• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.517-526
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• 2023

The harvest time of the late-ripening 'Fuji' apple (Malus × domestica) is variable, depending on the coloration of the fruit skin. Ethephon, a plant growth regulator, promotes the ethylene production and induces physiological responses associated with fruit maturation in climacteric fruit crops, such as apples. This study aimed to investigate the effect of ethephon treatment on fruit characteristics after fruit enlargement, with the objective of proposing an economical and stable harvest control method for 'Fuji'/M.26 apples. Fruit characteristics were assessed at 10-days intervals following the application of 100 mg/L ethephon and mixture of 100 mg/L ethephon and 0.5% CaCl₂ at 145 days after full bloom (DAFB). Starch contents of ethephon-treated (ET) and ethephon with CaCl₂-treated (EC) apples began to decrease from 155 DAFB, and the starch contents of ET and EC at 10 days before harvest were similar to those of control at harvest time. Red coloration of fruit skin in EC was lower compared to ET but higher than control. The average fruit firmness was low in ET, while the control and EC exhibited similar levels of firmness. Fruit sugar acid ratios did not show significant differences between treatments. However, the titratable acidity of EC was significantly lower than that of the control at 10 days before harvest. Moreover, fruit sugar acid ratio of ET and EC at 10 days before harvest in 2021 was similar to their sugar acid ratio at harvest time. Therefore, it was thought that fruit maturation and skin coloration could be accelerated by 10 days from the harvest time through the combined treatment of 100 mg/L ethephon and 0.5% CaCl₂ at the end of fruit enlargement in 'Fuji'/M.26.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.587-602
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• 2017

Correlations of soil and leaf nutrients and growth of young 'Enterprise' apple (Malus ${\times}$ domestica Borkh.) trees were analyzed with tree damage, such as Japanese beetle (JB; Popillia japonica Newman)-damaged leaves, vole damage to trunk, tree mortality, and weed density in a certified organic orchard in warm and humid environment of Southern USA. Interaction treatments of four mulch and three fertilizers were applied around trees as follows: mow-and-blow (MB), shredded paper (SP), wood chips (WC), and green compost (GC) as a mulch, with no fertilizer (NF), poultry litter (PL), and commercial organic fertilizer (CF) as a fertilizer applied in April. Vole damage to trunk and weed density were little correlated with mineral nutrients and tree growth. JB-damaged leaves were highly stimulated to 26.5% in GC-treated plots while tree mortality were increased by MB treatments. Biomass production per tree was approximately 3,700 g on the WC- and GC-treated plots, which was two times higher than those values observed on the other two mulch plots. JB-damaged leaves tended to get worse when nutrients in soil and leaf increased through the correlation analysis, with a strong positive relationship ($r^2=0.585$) observed between JB-damaged leaves and trunk cross sectional area, a vegetative indicator. Tree mortality was more negatively associated with nutrient contents and growth of trees than those of soil nutrients. Wood chips was considered for a local organic mulch materials to increase organic matter contents and to produce healthy young trees in Southern USA, with control insect, such as beetle, and vole density in an orchard habitat.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.372-378
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• 2017

For comparison of the transcription profiles in apple (Malus domestica L.) cultivars differing in flesh color expression, two cDNA libraries were constructed. Differences in gene expression between red flesh apple cultivar, 'Redfield' and white flesh apple cultivar, 'Granny Smith' were investigated by next-generation sequencing (NGS). Expressed sequence tag (EST) of clones from the red flesh apple cultivar and white flesh apple cultivar were selected for nucleotide sequence determination and homology searches. High resolution melting (HRM) technique measures temperature induced strand separation of short PCR amplicons, and is able to detect variation as small as one base difference between red flesh apple cultivars and white flesh apple cultivars. We applied high resolution melting (HRM) analysis to discover single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) based on the predicted SNP information derived from the apple EST database. All 103 pairs of SNPs were discriminated, and the HRM profiles of amplicons were established. Putative SNPs were screened from the apple EST contigs by HRM analysis displayed specific difference between 10 red flesh apple cultivars and 11 white flesh apple cultivars. In this study, we report an efficient method to develop SNP markers from an EST database with HRM analysis in apple. These SNP markers could be useful for apple marker assisted breeding and provide a good reference for relevant research on molecular mechanisms of color variation in apple cultivars.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2016

High temperature is one of the important environmental factors limiting cultivation of apple (Malus domestica Borkh). The expression of genes related with anthocyanin synthesis and sugar accumulation in response to high temperature was studied in the 'Hongro' apple fruits at different developmental stages in different temperature conditions through real-time PCR. Expression of ${\hat{a}}$-amylase (BMY) and polygalacturonase (PG) genes related with sugar synthesis was higher in late ripening stages than in initial ripening stages. Expression of four genes such as phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), chalcone synthase (CHS), flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H), and malate dehydrogenase (MDH), which were related with fruit skin coloration, increased gradually in apple fruits of the middle and late ripening stages. Interestingly, the expressions of all genes were highly inhibited expressed at $30-35^{\circ}C$ compared to $25^{\circ}C$ in all ripening stages. In the further work, investigation of expression levels of various genes could be conducted in the level of transcriptomics in fruits at the middle ripening stages to get meaningful information of ripening metabolism in apple in high temperatures.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.291-296
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• 2017

This study was conducted to evaluate the influence of early defoliation on photosynthesis and carbohydrate reserves when the source leaves of 'Fuji'/M9 apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) trees were removed during the growing period. Bud regrowth rates of 80%, 50% defoliation and non-defoliation treatments were significantly different 82.7%, 45.9% and 2.1% respectively at 30 days after treatment. In all treatments, sucrose and starch concentrations in remaining leaves decreased non-significantly during the 14-day period. No significant changes were observed for total soluble carbohydrates in non-defoliation and 50% defoliation. However, in 80% defoliated treatments, concentrations of sorbitol and total soluble carbohydrates in remaining leaves declined steadily during the 14-day period. It is thought that high sink strength increases the requirements of carbohydrate from remaining leaves more than non-defoliated. The concentrations of starch in the roots tend to decrease non-significantly as percentage of defoliation increased. Photosynthesis of remaining leaves was monitored during the 14-day period after partial defoliation treatments. Net photosynthetic rates (Pn) and stomatal conductance were significantly enhanced in the 80% defoliation. The observed photosynthetic enhancement following partial defoliation may have been due to the enhancement of osmotic potential in leaves. These results were estimated that increasing of photosynthetic rate in the partial defoliation is due to the sink carbohydrate requirements for the current year's secondary growth of buds.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.108-114
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• 2017

The effect of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) at $1.0{\mu}L{\cdot}L^{-1}$ was compared with control and $10{\mu}L{\cdot}L^{-1}$ ethylene treatment to evaluate softening control of apple (Malus ${\times}$ domestica Borkh.) fruit for 180 days at $0.5^{\circ}C$ in the air, followed for 28 days at a room temperature. 1-MCP or 1-MCP+ethylene treatment maintained high fruit titratable acidity and firmness after 120 days during the cold storage, which was similarly observed for 28 days at a room temperature. 1-MCP treatment maintained fruit firmness more than 14 N during the cold storage and shelf-life at room temperature. Fruit surface red color was not consistently affected by the treatments during the cold storage but enhanced more than 4.0 by 1-MCP at 21- and 28-days of room temperature. Control or ethylene treatment advanced overall preceeding of fruit softening as rapid ethylene production and respiration rates at 90 days during the cold storage increased to a climacteric maximum. Therefore, pre 1-MCP-treated fruit maintained high fresh condition at a long-term low storage + approximately one month room temperature-storage under $10{\mu}L{\cdot}L^{-1}$ ethylene treatment.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.133-138
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• 2004

Growth of M.9 (Malus domestica Bark. cv) and M.26 (Malus domestica Bark. cv) of dwarf apple rootstock, cultured on MS agar medium in a vessel with ventilating stopper (VS) and then in vivo rooting and acclimatization under combined-treatment by some materials with IBA, were investigated. Concentration of $CO_2$ and ethylene in the vessel with VS was lower then in the vessel with non-VS. Change of temperature and humidity in the vessel with VS was repeated by light condition. Stomatal pares of tissue in the vessel with VS were immediately closed after plantlets were exposed to room humidity but those in the vessel with non-VS were opened after 20 minutes exposure to room humidity. Leaf area and chloroplast index of tissue in the vessel with VS was higher then in the vessel with non-VS. In vivo rooting ratio and acclimatization ratio of M.9 and M.26 was highest in 300mg/L IBA＋3％ sucrose dip-treatment among other combined- treatments.

• Food Engineering Progress
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.326-331
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• 2017

A cultivar (Malus domestica cv. Fuji) of apple was selected to make apple peel (AP) powder by three different powdering methods. Frozen AP was thawed and subsequently was dried or ground without drying. After AP was dried by hot-air drying at $60^{\circ}C$ or freeze-drying, the dried AP was ground using a conventional blender. Separately, the thawed AP was powered by using a cryogenic micro grinding technology (CMGT). The ground AP and three types of AP powder were extracted using deionized water, 20, 40, 60, 80, or 100% methanol, followed by vacuum evaporation. The total phenolics contents (TPC), total flavonoids contents (TFC), DPPH, and ABTS radical scavenging capacities of each extract were compared to determine an efficient powdering method. Lyophilized AP powder extract using 60% methanol showed the highest TPC and DPPH radical scavenging capacity. In contrast, 60% methanol extract of the powder by CMGT, resulting in the smallest particle, exhibited the highest TFC and ABTS radical scavenging capacity. This study suggests that the extraction yield of bioactive compounds from AP may be varied according to different powdering methods and that a new powdering process such as CMGT may be applicable to develop functional foods efficiently.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.757-763
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• 2012

To acquaint correct information about the fertilizability and analyze S-allele based genetic diversity among Korean apples, we investigated self-incompatibility genotypes by PCR and cross-pollination tests in field. As a consequence, S-genotypes of Korean apples were distributed within narrow genetic diversity as $S_1S_3$ for 'Hongro' and 'Saenara'; $S_1S_9$ for 'Gamhong' and 'Manbok'; $S_3S_5$ for 'Seokwang'; $S_3S_9$ for 'Sunhong', 'Seohong', 'Chukwang', and 'Hwahong'. Coupled with cross-pollination experiments in field, our results provide support for the view that apples are fully compatible when both of their S-loci differ and semi-compatible when they carry one different and one identical S-locus. Furthermore, the results of this study indicate that S-alleles have to be extended to various genotypes for Korean apple breeding.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.280-285
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• 2010

In the course of a searching natural antifungal compounds from plant sources, we found that the methanol extract ($3,000\;{\mu}g/ml$) of Malus domestica fruits had potential of control against rice blast (Magnaporthe grisea) and tomato late blight (Phytophthora infestans). Under bioassay-guided purification, we isolated phloretin, a phenolic compound, with in vivo antifungal activity against M. grisea. By 1-day protective application of phloretin ($500\;{\mu}g/ml$), the compound strongly inhibited the disease development of M. grisea and P. infestans on rice and tomato seedlings, respectively. And red pepper anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum coccodes also was moderately suppressed. However, rice sheath blight (Rhizoctonia solani AG1), and barley powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei) were hardly controlled. In addition, the compound showed in vitro antifungal activity against some plant pathogenic fungi including Phytophthora capsici, Alternaria panax, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, R. solani AG4, and M. grisea. This is the first report on the antifungal activity of phloretin against plant pathogenic fungi.