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Plants
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Abiotic Stress in Fruit Crops
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Abiotic Stress in Fruit Crops

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Response to Abiotic Stress and Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2020) | Viewed by 15700

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Victor Blanco

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural Engineering, ETSIA, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Paseo Alfonso XIII, 48, 30203 Cartagena, Spain
Interests: irrigation and water management; soil and water conservation; abiotic stress; tree fruit physiology; tree fruit production; climate change and agriculture
Dr. Lee Kalcsits

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Horticulture, Washington State University, 1100 N Western Ave., Wenatchee, WA 98801, USA
Interests: tree fruit physiology; plant nutrition; abiotic stress; impacts of pre harvest environment on post harvest physiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In many fruit-growing regions, water availability, optimum temperatures, and good soil contribute to their suitability for production. However, drought, salt, light, nutrient, and temperature stress can still negatively affect plant productivity. Assessing plant stress resistance to abiotic stress is crucial for the continuity and sustainability of agriculture in regions that are highly vulnerable to extreme weather. Furthermore, climate change has the potential to magnify these common abiotic stress factors, and it is important to understand how fruit production will be affected. These stresses induce morphological, physiological, and biochemical changes affecting vegetative and reproductive responses and fruit quality. These mechanisms and responses to abiotic stress will likely vary across cultivars and crop species. Consequently, adopting new crop management strategies, technologies, and crop systems in addition to developing and evaluating new cultivar/rootstock combinations that maintain productivity and increase resource-use efficiency will be useful to ensure high productivity and quality of perennial fruit crops under a changing climate.

The Special Edition is open to research articles on perennial fruit crops focused on the following topics:

  • Implications of changing climate on productivity of fruit crops;
  • Mechanisms and strategies for improving abiotic stress tolerance;
  • Sustainable water management in fruit trees;
  • Effects of water salinity on fruit crops, vegetative growth and yield;
  • Effects of high temperature and high solar irradiance on fruit trees;
  • Impact of preharvest abiotic stresses on postharvest fruit physiology.

Dr. Victor Blanco
Dr. Lee Kalcsits
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Abiotic stress tolerance
  • Climate change
  • Drought
  • Fruit crops
  • Fruit quality
  • Heat
  • Light
  • Salinity
  • Water management

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 2101 KiB  
Article
Photoselective Protective Netting Improves “Honeycrisp” Fruit Quality
by Sara Serra, Stefano Borghi, Giverson Mupambi, Hector Camargo-Alvarez, Desmond Layne, Tory Schmidt, Lee Kalcsits and Stefano Musacchi
Plants 2020, 9(12), 1708; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9121708 - 4 Dec 2020
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 2741
Abstract
High temperatures, wind, and excessive sunlight can negatively impact yield and fruit quality in semi-arid apple production regions. Netting was originally designed for hail protection, but it can modify the light spectrum and affect fruit quality. Here, pearl, blue, and red photoselective netting [...] Read more.
High temperatures, wind, and excessive sunlight can negatively impact yield and fruit quality in semi-arid apple production regions. Netting was originally designed for hail protection, but it can modify the light spectrum and affect fruit quality. Here, pearl, blue, and red photoselective netting (≈20% shading factor) was installed in 2015 over a commercial “Cameron Select® Honeycrisp” orchard. Our research objectives were to (1) describe the light quantity and quality under the colored nets compared to an uncovered control and (2) investigate the effect of Photoselective nets on “Honeycrisp” apple quality for two growing seasons. Light transmittance and scattering for each treatment were measured with a spectroradiometer, and samples for fruit quality analyses were collected at harvest. PAR (photosynthetic active radiation), UV, blue, red, and far-red light were lower underneath all netting treatments compared to an uncovered control. The scattered light was higher under the pearl net compared to other colors, while red and far-red light were lower under the blue net. For two consecutive years, trees grown under the photoselective nets intercepted more incoming light than the uncovered trees with no differences among the three colors. In both years, trees under red and blue nets had more sunburn-free (clean) apples than pearl and control. Red color development for fruit was lower when nets were used. Interestingly, bitter pit incidence was lower underneath red nets for both years. Other than red color development, “Honeycrisp” fruit quality was not appreciably affected by the use of netting. These results highlight the beneficial effect of nets in improving light quality in orchards and mitigating physiological disorders such as bitter pit in “Honeycrisp” apple. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress in Fruit Crops)
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17 pages, 5615 KiB  
Article
Strawberry FaNAC2 Enhances Tolerance to Abiotic Stress by Regulating Proline Metabolism
by Jiahui Liang, Jing Zheng, Ze Wu and Hongqing Wang
Plants 2020, 9(11), 1417; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9111417 - 23 Oct 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3052
Abstract
The quality and yields of strawberry plants are seriously affected by abiotic stress every year. NAC (NAM, ATAF, CUC) transcription factors are plant-specific, having various functions in plant development and response to stress. In our study, FaNAC2 from strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa [...] Read more.
The quality and yields of strawberry plants are seriously affected by abiotic stress every year. NAC (NAM, ATAF, CUC) transcription factors are plant-specific, having various functions in plant development and response to stress. In our study, FaNAC2 from strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa, cultivar “Benihoppe”) was isolated and found to be a member of the ATAF sub-family, belonging to the NAC family of transcription factors. FaNAC2 was strongly expressed in the shoot apical meristem and older leaves of strawberries, and was induced by cold, high salinity, and drought stress. To investigate how FaNAC2 functions in plant responses to abiotic stress, transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana plants ectopically overexpressing FaNAC2 were generated. The transgenic plants grew better under salt and cold stress, and, during simulated drought treatment, these transgenic lines not only grew better, but also showed higher seed germination rates than wild-type plants. Gene expression analysis revealed that key genes in proline biosynthesis pathways were up-regulated in FaNAC2 overexpression lines, while its catabolic pathway genes were down-regulated and proline was accumulated more with the overexpression of FaNAC2 after stress treatments. Furthermore, the gene expression of abscisic acid biosynthesis was also promoted. Our results demonstrate that FaNAC2 plays an important positive role in response to different abiotic stresses and may be further utilized to improve the stress tolerance of strawberry plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress in Fruit Crops)
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12 pages, 1655 KiB  
Article
Characterization of PcLEA14, a Group 5 Late Embryogenesis Abundant Protein Gene from Pear (Pyrus communis)
by Tomoki Shibuya, Ryota Itai, Minori Maeda, Hiroyasu Kitashiba, Kanji Isuzugawa, Kazuhisa Kato and Yoshinori Kanayama
Plants 2020, 9(9), 1138; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9091138 - 3 Sep 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2002
Abstract
Fruit trees need to overcome harsh winter climates to ensure perennially; therefore, they are strongly influenced by environmental stress. In the present study, we focused on the pear homolog PcLEA14 belonging to the unique 5C late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) protein group for which [...] Read more.
Fruit trees need to overcome harsh winter climates to ensure perennially; therefore, they are strongly influenced by environmental stress. In the present study, we focused on the pear homolog PcLEA14 belonging to the unique 5C late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) protein group for which information is limited on fruit trees. PcLEA14 was confirmed to belong to this protein group using phylogenetic tree analysis, and its expression was induced by low-temperature stress. The seasonal fluctuation in its expression was considered to be related to its role in enduring overwinter temperatures, which is particularly important in perennially. Moreover, the function of PcLEA14 in low-temperature stress tolerance was revealed in transgenic Arabidopsis. Subsequently, the pear homolog of dehydration-responsive element-binding protein/C-repeat binding factor1 (DREB1), which is an important transcription factor in low-temperature stress tolerance and is uncharacterized in pear, was analyzed after bioinformatics analysis revealed the presence of DREB cis-regulatory elements in PcLEA14 and the dormancy-related gene, both of which are also expressed during low temperatures. Among the five PcDREBs, PcDREB1A and PcDREB1C exhibited similar expression patterns to PcLEA14 whereas the other PcDREBs were not expressed in winter, suggesting their different physiological roles. Our findings suggest that the low-temperature tolerance mechanism in overwintering trees is associated with group 5C LEA proteins and DREB1. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress in Fruit Crops)
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17 pages, 4134 KiB  
Article
Water Deficit Timing Affects Physiological Drought Response, Fruit Size, and Bitter Pit Development for ‘Honeycrisp’ Apple
by Michelle Reid and Lee Kalcsits
Plants 2020, 9(7), 874; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9070874 - 9 Jul 2020
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3468
Abstract
Irrigation is critical to maintain plant growth and productivity in many apple-producing regions. ‘Honeycrisp’ apple characteristically develops large fruit that are also susceptible to bitter pit. Limiting fruit size by restricting irrigation may represent an opportunity to control bitter pit in ‘Honeycrisp’. For [...] Read more.
Irrigation is critical to maintain plant growth and productivity in many apple-producing regions. ‘Honeycrisp’ apple characteristically develops large fruit that are also susceptible to bitter pit. Limiting fruit size by restricting irrigation may represent an opportunity to control bitter pit in ‘Honeycrisp’. For three seasons, ‘Honeycrisp’ trees were subject to water limitations in 30-day increments and compared to a fully watered control. Water limitations were imposed from 16–45, 46–75, and 76–105 days after full bloom (DAFB). Soil moisture for the well-watered control was maintained at 80–90% of field capacity for the entire season. For two years, physiological measurements were made every 15 days from 30 to 105 DAFB. Fruit quality, bitter pit incidence, shoot length, and return bloom were also measured to assess impacts on growth and productivity. When water was limited, stomatal conductance and net gas exchange were lower compared to the well-watered control and stem water potential decreased by 30–50% throughout the growing season. Early season water limitations had a lower impact on plant response to abiotic stress compared to late-season limitations. Overall, water deficits during fruit expansion phases contributed to fewer large fruit and decreased overall bitter pit incidence with no negative effects on fruit quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress in Fruit Crops)
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12 pages, 3370 KiB  
Article
Freezing Tolerance and Expression of β-amylase Gene in Two Actinidia arguta Cultivars with Seasonal Changes
by Shihang Sun, Jinbao Fang, Miaomiao Lin, Xiujuan Qi, Jinyong Chen, Ran Wang, Zhi Li, Yukuo Li and Abid Muhammad
Plants 2020, 9(4), 515; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9040515 - 16 Apr 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2843
Abstract
Low temperature causes injuries to plants during winter, thereby it affects kiwi fruit quality and yield. However, the changes in metabolites and gene expression during cold acclimation (CA) and deacclimation (DA) in kiwi fruit remain largely unknown. In this study, freezing tolerance, carbohydrate [...] Read more.
Low temperature causes injuries to plants during winter, thereby it affects kiwi fruit quality and yield. However, the changes in metabolites and gene expression during cold acclimation (CA) and deacclimation (DA) in kiwi fruit remain largely unknown. In this study, freezing tolerance, carbohydrate metabolism, and β-amylase gene expression in two Actinidia arguta cv. “CJ-1” and “RB-3” were detected from CA to DA stages. In all acclimation stages, the “CJ-1” was hardier than “RB-3” and possessed lower semi-lethal temperature (LT50). Furthermore, “CJ-1” had a more rapid acclimation speed than “RB-3”. Changes of starch, β-amylase, and soluble sugars were associated with freezing tolerance in both cultivars. Starch contents continued to follow a declining trend, while soluble sugars contents continuously accumulated in both cultivars during CA stages (from October to January). To investigate the possible molecular mechanism underlying cold response in A. arguta, in total, 16 AcBAMs genes for β-amylase were identified in the kiwi fruit genome. We carried out localization of chromosome, gene structure, the conserved motif, and the analysis of events in the duplication of genes from AcBAMs. Finally, a strong candidate gene named AaBAM3 from AcBAMs was cloned in Actinidia arguta (A. arguta), The real-time qPCR showed that AaBAM3 gene expression in seasonal changes was consistent with changes of soluble sugars. These results reveal that AaBAM3 may enhance the freezing tolerance of A. arguta through increasing soluble sugar content. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress in Fruit Crops)
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