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Agronomy
Special Issues
Reproductive Biology of Mediterranean, Subtropical and Tropical Crops
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Reproductive Biology of Mediterranean, Subtropical and Tropical Crops

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural and Floricultural Crops".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2024 | Viewed by 3012

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Julián Cuevas González

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Agronomy, University of Almería, ceiA3, 04120 Almería, Spain
Interests: Mediterranean and subtropical fruit crops; pollination; pollen–pistil interaction; fruit set and thinning; fruit crop physiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Virginia Pinillos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agronomy, University of Almería, ceiA3, 04120 Almería, Spain
Interests: Mediterranean and subtropical fruit crops; pollination; pollen–pistil interaction; fruit set and thinning; fruit crop physiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The challenge of feeding an increasing world population demands an increase in food production. The conversion of a flower in a fruit, and ovules into seeds, is a process mediated by pollen–pistil interaction. This interaction is often made possible by efficient pollen transport by insects, more rarely by other animals and by abiotic vectors such as wind and water. The reproductive biology of crops determines in most cases fruit production, size and quality, although parthenocarpic seedless fruits are also becoming increasingly attractive to consumers. Whatever the case, while the reproductive biology of temperate-zone crops has been well known for decades, an emerging complexity arises for Mediterranean, subtropical and tropical crops that were often neglected in the past. The remarkable improvement in fruit and vegetable production in countries located between the tropics suggests better knowledge on the reproductive biology of these crops (including vegetables and fruit trees) deserves better diffusion by means of a dedicated Special Issue. For this reason, we call on researchers worldwide, especially those from areas where these crops are produced, to submit their investigations as manuscripts to this Special Issue on Reproductive Biology of Mediterranean, Subtropical and Tropical Crops. Topics of interest include pollen transport, pollinator behavior, pollen–pistil interaction, flower induction and development, and reproductive systems such as self-incompatibility, dichogamy, herkogamy, distily and tristily and parthenocarpy; cutting-edge research that expands our knowledge of the processes involved in the conversion of a flower in food is most welcome.

Prof. Dr. Julián Cuevas González
Prof. Dr. Virginia Pinillos
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • pollination
  • pollinators
  • pollen–pistil interaction
  • flower induction and initiation
  • fruit set
  • self-incompatibility
  • dichogamy
  • floral heteromorphism

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 8481 KiB  
Article
Assessing the Impact of Genotype-Specific Caprifig Fruit Storage on the Pollination Efficacy and Fruit Quality of “Bursa Siyahı” Cultivar: A Multivariate Analysis Approach
by Dilan Ahi Koşar and Ümran Ertürk
Agronomy 2024, 14(5), 958; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14050958 - 2 May 2024
Viewed by 662
Abstract
Fig types such as “Smyrna” and “San Pedro” require pollination (called caprification in fig cultivation) to produce a commercial crop, based on the crop and pollination characteristics of figs. Caprification is the process of hanging caprifig (male fig) fruits on female fig trees [...] Read more.
Fig types such as “Smyrna” and “San Pedro” require pollination (called caprification in fig cultivation) to produce a commercial crop, based on the crop and pollination characteristics of figs. Caprification is the process of hanging caprifig (male fig) fruits on female fig trees to ensure the transfer of pollen from the female fig to the caprifig by a wasp (Blastophaga psenes) that lives within the caprifig. It is necessary to extend the caprification period by using caprifig genotypes that ripen at different times, as female fig fruits ripen gradually. However, as caprifigs may not be continuously available for pollinating female figs, storing suitable caprifigs is necessary. The aim of this study was to assess changes in Blastophaga psenes, the duration of Blastophaga’s exit, and the viability of pollen from caprifigs of different genotypes (16 08 05, 16 08 09, 16 08 10, 16 09 10, and 16 ZF 08) stored for caprification. These stored caprifig genotypes were subsequently used for pollination three times at 8-day intervals, after which their impact on the set and quality of the edible fig fruits was evaluated. According to the average data, at the end of storage, the least B. psenes loss was obtained from the 16 08 05 (61.03%) genotype, and the highest was obtained from the 16 09 10 (67.00%) genotype. Pollen germination tended to increase with the storage of caprifig fruits, but this increase was not linear. After storage, the 16 08 09 and 16 09 10 genotypes exhibited greater pollen germination. The highest fruit set and quality were obtained when the 16 08 09 and 16 09 10 genotypes were used as pollen sources. Furthermore, since the 16 08 10 genotype is the latest ripening caprifig genotype, it has been determined that it can pollinate late-ripening “Bursa Siyahı” fruits. Principal component and path analysis demonstrated that pollen viability and germination rate were crucial in selecting caprifig genotypes for fruit set and quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reproductive Biology of Mediterranean, Subtropical and Tropical Crops)
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9 pages, 2973 KiB  
Communication
Outcrossing Rate and Fruit Yield of Hass Avocado Trees Decline at Increasing Distance from a Polliniser Cultivar
by Stephen J. Trueman, Joel Nichols, Michael B. Farrar, Helen M. Wallace and Shahla Hosseini Bai
Agronomy 2024, 14(1), 122; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14010122 - 3 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 870
Abstract
Optimal fruit production from many tree crops relies on the transfer of cross-pollen between trees of different cultivars rather than the transfer of self-pollen between trees of the same cultivar. However, many orchards are established with wide blocks of single cultivars, which can [...] Read more.
Optimal fruit production from many tree crops relies on the transfer of cross-pollen between trees of different cultivars rather than the transfer of self-pollen between trees of the same cultivar. However, many orchards are established with wide blocks of single cultivars, which can result in high percentages of self-fertilised fruit and sub-optimal yield and quality. We aimed to determine whether outcrossing rates and yield of Hass avocado fruit decline with increasing distance from polliniser trees of cultivar Shepard and whether selfed fruit are smaller than outcrossed fruit. Outcrossing rates declined from 49% at six trees (40 m) from a block of Shepard trees to 30% at thirty trees (160 m) from a block of Shepard trees. Tree yield across this distance declined by 44% as a result of a 69% decline in the number of outcrossed fruit per tree, without a significant decline in the number of selfed fruit per tree. Outcrossed Hass fruit were 12% heavier than selfed Hass fruit, with 3% greater diameter and 5% greater length. The study results demonstrate the importance of interplanting Type B avocado pollinisers closely with Type A Hass trees to increase fruit yield and size. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reproductive Biology of Mediterranean, Subtropical and Tropical Crops)
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13 pages, 2744 KiB  
Article
Flower Visitors, Levels of Cross-Fertilisation, and Pollen-Parent Effects on Fruit Quality in Mango Orchards
by Wiebke Kämper, Joel Nichols, Trong D. Tran, Christopher J. Burwell, Scott Byrnes and Stephen J. Trueman
Agronomy 2023, 13(10), 2568; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13102568 - 6 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1045
Abstract
Pollination is essential for the reproductive output of crops. Anthropogenic disturbance and global pollinator decline limit pollination success, reducing the quantity or quality of pollen. Relationships between the abundance of flower visitors and fruit production are often poorly understood. We aimed to (1) [...] Read more.
Pollination is essential for the reproductive output of crops. Anthropogenic disturbance and global pollinator decline limit pollination success, reducing the quantity or quality of pollen. Relationships between the abundance of flower visitors and fruit production are often poorly understood. We aimed to (1) identify and quantify flower visitors in a mango orchard; (2) assess how much of the crop resulted from self- versus cross-pollination at increasing distances from a cross-pollen source in large, single-cultivar blocks of the cultivar Kensington Pride or the cultivar Calypso; and (3) determine how pollen parentage affected the size, colour, flavour attributes, and nutritional quality of fruit. Mango flowers were mostly visited by rhiniid flies and coccinellid beetles. Approximately 30% of the fruit were the result of cross-pollination, with the percentage significantly decreasing with an increasing distance from a cross-pollen source in the cultivar Calypso. Self-pollinated Calypso fruit were slightly larger and heavier, with higher acid and total polyphenol concentrations than cross-pollinated fruit. Our results showed higher-than-expected levels of cross-fertilisation among fruit, although self-pollen was likely more abundant than cross-pollen in the large orchard blocks. Our results suggest the preferential cross-fertilisation of flowers or the preferential retention of cross-fertilised fruitlets, both representing strategies for circumventing inbreeding depression. Growers should establish vegetated habitats to support pollinator populations and interplant cultivars more closely to maximise cross-pollen transfer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reproductive Biology of Mediterranean, Subtropical and Tropical Crops)
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