Naturally russeted and wound russeted skins of mango (cv. 'Apple') show no differences in anatomy, chemical composition or gene expression.

The mango cultivar 'Apple' is commercially important in Kenya but highly susceptible to russeting. Russeting refers to an area of fruit skin where the primary (epidermal) surface has been replaced by a secondary (peridermal) surface. The objective was to establish histologies, gene expressions and chemical compositions of a natural periderm, a wound-induced periderm and of cuticles of an un-russeted skin.

Cracking susceptibility of full-sibs of a cross of a cracking tolerant and cracking susceptible sweet cherry: Relation to cuticle characteristics, microcracking and calcium.

Rain cracking compromises quality and quantity of sweet cherries worldwide. Cracking susceptibility differs among genotypes. The objective was to (1) phenotype the progeny of a cross between a tolerant and a susceptible sweet cherry cultivar for cuticle mass per unit area, strain release on cuticle isolation, cuticular microcracking and calcium/dry mass ratio and (2) relate these characteristics to cracking susceptibilities evaluated in laboratory immersion assays and published multiyear field observations.

Phenotyping 172 strawberry genotypes for water soaking reveals a close relationship with skin water permeance.

Water soaking is a commercially important disorder of field-grown strawberries that is exacerbated by surface wetness and high humidity. The objective was to establish the effect of genotype on susceptibility to water soaking. Three greenhouse-grown model 'collections' were used comprising a total of 172 different genotypes: (1) a segregating F2 population, (2) a collection of strawberry cultivars and breeding clones, and (3) a collection of wild species.

Cuticle deposition ceases during strawberry fruit development.

Background: Ideally, the barrier properties of a fruit's cuticle persist throughout its development. This presents a challenge for strawberry fruit, with their rapid development and thin cuticles. The objective was to establish the developmental time course of cuticle deposition in strawberry fruit.

Constitutive expression of apple endo-POLYGALACTURONASE1 in fruit induces early maturation, alters skin structure and accelerates softening.

During fruit ripening, polygalacturonases (PGs) are key contributors to the softening process in many species. Apple is a crisp fruit that normally exhibits only minor changes to cell walls and limited fruit softening. Here, we explore the effects of PG overexpression during fruit development using transgenic apple lines overexpressing the ripening-related endo-POLYGALACTURONASE1 gene.