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Health-Promoting Properties of Anthocyanins from Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas L.) Fruits
The cornelian cherry is a plant that annually provides fruits, drupe-type, ranging in color from yellow through pink, red, carmine, and almost black. Cornelian cherry bears abundant fruit in temperate climate conditions, which means that its dark-colored fruits can be treated as an excellent source of anthocyanins. After consuming, anthocyanins have a protective function in the human body. Raw fruit extracts and their pure isolates, rich in anthocyanins, have a wide spectrum of health-promoting properties. This review focuses on the health-promoting properties of anthocyanins from fruits of cornelian cherry, documented in research conducted in vitro, in vivo, and in humans. The results obtained so far confirm the beneficial effects of anthocyanins on the blood parameters, whose values are important in predicting and assessing the risk and progression of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. A beneficial effect on molecular and histopathological changes in target organs such as the heart, brain, kidneys, and liver has also been demonstrated. Anthocyanins from cornelian cherry have a strong antioxidant effect, which explains their protective effects on organs and anticancer effects. Moreover, they have antiglycemic, antihyperlipidemic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. The work highlights the perspectives and directions of necessary research.
The longevity of cut Polygonatum multiflorum (L.) All. shoots depending on postharvest handling
The experiment was carried out to investigate the possibility of extension of the postharvest longevity of cut shoots of <i>Polygonatum multiflorum</i> depending on the type of conditioning. The shoots were collected for three experiments in May, June, and July. The following substances were used for conditioning: gibberellic acid (in May, June, and July) at a concentration of 50 and 100 mg dm<sup>-3</sup>, benzyladenine (in May) at a concentration of 50 or 100 mg dm<sup>-3</sup>, and 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate (in July) at a concentration of 200 mg dm<sup>-3</sup>. The conditioning was carried out at a temperature of 5 °C or 18 °C (May, June) or 18 °C (July). After conditioning, shoots were stored in a room at a temperature of 18 °C (May, June) or at 18 °C or 22 °C (July). The shoots of <i>Polygonatum multiflorum</i> harvested in July and conditioned with gibberellic acid at a concentration of 100 mg dm<sup>-3</sup> were characterized by extended longevity. Benzyladenine at a concentration of 50 mg dm<sup>-3</sup> proved to be useful for conditioning. In turn, 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate had no influence on the longevity of the shoots. The variation in the temperature during conditioning and storage was found not to have a positive impact on longevity.
The Beneficial Effects of Anthocyanins from Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas L.) Fruits and Their Possible Uses: A Review
Anthocyanins are pigments ubiquitous in plants that are responsible for the red to almost black color, mainly of flowers and fruits. Dark-colored fruits contain the highest amounts of anthocyanins. A potential source of anthocyanins can be cornelian cherry fruit (Cornus mas L.) from a long-lived tree growing in temperate climate zones. The aim of this review is to summarize the latest research on cornelian cherry anthocyanins and the possibility of their use in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries, without taking into account their use in medicine. The content of anthocyanins in cornelian cherry fruits is high and comparable to fruits considered to be the richest sources of these compounds, so they may be a good source of these natural colorants used in industry. The content of anthocyanins varies due to genetic traits, growing conditions, the ripeness of fruits, and finally, how the fruits are stored and processed. Anthocyanins can be found in various cornelian products, such as juices, jams, powders, and others, so they may be available outside the period of supply of fresh fruit on the market. The lack of experience on the influence of the method of cultivation of cornelian cherries on the anthocyanin content of fruits determines new directions for research.
Factors Influencing the Formation, Development of Buds, and Flowering of Temperate Fruit Trees
The condition for the formation of fruit on fruit plants is the presence of flower buds, flowering and proper pollination/fertilisation of flowers. Fruit trees and shrubs are perennial plants, and the processes of flower bud formation and flowering are distant in time. The formation of flower buds occurs in the year preceding flowering and fruiting. The number and quality of flowers are the basic factors that determine the potential yield of fruit trees. Therefore, the review focuses on a thorough review of the latest research on the various stages in the development of trees, in which the processes that determine their flowering take place. The greatest emphasis was placed on the influence of factors that determine the yield of trees after the juvenile stage. Climate change leading to global warming will undoubtedly affect the formation of flower buds, which determine the size of crops. To avoid the unforeseen effects of abiotic factors on the availability of raw materials, such as fruits, it is good to diversify the structure of cultivated plants. Most fruit plants come from the Rosaceae family, so they have many pathogens and pests in common. To increase crop, economic, and habitat biodiversity, it is necessary to look for other, more genetically distant, sometimes even less known fruit-bearing species.
Effect of Nitrogen Fertilization on Tree Growth and Nutrient Content in Soil and Cherry Leaves (Prunus cerasus L.)
Nitrogen fertilization ensures the proper growth of trees. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of differentiated nitrogen fertilization on selected parameters. It was assumed that such analysis is an indirect picture of the needs of cherries grown in herbicide fallow. The content of minerals in two layers of the soil, in leaves, and its influence on tree growth, and the content of chlorophyll in leaves were assessed. The experiments were carried out in three different cherry orchards. Three levels of fertilization were applied in each orchard: 0 kg, 60 kg, and 120 kg N ha−1. As expected the fertilization resulted in an increase in the content of nitrate and ammonium forms of nitrogen in the soil, however, their content was also dependent on precipitation and temperature. Additionally, high nitrogen fertilization increased the content of phosphorus and potassium and decreased the magnesium in the topsoil layer. High nitrogen fertilization caused the decreased content of phosphorus and potassium in the leaves. The level of calcium and magnesium in leaves increased with fertilization of 60 kg N ha−1 but decreased with the dose to 120 kg N ha−1. The use of nitrogen fertilization increased the vegetative growth of trees measured by leaf area and trunk cross-sectional area. However, the chlorophyll content was not dependent on the amount of nitrogen fertilization. Based on the results, it can be concluded that 60 kg N ha−1 is the optimal dose, ensuring proper nutrition of cherry trees.
The use of temperature based indices for estimation of fruit production conditions and risks in temperate climates
Temperature is the basic factor that differentiates vegetation around the world. All field experiments require the indication of the range of temperatures occurring in a given growing season. Temperature is an important factor determining fruit plant production, both in the growing season and in the winter dormant period. Various air temperature indicators were developed in a way that allowed the best possible description of adaptations of species, cultivars, and regions of adaptations to cultivation. They are based on experimentally obtained data and calculated optimal temperatures of growth and development of plants in particular development stages. In horticulture, the description of dependencies of the growth and development of plants on weather began to be accompanied with the development of simulation models. The aim of this manuscript was a new review of fruit plant temperature indices to predict abiotic and biotic hazards in fruit production for various selected types of fruit crops in a seasonal temperate climate. This is especially important due to the growing risk of climate change, which significantly alters local growing conditions. Therefore, it is very important to evaluate and present a set of specific indicators for producers, which we have reviewed from the current literature and presented as follows. Climatic conditions characteristic of a given region should be of key importance for the selection of species for commercial cultivation and planning of protection measures.
Influence of Mulching on Replantation Disease in Sour Cherry Orchard
Increasingly, in orchards around the world that are planted one after another, disturbances are observed, and these issues with growth and development are called replantation disease. It is manifested mainly by poor tree growth after planting and poor ripening. One way to reduce replantation disease is to improve soil fertility after many years of fruit tree cultivation. The aim of the work was to evaluate the growth and yield of cherries after replantation and to compare this with a site where fruit trees had not grown before. The trees were planted at two sites: after the replantation of the cherry orchard (OR1) and in a site where fruit trees had not been cultivated before (OR2). Two combinations were used in each orchard: boiler without mulching (C), mulch—after planting mulching with a substrate after growing mushrooms (M). The trees at the site after replantation grew and bore less fruit than in the position where fruit trees had not grown before. The disease also affected some of the quality characteristics of the fruit. This resulted in an increase in fruit weight and a darker color (L*) and a higher value of hue fruit color. Mulching, which is often recommended in orchards planted after previous cultivation, did not provide the expected improvement. It did not significantly affect tree growth and yield. Only an effect on the content of components in the soil was observed, but it affected the condition of the trees. In addition, we analyzed how experimental combinations responded to climatic conditions by calculating the correlations between the SAT (sum of active temperatures) and the stages of tree development.