apricot revealed by AFLP markers: species and cultivar comparisons.

The genetic diversity of apricot ( Prunus armeniaca; 2n = 16) was studied using AFLP markers. Forty seven apricot cultivars were selected from the following geographic regions: Europe, North America, North Africa, Turkey, Iran and China. Five EcoRI- MseI AFLP primer combinations revealed 416 legible bands, of which 379 were polymorphic markers.

Efficiency of inoculation of peach GF305 seedlings with Plum pox virus by different methods.

Peach GF305 is frequently used as rootstock in experiments to evaluate the resistance of different species of Prunus to Plum pox virus (PPV) because of its extreme susceptibility. However, transmission of PPV in Prunus species is sometimes problematic due to its low concentration or uneven distribution in these species. To determine the most effective way of transmitting the virus, different infection methods (by aphids, grafting, mechanical infection and injection) were tested using Dideron PPV isolates.

Localization of Plum pox virus in stem and petiole tissues of apricot cultivars by immuno-tissue printing.

Localization of Plum pox virus (PPV) in stem and petiole tissues of four susceptible and four resistant apricot cultivars has been studied. Consecutive 1-mm spaced transverse sections were taken from the tissues and were printed onto nitrocellulose membrane in duplicate. For virus-specific detection, one series of prints was probed with an antibody to PPV coat and the density of stains was evaluated by light microscopy.