The influence of altered sink-source balance on the plant growth and yield of greenhouse tomato.

This experiment aimed to investigate the status of tomato plants in terms of sink or source-limitation of 2 cultivars of greenhouse tomato ( L), 'Grandella' and 'Isabella' under the greenhouse conditions of Iran and to improve the yield and plant growth by manipulating the sink-source balance. To this end, 4 treatments were applied: leaves were not pruned and fruits were pruned to one per truss (1F/3L), leaves were not pruned and fruits were pruned to two per truss (2F/3L), leaves were not pruned and fruits were pruned to three per truss (3F/3L) and no leaf and fruit pruning (control). The results showed that truss pruning reduced the sink demand and consequently, increased the amount of available assimilate for the growth of the remaining fruits or vegetative parts.

The role of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in improving iron acquisition by altering physiological and molecular responses in quince seedlings.

Due to insoluble iron (Fe) sources in soil, limited Fe availability leads to the disruption of the photosynthetic apparatus; this affects the growth and productivity of plants such as quince (Cydonia oblonga) that are very sensitive to low Fe content. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) play an important role in the regulation of Fe uptake under its limited availability. Therefore, in this research, two PGPR (Pseudomonas fluorescens and Microccucuce yunnanensis), at two Fe levels [50 μM (Fe-sufficiency) or 5 μM (Fe-deficiency)], were used to investigate the impact of the given bacteria on improving the acquisition of Fe in quince seedlings.

Decreased sink/source ratio enhances hexose transport in the fruits of greenhouse tomatoes: integration of gene expression and biochemical analyses.

To examine the physiological role of hexose transporters in determining the sink strength of individual fruits, the regulation of hexose transporters gene expression was studied when the sink/source ratio was artificially altered under the greenhouse condition; this was done in two cultivars of tomato, i.e. Grandella and Isabella.

Shelf-life and quality attributes in fresh-cut pear cv. Shahmive treated with different kinds of antioxidants.

Synthetic antioxidants can reduce postharvest losses, but consumers are concerned about chemical residues in the product. There is a growing interest in using natural compounds for the preservation of foods. In this study, the efficiency of juices or extracts obtained from three fruit species with high antioxidant activity as browning inhibitors was measured and then compared with that obtained from pomegranate by-product (PBP).

Physiological responses to cadmium stress in strawberry treated with pomegranate peel-activated carbon.

Many reports have already been published regarding the removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions onto activated carbon. However, the biosorbents' effect on the plant response still needs further investigation. In this study, activated carbon derived from the pomegranate peel [pomegranate activated carbons (PAC)] was used to see the effects of the addition of PAC on growing strawberry in Cd-contaminated sand.

Enzyme activity and biochemical changes of three date palm cultivars with different softening pattern during ripening.

The physicochemical composition changes during palm ripening were studied. The activities of invertase and cell wall-modifying enzymes, namely pectin methylesterase (PME), β-galactosidase (β-Gal), endo-1,4-β-D-glucanase (EGase), and cellulase were monitored during growth and ripening of Shahani, Piarom and Deiry cultivars with different textures. Also, we estimated the concentrations of six organic acids by HPLC.