Introduction and perspectives of Henomeles culture

The selection fund of Japanese henomeles differs in considerable variety. It was one of the most interesting and rare objects for acclimatization in order to enrich our country мwith plants useful for the national economy. This fruit crop has special genetic and morphological features, due to which it is used in various fields and directions. Therefore, the study of henomeles is quite relevant and requires the development and improvement of various agronomic techniques o cultivation, taking into account the conditions of the region of cultivation of this plant.

Advances in and prospects for Actinidia viruses

Kiwifruit (Actinidia spp.) is an economically important fruit crop worldwide. Before 2010, kiwifruit viruses had not received much attention; since then, more than 20 viruses infecting kiwifruit have been discovered. Some of these viruses cause severe yellowing, mosaic, necrosis, ringspots and other symptoms on leaves, seriously impacting yield and quality. Many of these viruses are widely distributed. This review summarizes recent research advances in the identification, genomic variation, distribution, transmission, detection, incidence, prevention and control of kiwifruit viruses and proposes directions for future research. Using virus-tested propagation material is the most economical and effective method for controlling kiwifruit viruses.

Study on protective measures against diseases of almonds caused by fungi: A case study in Tashkent region of Uzbekistan

Among the fruit trees, almond has a special place and is an ancient and traditional type of fruit crop for many countries of the world. Leading research centers around the world have conducted research to study the prevalence, development, damage, and control measures of the almond tree fungi Stigmina carpophila and Monilinia cinerea, which cause widespread perforated spot and moniliosis burns. As a result, it was possible to preserve the almond crop lost under the influence of these diseases. Even today, research aimed at developing effective measures to control the fungal diseases of the almond tree remains relevant.

Biologisation of production and technological processes in nursery farming

We conducted a retrospective analysis of national scientific and technological advances by technological design to manifest the demand for organisation processes remodelling towards the methods and approaches of the sixth design, especially in biotechnology. The article defines terms such as nursery, biologisation, promising technology and resource conservation. We analyse the fruit crop seedling production and structure of nursery-specific processes. We determine the main agrocenotic components most susceptible to chemical and technogenic impacts. Studies of soil fertility and biota prioritised the challenge of declined soil activity and biogenicity. We establish that an increased chemical pressure on fruit nursery agrocenoses leads to disturbances in benign microflora, microbiotic, acaro- and entomosystems, alters plant infection pathways and immune status. We report destructive manifestations of microbiotic, entomo- and acarosystems in agrocenoses via the emergence of new pathogenic fungal species, root rotting agents, vascular system necroses (tracheomycoses), resistant typically dominant pathogen strains, higher pathogenicity, the expansion of species list and ranges of bacterial communities, phytoplasmas, viruses and viroids, a more aggressive invasion of new pests, including stem pathogens, emerging hazardous adaptations in economically impactive phytophages. Furthermore, we consider the scientific and practical issues in fruit crop reproduction: sweeping off forms (genotypes) from selection, changes in infection pathways in candidate parental plants, reduced “plant — external environment” adaptation, impaired plant immunity under climatic and anthropogenic stress, selection of candidates with a higher production value under environmental stress burden, reduction of best-quality planting stock, seedling root system retardation, massive crown invasion with fungal and bacterial agents, inadequacy of trait databasing for promising varieties and genotyping techniques. The priority role of agrocenotic biologisation in sustainable fruit nursery is substantiated through adopting modern approaches, especially in biotechnology, based on molecular biology, biochemistry and genetic engineering.

The biodiversity of production traits as the basis for selection of Chaenomeles Lindl. in Tambov region

The purpose of this study was to analyze the biodiversity of morphological and biochemical traits that are important for the breeding process. We used 14 varieties of Chaenomeles Lindl. (Rosaceae) tested at the biological station of the Michurinsk State Agrarian University in the Tambov Region. The data on the decorative qualities of flowers are presented. The presence of various colors of the corolla, simple and semi-double flowers are shown. The analysis of the ranges of variability of such traits as the length and weight of fruits, the content of dry matter, sugars, titratable acids, ascorbic acid and catechins was carried out. The conclusion is made about the presence of biodiversity in the Chaenomeles gene pool, which makes it possible to continue the selection of universal varieties used for decorative purposes and as a high-vitamin fruit crop.

Effects of Planting Medium on the Propagation of Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica L.) from Cuttings and Seeds

Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) has a great potential to be cultivated as a fruit crop in North Sumatra. In order to cultivate loquat, the availability of high-quality seedlings is becoming an essential factor. This research was aimed to determine the response of loquat’s seed, stem, and shoot cutting on various types of medium. The seed, stem, and shoots cutting of loquat were collected from North Sumatra. Three types of medium, i.e., humus + roasted rice husk (1:1), raw rice husk + sand (1:1), and humus + raw rice husk (1:1), were used during the experiment in Cibodas Botanical Garden. The results show that the highest percentage of seed germination on the 10th week after the plantation was humus + roasted rice husk (91.18%) and followed by humus + raw rice husk (77.78%) and raw rice husk + sand (69.44%). The combination of humus + roasted rice husk gave a significant effect on plant high (9.178a cm), the number of leaves (5.51a), length of leaves (8.36a), and width of leaves (3.78a) on the 12th week after plantation. Moreover, there were no significant differences between shoot cutting and stem cutting propagation on parameters survival rate and the number of buds. Keywords: cutting, Eriobotrya japonica, planting medium, propagation, seed

Citrus Biotechnology: Current Innovations and Future Prospects

Citrus is a valuable fruit crop worldwide. It not only provides essential minerals and vitamins but is also of great commercial importance. Conventional research has contributed a lot to the improvement of this fruit plant. Numerous improved varieties have been developed through conventional breeding, mutational breeding, polyploidization and tissue culture yet pathogens continue to emerge at a consistent pace over a wide range of citrus species. Citriculture is vulnerable to various biotic and abiotic stresses which are quite difficult to be controlled through conventional research. Biotechnological intervention including transgenesis, genome editing, and OMICS offers several innovative options to resolve existing issues in this fruit crop. Genetic transformation has been established in many citrus species and transgenic plants have been developed having the ability to tolerate bacterial, viral, and fungal pathogens. Genome editing has also been worked out to develop disease-resistant plants. Likewise, advancement in OMICS has helped to improve citrus fruit through the knowledge of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, interactomics, and phenomics. This chapter highlights not only the milestones achieved through conventional research but also briefs about the achievements attained through advanced molecular biology research.

A Novel Banana Mutant “RF 1” (Musa spp. ABB, Pisang Awak Subgroup) for Improved Agronomic Traits and Enhanced Cold Tolerance and Disease Resistance

Banana is a major fruit crop grown in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Among cultivars, “FenJiao, FJ” (Musa spp. ABB, Pisang Awak subgroup) is a popular variety of bananas, due to its better sugar-acid blend and relatively small fruit shape. However, because the traditional FJ variety grows relatively high in height, it is vulnerable to lodging and unsuitable for harvesting. In this study, we sought desirable banana mutants by carrying out ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis with the FJ cultivar. After the FJ shoot tips had been treated with 0.8% (v/v) EMS for 4 h, we obtained a stably inherited mutant, here called “ReFen 1” (RF1), and also observed a semi-dwarfing phenotype. Compared with the wild type (FJ), this RF1 mutant featured consistently improved agronomic traits during 5-year field experiments conducted in three distinct locations in China. Notably, the RF1 plants showed significantly enhanced cold tolerance and Sigatoka disease resistance, mainly due to a substantially increased soluble content of sugar and greater starch accumulation along with reduced cellulose deposition. Therefore, this study not only demonstrated how a powerful genetic strategy can be used in fruit crop breeding but also provided insight into the identification of novel genes for agronomic trait improvement in bananas and beyond.