Water flows in the stem and peduncle of mango fruit were monitored, and the surface transpiration from the fruit was measured during the fruit-growing season. The stem heat balance method was used on the peduncle to monitor the inward water flow during the nighttime, and the reverse water flow from the fruit during the daytime when the stem transpiration water flow increased. This diurnal fluctuation pattern in the water flow was more evident in mature fruit than in young fruit. In mature fruit, the daily water loss due to the reverse flow was estimated to be 3% of the fruit weight. The reverse flow water loss and transpired water loss were compensated for by nocturnal inward water flow, through the peduncle, of 30 g over 15 h. These results were well supported by measurements of fruit dimensions, which indicated a circadian rhythm of contraction and expansion. The reverse flow amounted to 80% of the water loss from the daytime contraction of the fruit, a much greater proportion than the fruit surface transpiration.
In the present study, we investigated a simple pollen preservation method that could be used by growers with the objective of achieving a steady supply of pollen for hand pollination of Japanese pepper (Zanthoxylum piperitum (L.) DC.) in protected cultivation, which enables advance shipping. We used temperature conditions that could be reproduced by home-use refrigerator-freezers. After preserving fresh pollen from the early and full bloom stages at 5°C or −20°C, pollen germination rates were measured on agar media. The results showed that germination rates comparable to fresh pollen were maintained for 20-30 days at 5°C and for 10 months at −20°C. Blooming was observed following hand pollination using fresh pollen or fresh pollen that was washed with an organic solvent and then preserved at −20°C for 10 months. These findings indicate that this method allows the use of pollen from the previous year for hand pollination of Japanese pepper.
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