Search Results (997)

Produce supply chains play a critical role in ensuring fruits and vegetables reach consumers efficiently, affordably, and at optimal freshness. In recent decades, hub-and-spoke network models have emerged as valuable tools for optimizing sustainable cold food supply chains. Traditional optimization efforts typically focus on removing inefficiencies, minimizing lead times, refining inventory management, strengthening supplier relationships, and leveraging technological advancements for better visibility and control. However, the majority of models rely on deterministic approaches that overlook the inherent uncertainties of crop yields, which are further intensified by climate variability. Rising atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, along with shifting temperature patterns and extreme weather events, have a substantial effect on crop productivity and availability. Such uncertainties can prompt distributors to seek alternative sources, increasing costs due to supply chain reconfiguration. This research introduces a stochastic hub-and-spoke network optimization model specifically designed to minimize transportation expenses by determining optimal distribution routes that explicitly account for climate variability effects on crop yields. A use case involving a cold food supply chain (CFSC) was carried out using several weather scenarios based on climate models and real soil data for California. Strawberries were selected as a representative crop, given California’s leading role in strawberry production. Simulation results show that scenarios characterized by increased rainfall during growing seasons result in increased yields, allowing distributors to reduce transportation costs by sourcing from nearby farms. Conversely, scenarios with reduced rainfall and lower yields require sourcing from more distant locations, thereby increasing transportation costs. Nonetheless, supply chain configurations may vary depending on the choice of climate models or weather prediction sources, highlighting the importance of regularly updating scenario inputs to ensure robust planning. This tool aids decision-making by planning climate-resilient supply chains, enhancing preparedness and responsiveness to future climate-related disruptions. Full article

Vegetables and fruits grown in urban areas pose a potential threat to human health due to contamination with heavy metals (HMs). This study aimed to identify and quantify the concentrations of heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd) in tomatoes, leafy vegetables, and fruits collected from 16 allotment gardens (AGs) located in Warsaw. A total of 112 samples were analyzed (72 vegetable and 40 fruit samples). Vegetables from AGs accumulated significantly higher levels of HMs than fruits. Leafy vegetables, particularly those cultivated near high-traffic roads, exhibited markedly elevated levels of Pb, Cd, and Zn compared to those grown in peripheral areas. Lead concentrations exceeded permissible limits by six to twelve times, cadmium by one to thirteen times, and zinc by 0.7 to 2.4 times. Due to high levels of Pb and Cd, tomatoes should not be cultivated in urban environments. Regardless of location, only trace amounts of HMs were detected in fruits. The greatest health risk is associated with the consumption of leafy vegetables. Lettuce should be considered an indicator plant for assessing environmental contamination. The obtained Hazard Index (HI) values indicate that only the tested fruits are safe for consumption. Meanwhile, the values of the Hazard Quotient (HQ) indicate no health risk associated with the consumption of lettuce, cherries, and red currants. Among the analyzed elements, Pb showed a higher potential health risk than other metals. This study emphasizes the need for continuous monitoring of HM levels in urban soils and the establishment of baseline values for public health purposes. Remediation of contaminated soils and the implementation of safer agricultural practices are recommended to reduce the exposure of urban populations to the risks associated with the consumption of contaminated produce. In addition, the safety of fruits and vegetables grown in urban areas is influenced by the location of the AGs and the level of industrialization of the agglomeration. Therefore, the safety assessment of plant products derived from AGs should be monitored on a continuous basis, especially in vegetables. Full article

Recent years have seen significant interest among agricultural researchers in using robotics and machine vision to enhance intelligent orchard harvesting efficiency. This study proposes an improved hybrid framework integrating YOLO VX deep learning, 3D object recognition, and SLAM-based navigation for harvesting ripe fruits in greenhouse environments, achieving servo control of robotic arms with flexible end-effectors. The method comprises three key components: First, a fruit sample database containing varying maturity levels and morphological features is established, interfaced with an optimized YOLO VX model for target fruit identification. Second, a 3D camera acquires the target fruit’s spatial position and orientation data in real time, and these data are stored in the collaborative robot’s microcontroller. Finally, employing binocular calibration and triangulation, the SLAM navigation module guides the robotic arm to the designated picking location via unobstructed target positioning. Comprehensive comparative experiments between the improved YOLO v12n model and earlier versions were conducted to validate its performance. The results demonstrate that the optimized model surpasses traditional recognition and harvesting methods, offering superior target fruit identification response (minimum 30.9ms) and significantly higher accuracy (91.14%). Full article

In social networks like community Question-Answering (cQA) services, members interact with each other by asking and answering each other’s questions. This way they find counsel and solutions to very specific real-life situations. Thus, it is safe to say that community fellows log into this kind of social network with the goal of satisfying information needs that cannot be readily resolved via traditional web searches. And in order to expedite this process, these platforms also allow registered, and many times unregistered, internauts to browse their archives. As a means of encouraging fruitful interactions, these websites need to be efficient when displaying contextualized/personalized material and when connecting unresolved questions to people willing to help. Here, demographic factors (i.e., gender) together with frontier deep neural networks have proved to be instrumental in adequately overcoming these challenges. In fact, current approaches have demonstrated that it is perfectly plausible to achieve high gender classification rates by inspecting profile images or textual interactions. This work advances this body of knowledge by leveraging lexicalized dependency paths to control the level of abstraction across texts. Our qualitative results suggest that cost-efficient approaches exploit distilled frontier deep architectures (i.e., DistillRoBERTa) and coarse-grained semantic information embodied in the first three levels of the respective dependency tree. Our outcomes also indicate that relative/prepositional clauses conveying geographical locations, relationships, and finance yield a marginal contribution when they show up deep in dependency trees. Full article

Tomato is the most widely cultivated fruit–vegetable worldwide, and the tomato leafminer (Tuta absoluta) is the primary pest of this crop. In this context, biological control using parasitoids belonging to the genus Trichogramma is crucial. This study aimed to evaluate the biological characteristics of T. pretiosum strains collected from different locations and exposed to eggs from various T. absoluta populations/generations, using parameters such as parasitism capacity, viability (percentage of emergence), sex ratio, and female longevity. The presence of endosymbionts in the T. absoluta populations was also assessed. The experiment followed a randomized design, with treatments consisting of eggs from T. absoluta populations collected in different years (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023) and different strains of T. pretiosum. We used 20 replicates, with one female per replicate in each treatment, organized in a 5 × 4 factorial scheme (five populations of T. absoluta × four strains of T. pretiosum). The S2 strain of T. pretiosum was found to be the most efficient in terms of biological characteristics for parasitism of T. absoluta eggs, especially in T. absoluta populations collected in recent years (2022 and 2023). These results suggest that S2 is the preferred strain for future studies aimed at using this parasitoid as a control agent to combat T. absoluta. The endosymbionts Arsenophonus and Serratia were identified in T. absoluta populations collected in 2019–2020 and 2020–2021, respectively. These findings highlight the presence of these microorganisms in pest populations in different years. Full article

This study evaluated the phenolic, carotenoid, and elemental compositions of three hawthorn species—Crataegus: C. tanacetifolia (yellow), C. orientalis (orange), and C. microphylla (red)—collected from Şebinkarahisar, Türkiye. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) analysis revealed that C. microphylla had the highest phenolic content, notably epicatechin, gallic acid, and quercetin. It also showed the highest levels of β-carotene and lutein, highlighting its nutraceutical potential. C. orientalis was rich in rutin and taxifolin. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) results showed significant mineral content, including Fe, Mn, Ca, and Se. About 60 g of dried hawthorn could meet 7–8% of daily selenium needs. In C. tanacetifolia, toxicological tests showed no substantial health hazards, with target hazard quotient (THQ) values below 1 and carcinogenic risk (CR) values within tolerable levels (e.g., Ni-CR: 4.68 × 10⁻⁵). Lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) levels were below detection thresholds in all samples, indicating that hawthorn fruits from this location are safe. The study also shows how species-specific and geographical factors affect hawthorn fruit nutrition and safety. Full article

Gray mold disease, caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea, affects a wide variety of plants. In this study, we conducted several in vitro tests and genomic analyses on three strains of this fungus (BcPgIs-1, BcPgIs-3, MIC) previously isolated from diseased pomegranate fruits, collected at two geographic locations in Mexico. Our goal was to identify possible differences among these strains. The development of the three strains in distinct culture media, the production of extracellular enzymes, and their effect on the progression of infection in pomegranate fruits were evaluated. The genomes were sequenced using the Illumina platform and analyzed with various bioinformatics tools. All strains possess genetic determinants for virulence and cell wall polymer degradation, but MIC exhibited the highest pectinolytic activity in vitro. This strain also produced sclerotia in a shorter time (7 days) in PDA medium. BcPgls-3 demonstrated the highest conidia production across all the culture media used. Both BcPgls-3 and MIC damaged all the pomegranate fruits 8 days after inoculation, while the BcPgls-1 required up to 9 days. Sequencing of the three strains yielded high-quality sequences, resulting in a total of 17 scaffolds and genomes that exceed 41 million bp, with a GC content of approximately 42%. Phylogenomic analysis indicated that the MIC strain is situated in a group separate from BcPgIs-1 and BcPgIs-3. BcPgIs-3 possesses more coding sequences, but MIC has more genes for CAZymes and peptidases. The three strains share 10,174 genes, while BcPgIs-3 and MIC share 851. These findings highlight the differences among the strains studied, which may reflect their adaptive capacities to their environment. Results contribute to our understanding of the biology of gray mold in pomegranates and could assist in developing more effective control strategies. Full article

Fruiting body formation in edible fungi is a critical development process for both scientific understanding and industrial cultivation, yet the underlying genetic mechanisms remain poorly elucidated. This study aimed to identify key genes regulating monokaryotic fruiting in Flammulina filiformis. A genetic segregation population was constructed through selfing purification and hybrid segregation of the FF002 strain, followed by mapping candidate genes with bulked segregant analysis sequencing (BSA-seq). A 10 kb genomic region on scaffold19 was identified, pinpointing the gene FV-L110034160, which encodes a U2 snRNP complex component involved in pre-mRNA splicing. A T→G SNP located 121 bp downstream of the ATG codon caused a serine-to-alanine substitution, disrupting a conserved domain and altering fruiting phenotypes. Phylogenetic analysis further revealed conservation of this gene in fungal genera. These findings elucidate a key regulatory gene controlling monokaryotic fruiting in F. filiformis, providing novel insights into fruiting body formation mechanisms and establishing a foundation for genetic studies in other edible fungi. Full article

Species of Talaromyces C.R. Benj. are valuable biological resources for human beings as competent producers of enzymes, antibiotics, antifungal agents and biopigments, but a comprehensive taxonomic system at the series level has not been fully provided for this genus. In this study, three new series, Palmarum, Resedani and Subinflati, are proposed in section Subinflati. Section Trachyspermi is also restructured to include five series, in which Diversi, Erythromelles, Miniolutei and Resinarum are newly erected, and Trachyspermi is emended. Additionally, four new species are discovered: T. elephas, T. sinensis and T. xishuangbannaensis isolated from rotten fruit husk in Yunnan Province, China, belonging to the series Erythromelles, Subinflati and Miniolutei, respectively, and T. tianshanicus from soil in Uzbekistan, located in ser. Diversi. Morphological distinctions, including colony characteristics, conidiophore structures, and conidial morphologies, along with phylogenetic analyses based on multi-locus datasets (ITS, BenA, CaM and RPB2), confirm their novelty to science. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of the new species are given. The proposed classification of Talaromyces at the series level provides a refined infrageneric framework and facilitates taxonomic stability and future biodiversity studies. Full article

Citrus is one of the most widely consumed fruits in the world, and its cultivation industry continues to develop rapidly. However, the roles of soil protistan communities during citrus growth are not yet fully understood, despite the potential significance of these communities to the health and quality of citrus. In this study, we examined the soil properties and protistan communities in Eureka lemon farmlands located in Chongqing, China, during the flowering and fruiting stages of cultivation, both in greenhouse and open-field settings. In general, the majority of the measured soil properties (including nutrients and enzyme activities) exhibited higher values in open-field farmlands in comparison to those observed in greenhouse counterparts. According to the results of high-throughput sequencing based on the V9 region of eukaryotic 18S rRNA gene, the diversity of soil protistan communities was also higher in open-field farmlands, and both lemon growth stage and cultivation modes showed significant effects on soil protistan compositions. The transition from traditional agricultural practices to greenhouse farming resulted in a significant transformation of the soil protistan community. This transformation manifested as a shift towards a state characterized by diminished nutrient cycling capabilities. This decline was evidenced by an increase in phototrophs (Archaeplastida) and a concomitant decrease in consumers (Stramenopiles and Alveolata). Community assembly analysis revealed deterministic processes that controlled the succession of soil protistan communities in lemon farmlands. It has been established that environmental associations have the capacity to recognize nitrogen in soils, thereby providing a deterministic selection process for protistan community assembly. Furthermore, a production index was calculated based on 12 quality parameters of lemons, and the results indicated that lemons from greenhouse farms exhibited a lower quality compared to those from open fields. The structure equation model revealed a direct correlation between the quality of lemons and the cultivation methods employed, as well as the composition of soil protists. The present study offers insights into the mechanisms underlying the correlations between the soil protistan community and lemon quality in response to changes in the cultivation modes. Full article

European plum (Prunus domestica) is among the most important stone fruits cultivated worldwide. However, its production is significantly affected by fungal brown rot disease, caused by Monilinia spp. pathogens, which threaten the crop throughout the entire vegetation period. This study aimed to visually assess brown rot resistance and susceptibility in European plum and to perform whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of selected cultivars and hybrids grown in Lithuania, with the goal of identifying candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with disease response. WGS was performed for 20 European plum cultivars and hybrids with known resistance or susceptibility profiles, generating over 1,4 million SNPs. These SNPs were filtered to identify genetic variants associated with brown rot disease. Three candidate SNPs were found to be significantly associated with disease response (located on chromosomes G5 and G8) and one linked to susceptibility (on chromosome G5). Identified SNPs were located in genes encoding alcohol dehydrogenase family enzymes (resistant cultivars, G5 chromosome) and beta-glucosidase family enzymes (variants found in both resistant and susceptible cultivars, G5 chromosome), which are important for plant biotic stress response. The findings of this study provide a valuable foundation for the development of molecular markers for identifying resistant and susceptible cultivars and may inform future European plum breeding programs. Full article

The unique microbial communities present on fruit surfaces significantly influence the fermentation process and product quality of artisanal cider production, constituting a microbial terroir analogous to that recognized in viticulture. In this study, we investigated the microbial composition and diversity associated with the apple varietals (Empire, Golden Delicious, and Idared) cultivated by two different orchard producers in the Hudson River Valley of New York. Using 16S rRNA and ITS amplicon sequencing, we identified distinct bacterial and fungal communities that varied significantly according to the apple varietal and orchard location. Notably, the orchard was the dominant factor shaping both the bacterial and fungal communities on the apples’ surfaces, with the varietal differences also playing a significant, albeit secondary, role. For example, we found that the bacterial genera Acidophilim sp. and 1174-901-12 sp., as well as the fungus Sporobolmyces patagonicus, were important markers of the orchard in which the apples were cultivated. These microbial signatures persisted into the early stages of cider fermentation, suggesting their potential influence on the cider quality and flavor profile. Our findings underscore the critical importance of the microbial terroir in cider production, and suggest that targeted management practices can leverage regional microbial diversity to enhance the distinctiveness and marketability of artisanal cider products. Full article

Flavonoids are an important type of bioactive substance contained in jujubes. Flavonol synthase (FLS) is a key enzyme for the synthesis of flavonoids such as flavonols and anthocyanins. To study the biological functions of FLS in jujubes, we cloned the ZjFLS gene; analyzed its physicochemical properties and evolutionary relationships; and then conducted an expression characteristic analysis, subcellular localization, prokaryotic expression and heterologous overexpression in Arabidopsis thaliana. The results showed that the length of ZjFLS is 951 bp, and it encodes 316 amino acids. A sequence analysis revealed that ZjFLS exhibited a high degree of conservation in evolution. The results of a qRT-PCR analysis indicated that the ZjFLS gene could be expressed in different tissues of jujube: the expression level was the highest in the leaves, followed by the flowers, and the lowest was in the fruits. Within these expression levels, it was higher in young leaves than in mature leaves and higher in the white-ripe-stage fruits than in the semi-red-stage fruits. Subcellular localization indicated that the ZjFLS gene was located in the nucleus, cytoplasmic matrix, and cytoplasmic membrane. Our research findings show that the ZjFLS protein can be induced and obtained in the prokaryotic expression system and successfully purified. It mainly exists in the form of inclusion bodies and has a relatively low content in the soluble supernatant. The total flavonoid content of Arabidopsis thaliana strains with a heterologous overexpression of the ZjFLS gene was significantly higher than that of the wild type, confirming that the ZjFLS gene can promote the biosynthesis of flavonoid substances. Full article

Dried fruits, which are widely produced in different parts of the world, and, especially in the Mediterranean basin, are broadly known for their durability and their nutritional value. This is primarily due to their ability to be stored for long periods of time and their concentrated nutrient content. However, these fruits can be at risk of contamination by specific stored-product insects and various toxigenic fungal species at different stages of their production process, including cultivation, harvesting, processing, drying, and storage. As a result, the dried fruits that are consumed may contain mycotoxins, which pose a potential risk for human health. The risk is significant in both industrialized and developing nations, as climate change and inadequate sanitation practices contribute to the proliferation of mycotoxins in these commodities. It is worth noting that there are several factors that contribute to the production of mycotoxins, such as the type of fruit, geographical location, climatic conditions, harvest treatments, and storage management practices, with specialized insects, known as “stored-product insects”, playing a crucial role in this latter stage. Therefore, it is critically important to gain a comprehensive understanding of the interaction among insects, fungi, and mycotoxins to effectively mitigate this problem. In this review, the primary objective is to bridge the knowledge gap by consolidating data from various regions to gain a global perspective on this topic. Full article

The fig (Ficus carica L.) is one of the oldest fruit crops cultivated in arid and semi-arid regions, valued for both its nutritional and economic importance; thus, ensuring sustainable fig production under climate change conditions is very important, as water scarcity increasingly affects fruit quality and production. Selecting and preserving resilient varieties among traditional varieties, representing centuries of local adaptation, is a vital strategy for addressing the challenges driven by climate change. In this context, this study assessed the physiological and biochemical parameters of the leaves of four fig landrace varieties (Fassi, Ghouddane, Nabout, and Ounq Hmam) grown in three different Mediterranean transitional zones of northern Morocco (Chefchaouen, Taounate, and Taza), during a single timepoint assessment conducted in late August 2023. The combined effects of location, variety, and their interactions on chlorophyll fluorescence (F_v/F_m), Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD) index, total chlorophyll content (ChlT), canopy temperature depression (CTD), proline content, protein content, total soluble sugar (TSS), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were determined. Significant variation was observed among varieties and locations, with the location effect being observed for proline content, protein content, TSS, CTD, and ChlT, while variety had a stronger influence on SPAD, F_v/F_m, H₂O₂, and MDA. The results showed that Nabout and Ounq Hmam varieties had the greatest photosynthetic efficiency, as indicated by their elevated SPAD index, ChlT, and F_v/F_m values, and showed lower sensitivity to oxidative stress (low proline content, H₂O₂, and MDA levels). In contrast, Ghouddane and Fassi displayed better stress tolerance, presenting higher levels of oxidative stress markers. Among locations, Chefchaouen showed the highest protein, TSS, H₂O₂, and MDA levels, reflecting active stress tolerance mechanisms. These variations were confirmed by principal component analysis, which revealed a clear separation between photosynthetically efficient varieties (Nabout and Ounq Hmam) and stress-tolerant varieties (Ghouddane and Fassi). More than a conventional crop physiology study, this work highlights the adaptive strategies in traditional Mediterranean fig germplasm that could be crucial for climate change adaptation. While our findings are limited to a single season, they offer valuable, practical insights that can inform grower decision-making in the near term, especially when considered alongside local knowledge and additional research. Full article