No abstract

Cross-pollination affects the fruit characteristics of many crops but the effects of cross-pollination on fruit quality of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) are poorly known. This study determined how cross-pollination affects fruit quality of the strawberry cultivar, Redlands Joy, under controlled environment conditions. Plants were allocated to one of four treatments, with all flowers on each plant receiving either: (1) unassisted self-pollination (Autogamy); (2) hand-pollination with Redlands Joy pollen (Self); (3) hand-pollination with cross-pollen from a small-fruited cultivar (Sugarbaby); or (4) hand-pollination with cross-pollen from a large-fruited cultivar (Rubygem). Cross-pollination did not significantly affect plant yield or fruit mass, size, shape, firmness or shelf life. However, cross-pollination affected fruit colour and taste attributes. Cross-pollinated fruit were 3%–5% darker than self-pollinated fruit. They also had 26%–34% lower acidity and 43%–58% higher Brix:acid ratio. Cross-pollination by Sugarbaby increased fruit P, K, Ca, Fe and Mn, but decreased B, Cu and Zn, concentrations. Cross-pollination by Rubygem increased fruit Mn, but decreased K and Na, concentrations and reduced shelf life. Fruit mass, length, diameter and firmness within all treatments increased with increasing numbers of fertilized seeds per fruit. Hand self-pollinated fruit had a higher percentage of fertilized seeds than fruit arising from autogamy and they were also darker, redder, firmer, and had a longer shelf life, higher protein concentration, and lower Al and Na concentrations. The results indicate that strawberry fruit quality can be affected by both the source of pollen and the number of stigmas pollinated.

A study was conducted to test the effect of 58.5 mM maltose, glucose, fructose, galactose and sucrose, and sucrose concentrations of 14.6, 29.2, 58.5 and 117.0 mM supplemented with 200 mg L -1 8-hydroxyquinoline sulphate (HQS) on the vase life and stem fresh weight changes in waxflower (Chamelaucium Desf.). The effect of the interaction between sucrose and HQS concentrations on the vase life of the cultivar 'Alba' was also investigated. All the types of exogenous sugar significantly increased the vase life of flowers, but decreased the vase life of leaves of waxflower cultivars compared with the deionized water controls, except the leaves of 'Lady Stephanie', 'Purple Pride' and 'Mullering Brook'. The flower vase life of almost all the cultivars treated with sucrose was not significantly different from the life of the cultivars kept in fructose and glucose, except 'Laura Mae Pearl', whose flower vase life in sucrose was significantly lower (9.7%) than in fructose. By contrast, the vase life of flowers of the cultivars treated with sucrose was longer than of those in maltose and galactose. At sucrose concentrations of up to 117.0 mM coupled with 200 mg L -1 HQS, the flower vase life of six out of eight cultivars significantly increased, except in 'Laura Mae Pearl' and 'Mullering Brook', whose flower vase life was maximized at the concentrations of 29.2 and 58.5 mM respectively, while the vase life of their leaves decreased. Sucrose concentrations from 14.6 to 29.2 mM coupled with 50 mg L -1 HQS maximized vase life for both the flowers and leaves of 'Alba'. Cultivars with a longer vase life of flowers maintained stem fresh weight above the initial stem fresh weight longer.

A novel protocol for both production and sowing of chrysanthemum synthetic seeds in non-aseptic conditions for large-scale commercialization was successfully established. Effects of the availability of organic compounds, namely MS vitamins and sucrose, inside and outside gelling matrix on the microbial contaminations, plantlet formation and subsequent growth were investigated. Results showed that the presence of organic compounds, either in gelling matrix alone or in both gelling matrix and commercial substrate, caused microbial contaminations in all synthetic seeds and complete inhibition in regrowth. In contrast, the absence of organic compounds in both non-sterile gelling matrix and substrate resulted in 70 % plantlet formation after 6 weeks of sowing. However, organic compounds absent in gelling matrix but present in substrate induced lower plantlet formation frequency (34 %) after 6-week sowing. The removal of organic compounds from both gelling matrix and substrate, in comparison with the removal from only gelling matrix, also stimulated the formation of plantlets having more leaves, longer shoots and roots, and greater fresh and dry biomass accumulation, but equal leaf area, chlorophyll content, and number of nodes and roots. These findings suggest that the eradication of all organic compositions is a prerequisite for practical application of encapsulation technology to the mass production of chrysanthemum plants. AbbreviationsANOVA Analysis of variance CaCl 2 Á2H 2 O Dihydrate calcium chloride DMRT Duncan's multiple range test MS Murashige and Skoog (1962) Na-alginate Sodium-alginate OC free Both artificial endosperm and vermiculite substrate were free of sucrose and MS vitamins OC seed Only artificial endosperm contained 3 % sucrose and MS vitamins OC seed?soil Both artificial endosperm and vermiculite substrate contained 3 % sucrose and MS vitamins OC soil Only vermiculite substrate contained 3 % sucrose and MS vitamins SPAD Special products analysis division

The effects of genotype and vase solutions on the vase lives of waxflower cultivars were studied. The vase life of 16 cultivars derived from different genetic backgrounds showed a variation. The vase life of Chamelaucium uncinatum cultivars held in deionised water was generally the shortest, with four cultivars averaging 9.5 and 8.9 days for flowers and leaves while the vase lives of C. uncinatum × megalopetalum hybrids were on average 16.0 and 25.0 days for flowers and leaves, respectively. The hybrid 'Southern Stars' with C. uncinatum × Verticordia plumosa as parents had the longest flower vase life of 24.9 days, although another Verticordia × Chamelaucium had a 9.5-day flower vase life and other hybrids of the cultivars of C. uncinatum and Verticordia grandis Desf. ('WX73'), C. sp. Gingin Marchantii ('WX97') and C. floriferum ('Lady Stephanie') as a parent had intermediate to short vase lives of 11.4 to 15.5 days. The cultivars responded most to 8-hydroxyquniline sulphate (HQS) + sucrose or HQS + sucrose + silver thiosulphate (STS), being 1.5-to 1.6-folds higher than in deionized water. The cultivars showed a varied response to a vase solution of sucrose + HQS + STS, with which C. uncinatum vase life increased 1.9-fold compared to 1.7-fold for C. megalopetalum. Waxflowers were found to be susceptible to water stress, causing flowers to close and shortening vase life. On average for the 80 cultivar-vase solution combinations tested, flower vase life ended when the stems reached 75.5 ± 5% fresh weigh. Longer vase life cultivars had a greater ability of maintaining a water balance at or above 75% for longer.