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Valencia' oranges [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck] were harvested at optimal maturity and either dipped in hot water at 53°C for 3 or 6 min or at 48°C for 12 min or cured at 53°C for 1 or 6 h or at 48°C for 12 h. The fruits were not degreened, waxed or treated with any post-harvest fungicides. All fruit samples were stored at 4°C for 6 months following the treatments. Both hot water dip and curing treatments reduced chilling injury and decay when compared with the untreated control. The most effective treatments were curing of fruit at 53°C for 6 h and at 48°C for 12 h. Weight loss and juice yield were higher in cured fruits than those from other treatments, but the heat treatments had no consistent effects on titratable acid, soluble solids, ascorbic acid and peel colour. It was concluded that a prestorage hot water dip and curing at high temperatures might be beneficial in preventing chilling injury and decay of 'Valencia' oranges for 6 months of storage at 4°C.

Hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) is one of the major crops grown and consumed all over the world. Elevated soil salinity causes reduction in crop yield and quality; therefore, several strategies were developed to improve salt-tolerant cultivars. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), small and non-coding RNAs, regulate gene expression at post-transcriptional level and play important roles in stress tolerance. Here, we used a broad-range miRNA-microarray analysis to investigate the root-miRNA profiles of two cultivars, Bezostaja (sensitive) and Seri-82 (tolerant). A total of 44 differentially regulated miRNAs were identified in the 8 × 15K array containing 11 862 plant miRNAs available in the database. Sixteen novel salt-responsive miRNAs were determined in wheat for the first time. The expression of three miRNAs (hvu-miR5049a, ppt-miR1074 and osa-miR444b.2) was up-regulated more than 260-fold in cv. Bezostaja upon salt stress. The target-gene analyses showed that several salt-stress-responsive miRNAs regulate mainly transcription factors such as bHLH135-like, AP2/ERBP, MADS-box and transporters. Gene ontology searches for 565 putative salt-stress-responsive miRNA target-genes revealed 623 processes in 10 different main topics such as metabolic process and response to stimuli. The genome-wide root miRNome study indicates salt-stress-responsive wheat miRNAs and the possible mechanisms behind the tolerance.

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