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Allelopathic effects of juglone and walnut leaf extracts from Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.) on yield, growth, chemical and plant nutrient element composition of the day-neutral strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa L.) cultivar Fern were investigated as part of an effort to identify tolerant species to plant adjacent to walnut. Strawberry plants were treated with juglone (5-hydroxy-1.4 naphthoquinone, 1mM) and walnut leaf extracts (undiluted, 1:2, 1:4, 1:8 diluted). Vegetative and reproductive plant growth was inhibited strongly by the treatment of both juglone and undiluted walnut leaf extracts. Fruit yield per plant, the number of fruit per plant, average fruit weight, crowns per plant, number of leaves, leaf area, fresh root weight, total soluble solid (TSS), vitamin C and acidity were reduced by juglone treatment compared to the control. All nutrient elements analyzed in the leaves generally were lower than the control for all treatments except 1:8 diluted.

The efficient use of sorghum as a renewable energy source requires high biomass yields and reduced agricultural inputs. Hybridization of Sorghum bicolor with wild Sorghum halepense can help meet both requirements, generating high-yielding and environment friendly perennial sorghum cultivars. Selection efficiency, however, needs to be improved to exploit the genetic potential of the derived recombinant lines and remove weedy and other wild traits. In this work, we present the results from a Genome-Wide Association Study conducted on a diversity panel made up of S. bicolor and an advanced population derived from S. bicolor × S. halepense multi-parent crosses. The objective was to identify genetic loci controlling biomass yield and biomass-relevant traits for breeding purposes. Plants were phenotyped during four consecutive years for dry biomass yield, dry mass fraction of fresh material, plant height and plant maturity. A genotyping-by-sequencing approach was implemented to obtain 92,383 high quality SNP markers used in this work. Significant marker-trait associations were uncovered across eight of the ten sorghum chromosomes, with two main hotspots near the end of chromosomes 7 and 9, in proximity of dwarfing genes Dw1 and Dw3 . No significant marker was found on chromosomes 2 and 4. A large number of significant marker loci associated with biomass yield and biomass-relevant traits showed minor effects on respective plant characteristics, with the exception of seven loci on chromosomes 3, 8, and 9 that explained 5.2–7.8% of phenotypic variability in dry mass yield, dry mass fraction of fresh material, and maturity, and a major effect ( R 2 = 16.2%) locus on chromosome 1 for dry mass fraction of fresh material which co-localized with a zinc-finger homeodomain protein possibly involved in the expression of the D (Dry stalk) locus. These markers and marker haplotypes identified in this work are expected to boost marker-assisted selection in sorghum breeding.

This chapter focuses on the physicochemical characteristics (soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity and volatile compounds) and nutritional (carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, sugars, organic acids, minerals and vitamins) and non-nutritional composition of sweet and sour cherry fruits. Some non-nutrient food constituents of sweet and sour cherry fruits, such as phytochemicals, phytonutrients, plant secondary metabolites and biologically active and health-promoting compounds, are also presented.

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