Apples offive cultivars (Braeburn, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Red Chief and Staymared) were harvested four times at weekly intervals. Selected and trained panelists evaluated the intensity of sensory characteristics offiuits after storage (4 months at OC in air) and shelf-life at 20C by descriptive analysis. Sensory attributes were firmness, crispness, mealiness, juiciness, sweetness, sourness and aroma. Harvest time mainly influenced fruit texture after storage: in Staymared the juiciest and the most crispjiuits were those of the intermediate harvests, in Red Chief those of the first harvest, while in Fuji those of the last two harvests. Sensory quality of Braeburn and Golden Delicious was not affected by harvest time. The characterization of apple maturity and cultivars according to the sensory characteristics offiuits can help to idenhfL the fruit best satisfLing the consumers' requirements.
The possible involvement of salicylic acid in systemic acquired resistance of Cucumis sativus against Sphaerotheca fuliginea was studied. Cucumber plants were inoculated with tobacco necrosis virus on the cotyledons and the level of endogenous salicylic acid in the first true leaf was determined by gas chromatography. Salicylic acid increased continously from the second day after virus inoculation to the fifth day, when the same leaf was inoculated with Sphaerotheca fuliginea. In healthy plants, the efficiency of exogenous salicylic acid in inducing resistance was assayed by applying aqueous solutions at different times before Sphaerothecafuliginea inoculation. To evaluate the level of induced resistance, the following parameters were examined by light microscopy: percentage of conidial germination, length of the hyphae derived from single conidia, number of haustoria, percentage of epidermal cells with lignified walls and of necrotic cells underlying fungal hyphae. In treated plants conidial germination was reduced, the total length of the hyphae was shorter, the number of haustoria was lower and the haustoriumcontaining epidermal cells had more frequently lignified walls. Moreover, an evident increase in callose deposition was observed leading to the formation of oversized papillae around the penetration pegs. These results indicate that the application of salicylic acid before inoculation with Sphaerotheca fuliginea reduces the intensity of the infectious process and that salicylic acid is involved in the expression of systemic resistance in cucumber challenged by the biotrophic pathogen Sphaerotheca fuliginea.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.