Abstract
Apple maturity is often assessed by starch hydrolysis index, skin color, soluble solids, flesh firmness, and the rate of ethylene evolution. In red-fruited apple cultivars, the intensity and extent of coloration is an important consideration in determining the time of fruit harvest. Negative relationships have been found between tree nitrogen (N) status and fruit skin pigmentation, but how N affects flesh starch breakdown has not been examined in detail. The objective of this study was to determine how N supply affects flesh starch breakdown relative to skin color development. Seven-year-old ‘Gala’/M.26 trees were provided with four levels of N (8.8, 26.4, 52.7, and 105.4 g N per tree) in a modified Hoagland's solution. The effects of N supply on yield, fruit quality, and fruit maturation were evaluated. At harvest, fruit in the lowest N treatment was significantly smaller and had lower soluble solids but higher starch concentration, better color, and higher firmness than those grown at higher N supplies. Increasing N supply decreased both anthocyanin synthesis and chlorophyll degradation in fruit skin. Flesh starch concentration was higher at higher N supply at 38 days before harvest but was lower at higher N supply at harvest. Starch degradation was completed earlier during cold storage with increasing N supply. These results indicate that increasing N supply delays skin red color development but accelerates flesh starch degradation in ‘Gala’ apples. These differential effects of N supply should be taken into account when assessing fruit maturity for optimizing harvest time.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
At harvest the lowest N treatment gave smaller fruit than higher N supplies.
- Taxon
- Apple
Malus domesticat0 - Material
- ‘Gala’t1
- Organ / stage
- fruite0
- Treatment
- lowest N treatmente0
- Outcome
- fruite0
- Direction
- smallere0
- Comparator
- higher N suppliese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“fruit in the lowest N treatment was significantly smaller and had lower soluble solids but higher starch concentration, better color, and higher firmness than those grown at higher N supplies”
t0“Apple”
t1“‘Gala’/M.26 trees”
Claim · model-written summary
At harvest the lowest N treatment gave lower soluble solids than higher N supplies.
- Taxon
- AppleMalus domesticat0
- Material
- ‘Gala’t1
- Organ / stage
- fruite0
- Treatment
- lowest N treatmente0
- Outcome
- soluble solidse0
- Direction
- lowere0
- Comparator
- higher N suppliese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“fruit in the lowest N treatment was significantly smaller and had lower soluble solids but higher starch concentration, better color, and higher firmness than those grown at higher N supplies”
t0“Apple”
t1“‘Gala’/M.26 trees”
Claim · model-written summary
At harvest the lowest N treatment gave higher starch concentration than higher N supplies.
- Taxon
- AppleMalus domesticat0
- Material
- ‘Gala’t1
- Organ / stage
- fruite0
- Treatment
- lowest N treatmente0
- Outcome
- starch concentratione0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- higher N suppliese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“fruit in the lowest N treatment was significantly smaller and had lower soluble solids but higher starch concentration, better color, and higher firmness than those grown at higher N supplies”
t0“Apple”
t1“‘Gala’/M.26 trees”
Claim · model-written summary
At harvest the lowest N treatment gave better color than higher N supplies.
- Taxon
- AppleMalus domesticat0
- Material
- ‘Gala’t1
- Organ / stage
- fruite0
- Treatment
- lowest N treatmente0
- Outcome
- colore0
- Direction
- bettere0
- Comparator
- higher N suppliese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“fruit in the lowest N treatment was significantly smaller and had lower soluble solids but higher starch concentration, better color, and higher firmness than those grown at higher N supplies”
t0“Apple”
t1“‘Gala’/M.26 trees”
Claim · model-written summary
At harvest the lowest N treatment gave higher firmness than higher N supplies.
- Taxon
- AppleMalus domesticat0
- Material
- ‘Gala’t1
- Organ / stage
- fruite0
- Treatment
- lowest N treatmente0
- Outcome
- firmnesse0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- higher N suppliese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“fruit in the lowest N treatment was significantly smaller and had lower soluble solids but higher starch concentration, better color, and higher firmness than those grown at higher N supplies”
t0“Apple”
t1“‘Gala’/M.26 trees”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing N decreased anthocyanin synthesis in apple skin.
- Taxon
- AppleMalus domesticat0
- Organ / stage
- fruit skine0
- Treatment
- Increasing N supplye0
- Outcome
- anthocyanin synthesise0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Increasing N supply decreased both anthocyanin synthesis and chlorophyll degradation in fruit skin”
t0“Apple”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing N decreased chlorophyll degradation in apple skin.
- Taxon
- AppleMalus domesticat0
- Organ / stage
- fruit skine0
- Treatment
- Increasing N supplye0
- Outcome
- chlorophyll degradatione0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Increasing N supply decreased both anthocyanin synthesis and chlorophyll degradation in fruit skin”
t0“Apple”
Claim · model-written summary
Flesh starch concentration was higher at higher N supply 38 days before harvest.
- Taxon
- AppleMalus domesticat0
- Organ / stage
- Fleshe0
- Treatment
- higher N supplye0
- Outcome
- Flesh starch concentratione0
- Direction
- highere0
- Qualifier
- 38 days before harveste0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Flesh starch concentration was higher at higher N supply at 38 days before harvest but was lower at higher N supply at harvest”
t0“Apple”
Claim · model-written summary
Flesh starch concentration was lower at higher N supply at harvest.
- Taxon
- AppleMalus domesticat0
- Organ / stage
- Fleshe0
- Treatment
- higher N supplye0
- Outcome
- Flesh starch concentratione0
- Direction
- lowere0
- Qualifier
- at harveste0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Flesh starch concentration was higher at higher N supply at 38 days before harvest but was lower at higher N supply at harvest”
t0“Apple”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing N supply led to earlier completion of starch degradation during cold storage.
- Taxon
- AppleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- increasing N supplye0
- Outcome
- Starch degradatione0
- Direction
- earliere0
- Setting
- cold storagee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Starch degradation was completed earlier during cold storage with increasing N supply”
t0“Apple”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing N delayed red skin color development in Gala apples.
- Taxon
- applesMalus domesticae0
- Material
- ‘Gala’e0
- Treatment
- increasing N supplye0
- Outcome
- skin red color developmente0
- Direction
- delayse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“increasing N supply delays skin red color development but accelerates flesh starch degradation in ‘Gala’ apples”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing N accelerated flesh starch degradation in Gala apples.
- Taxon
- applesMalus domesticae0
- Material
- ‘Gala’e0
- Treatment
- increasing N supplye0
- Outcome
- flesh starch degradatione0
- Direction
- acceleratese0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“increasing N supply delays skin red color development but accelerates flesh starch degradation in ‘Gala’ apples”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend accounting for differential N effects when assessing fruit maturity to optimize harvest time.
- Taxon
- AppleMalus domesticat0
- Outcome
- assessing fruit maturity for optimizing harvest timee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“These differential effects of N supply should be taken into account when assessing fruit maturity for optimizing harvest time”
t0“Apple”
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