Bacterial diversity and composition on the rinds of specific melon cultivars and hybrids from across different growing regions in the United States.

The goal of this study was to characterize the bacterial diversity on different melon varieties grown in different regions of the US, and determine the influence that region, rind netting, and variety of melon has on the composition of the melon microbiome. Assessing the bacterial diversity of the microbiome on the melon rind can identify antagonistic and protagonistic bacteria for foodborne pathogens and spoilage organisms to improve melon safety, prolong shelf-life, and/or improve overall plant health. Bacterial community composition of melons (n = 603) grown in seven locations over a four-year period were used for 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and analysis to identify bacterial diversity and constituents.

Discovery and Characterization of Two Highly Divergent Variants of a Novel Species Infecting Madagascar Periwinkle ( ).

During the summer of 2022, a cluster of Madagascar periwinkle plants with white and mauve flowers were observed with foliar mild yellow mosaic symptoms on a private property in Harlingen, Cameron County, Texas. The symptoms were reproduced on mechanically inoculated periwinkle and plants. Virions of 776 to 849 nm in length and 11.

Raman Spectroscopy Detects Changes in Carotenoids on the Surface of Watermelon Fruits During Maturation.

A non-invasive and non-destructive technique, Raman spectroscopy, was explored to distinguish different maturity stages (20, 30, 40, and 50 days after anthesis) of watermelon () fruits from four cultivars: Fascination, Orange Crisp, Amarillo and Crimson Sweet. Spectral acquisition from the fruit surface was carried out at the wavelength range of 400-2,000 cm using a handheld Raman spectrometer equipped with 830 nm laser excitation source. The spectra were normalized at 1,438 cm which was assigned to CH and CH vibration.

Transition of aromatic volatile and transcriptome profiles during melon fruit ripening.

Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is an important diploid crop with a wide variety of flavors due to its distinct aromatic volatile organic compounds (VOC). To understand the development of VOC profiles during fruit development, we performed metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis of two cantaloupe varieties over the course of fruit development.

Frequent asymptomatic infection with tobacco ringspot virus on melon fruit.

Melon is one of the most popular fruits worldwide and has been bred into various cultivars. RNA-sequencing using healthy melon fruit was performed to determine differences in gene expression among cultivars. Unexpected RNA-seq results revealed that viruses asymptomatically infected fruits at a high frequency (16 of 21 fruits examined were infected) and that viral transcripts highly accumulated in comparison with host transcripts (15 %-75 % of total reads).

Unprecedented enhancement of recombinant protein production in sugarcane culms using a combinatorial promoter stacking system.

Plants represent a safe and cost-effective platform for producing high-value proteins with pharmaceutical properties; however, the ability to accumulate these in commercially viable quantities is challenging. Ideal crops to serve as biofactories would include low-input, fast-growing, high-biomass species such as sugarcane. The objective of this study was to develop an efficient expression system to enable large-scale production of high-value recombinant proteins in sugarcane culms.

Stability of yield and its components in grafted tomato tested across multiple environments in Texas.

Grafting with vigorous rootstocks could offer tomato growers in Texas sustainable and efficient option to achieve reliable yield across a range of production systems and locations. Genotypes (G) of grafted and non-grafted tomato were grown in different environments (E) in the 2017 and 2018 spring seasons. The objectives of the study were to (i) evaluate the effects of production system and grafting on tomato yield traits, (ii) determine the size of genotypic and genotype by environment interaction (G × E) variance components, and (iii) evaluate the relative stability of tested genotypes for yield and its components across production environments.

Nanoparticle-Mediated Seed Priming Improves Germination, Growth, Yield, and Quality of Watermelons (Citrullus lanatus) at multi-locations in Texas.

Seed priming uses treatments to improve seed germination and thus potentially increase growth and yield. Low-cost, environmentally friendly, effective seed treatment remain to be optimized and tested for high-value specialty crop like watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) in multi-locations. This remains a particularly acute problem for triploids, which produce desirable seedless watermelons, but show low germination rates.

Physiological Effects of Exogenously Applied Reflectants and Anti-Transpirants on Leaf Temperature and Fruit Sunburn in Citrus.

High temperatures and drought are common stresses limiting crop growth and productivity in subtropical regions where citrus are produced. In addition to impacts on physiological processes such as transpiration, photosynthesis, and respiration, excessive solar radiation can also reduce fruit productivity by inducing physiological disorders such as sunburn. This study evaluated the effects of radiation reflectants and anti-transpirants on leaf physiology, and fruit sunburn in grapefruit trees ( Macfs.

Transcriptomic analysis of transgressive segregants revealed the central role of photosynthetic capacity and efficiency in biomass accumulation in sugarcane.

Sugarcane is among the most efficient crops in converting solar energy into chemical energy. However, due to its complex genome structure and inheritance, the genetic and molecular basis of biomass yield in sugarcane is still largely unknown. We created an F2 segregating population by crossing S.

Contrasting amino acid profiles among permissive and non-permissive hosts of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, putative causal agent of Huanglongbing.

Huanglongbing is a devastating disease of citrus. In this study, a comprehensive profile of phloem sap amino acids (AA) in four permissive host plants of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) and three non-permissive Rutaceae plants was conducted to gain a better understanding of host factors that may promote or suppress the bacterium. The AA profiles of Diaphorina citri nymphs and adults were similarly analyzed.

Provitamin A biofortification of cassava enhances shelf life but reduces dry matter content of storage roots due to altered carbon partitioning into starch.

Storage roots of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz), a major subsistence crop of sub-Saharan Africa, are calorie rich but deficient in essential micronutrients, including provitamin A β-carotene. In this study, β-carotene concentrations in cassava storage roots were enhanced by co-expression of transgenes for deoxy-d-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase (DXS) and bacterial phytoene synthase (crtB), mediated by the patatin-type 1 promoter. Storage roots harvested from field-grown plants accumulated carotenoids to ≤50 μg/g DW, 15- to 20-fold increases relative to roots from nontransgenic plants.

Quality Matters: Influences of Citrus Flush Physicochemical Characteristics on Population Dynamics of the Asian Citrus Psyllid (Hemiptera: Liviidae).

Studies were conducted to relate the influence of the physical characteristics, leaf nutrient content and phloem sap amino acid concentration of citrus flush shoots on the densities of various Diaphorina citri life stages. Adult D. citri preferentially selected young shoots for feeding and numbers of D.

Enhanced Acquisition Rates of 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' by the Asian Citrus Psyllid (Hemiptera: Liviidae) in the Presence of Vegetative Flush Growth in Citrus.

The Asian citrus psyllid preferentially feeds and exclusively reproduces on young, newly emerged flush shoots of citrus. Asian citrus psyllid nymphs feed and complete their life stages on these flush shoots. Recent studies conducted under greenhouse conditions have shown that the transmission rates of 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' (CLas), the putative causal agent of huanglongbing disease of citrus, are enhanced when flush shoots are present.

Spectral quality of photo-selective nets improves phytochemicals and aroma volatiles in coriander leaves (Coriandrum sativum L.) after postharvest storage.

The influence of spectral light on leaf quality and phytochemical contents and composition of aroma compounds in coriander leaves grown for fresh use under photo-selective nets; pearl net [40% shading; and 3.88 blue/red ratio; 0.21 red/far red ratio; photosynthetic radiation (PAR) 233.

Postharvest responses of red and yellow sweet peppers grown under photo-selective nets.

Postharvest responses of red ('HTSP-3') and yellow ('Celaya') sweet pepper fruit yield, quality parameters and bioactive compounds (to three types of photo-selective nets and a standard black net) were investigated in this study. Red and yellow peppers produced under the black net retained higher β-carotene, lower total phenolic contents and showed deep red and orange colour after storage. Both peppers produced under the pearl net retained a higher ascorbic content, antioxidant scavenging activity, fruit firmness and also reduced weight loss after storage.

Summer (subarctic) versus winter (subtropic) production affects spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) leaf bionutrients: vitamins (C, E, Folate, K1, provitamin A), lutein, phenolics, and antioxidants.

Comparison of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) cultivars Lazio and Samish grown during the summer solstice in the subarctic versus the winter solstice in the subtropics provided insight into interactions between production environment (light intensity), cultivar, and leaf age/maturity/position affecting bionutrient concentrations of vitamins (C, E, folate, K1, provitamin A), lutein, phenolics, and antioxidants. Growing spinach during the winter solstice in the subtropics resulted in increased leaf dry matter %, oxidized (dehydro) ascorbic acid (AsA), α- and γ-tocopherol, and total phenols but lower reduced (free) AsA, α-carotene, folate, and antioxidant capacity compared to summer solstice-grown spinach in the subarctic.

Variation of antioxidant activity and the levels of bioactive compounds in lipophilic and hydrophilic extracts from hot pepper (Capsicum spp.) cultivars.

Peppers (Capsicum spp.) are a rich source of diverse bioactive compounds with potential health-promoting properties. This study investigated the extraction efficiency of five solvents on antioxidant activities from cayenne (CA408 and Mesilla), jalapeño (Ixtapa) and serrano (Tuxtlas) pepper cultivars.

Simultaneous quantification of capsaicinoids and ascorbic acid from pungent peppers.

The development of simultaneous extraction and determination of bioactive molecules from natural products is becoming more popular. The present study reports the development of a method for the simultaneous extraction and determination of both capsaicinoids and ascorbic acid in peppers. Capsaicin (341.

Influence of extraction solvents on antioxidant activity and the content of bioactive compounds in non-pungent peppers.

Bioactive compounds in foods have been shown to maintain human health. However, the relative amounts of bioactive compounds and the variation in the amounts are still poorly understood. In this study, the efficacy of different extraction solvents (hexane, ethyl acetate, acetone, methanol, and a methanol:water mixture), as well as the levels of certain bioactive compounds in non-pungent pepper cultivars (TMH, TMJ, PA137, and B58) were investigated using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Isolating promoters of multigene family members from the polyploid sugarcane genome by PCR-based walking in BAC DNA.

The availability of a wider range of promoters for regulated expression in valuable transgenic crops would benefit functional genomics studies and current biotechnology programs aimed at improved productivity. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based genome walking techniques are commonly used to isolate promoters or 5' flanking genomic regions adjacent to known cDNA sequences in genomes that are not yet completely sequenced. However, these techniques are problematic when applied directly to DNA isolated from crops with highly complex and large genomes.

Characterization of shortday onion cultivars of 3 pungency levels with flavor precursor, free amino acid, sulfur, and sugar contents.

This study was conducted to characterize shortday onions of 3 pungency levels with regard to the composition of flavor related compounds. A total of 9 onion breeding lines/cultivars were selected, per each of low, medium, and high pungency level, with pyruvic acid contents of 1.9 to 2.

Superoxide dismutase activity in mesocarp tissue from divergent Cucumis melo L. genotypes.

Muskmelons (Cucumis melo L.) are well-known as excellent sources of several vitamins, minerals and non-enzymatic antioxidant phytochemicals such as vitamin C and pro-vitamin A. Less well-studied is their potential role as sources of enzymatic antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), which have been associated with enhanced reactive oxygen species scavenging capacity in some muskmelon fruits.

Moderate shade can increase net gas exchange and reduce photoinhibition in citrus leaves.

Daily variations in net gas exchange, chlorophyll a fluorescence and water relations of mature, sun-acclimated grapefruit (Citrus paradisi Macfady.) and orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) leaves were determined in tree canopies either shaded with 50% shade screens or left unshaded (sunlit).