TY - JOUR

T1 - Studies on water transport through the sweet cherry fruit surface

T2 - II. Conductance of the cuticle in relation to fruit development

AU - Knoche, Moritz

AU - Peschel, Stefanie

AU - Hinz, Matthias

AU - Bukovac, Martin J.

PY - 2001/10

Y1 - 2001/10

N2 - Water conductance of the cuticular membrane (CM) of sweet cherry (Prunus avium L. cv. Sam) fruit during stages II and III (31-78 days after full bloom, DAFB) was investigated by gravimetrically monitoring water loss through segments of the exocarp. Segments were mounted in stainless-steel diffusion cells, filled with 0.5 ml of deionized water and incubated for 8 h at 25 ± 2 °C over dry silica. Conductance was calculated by dividing the amount of water transpired per unit surface area and time by the difference in water vapor concentration across the segment (23.07 g m-3 at 25 °C). Fruit mass and fruit surface area increased 4.9- and 2.8-fold between 31 and 78 DAFB, respectively. However, CM mass per unit area decreased from 3.9 to 1.5 g m-2, and percentage of total wax content remained constant at about 31%. Stomatal density decreased from 0.8 to 0.2 mm-2 (31-78 DAFB). Total conductance of the CM on the fruit cheek (gtot.) remained constant during stage II of development (approx. 1.38×10-4 m s-1 from 31 to 37 DAFB), increased to 1.73×10-4 m s-1 during early stage III of fruit growth (43-64 DAFB) then decreased to 0.95×10-4 m s-1 at maturity (78 DAFB). Partitioning gtot. into cuticular (gcut.) and stomatal conductance (gsto.) revealed that the relative contribution of gcut. to gtot. increased linearly from 30% to 87% of gtot. between 31 and 78 DAFB, respectively. On a whole-fruit basis, gtot. and gcut. consistently increased up to 64 DAFB, and decreased thereafter. A significant negative linear relationship was obtained between gcut. and CM thickness, but not between the permeability coefficient (p) and CM thickness. Further, p was positively related to strain rate, suggesting that strain associated with expansion of the fruit surface increased p.

AB - Water conductance of the cuticular membrane (CM) of sweet cherry (Prunus avium L. cv. Sam) fruit during stages II and III (31-78 days after full bloom, DAFB) was investigated by gravimetrically monitoring water loss through segments of the exocarp. Segments were mounted in stainless-steel diffusion cells, filled with 0.5 ml of deionized water and incubated for 8 h at 25 ± 2 °C over dry silica. Conductance was calculated by dividing the amount of water transpired per unit surface area and time by the difference in water vapor concentration across the segment (23.07 g m-3 at 25 °C). Fruit mass and fruit surface area increased 4.9- and 2.8-fold between 31 and 78 DAFB, respectively. However, CM mass per unit area decreased from 3.9 to 1.5 g m-2, and percentage of total wax content remained constant at about 31%. Stomatal density decreased from 0.8 to 0.2 mm-2 (31-78 DAFB). Total conductance of the CM on the fruit cheek (gtot.) remained constant during stage II of development (approx. 1.38×10-4 m s-1 from 31 to 37 DAFB), increased to 1.73×10-4 m s-1 during early stage III of fruit growth (43-64 DAFB) then decreased to 0.95×10-4 m s-1 at maturity (78 DAFB). Partitioning gtot. into cuticular (gcut.) and stomatal conductance (gsto.) revealed that the relative contribution of gcut. to gtot. increased linearly from 30% to 87% of gtot. between 31 and 78 DAFB, respectively. On a whole-fruit basis, gtot. and gcut. consistently increased up to 64 DAFB, and decreased thereafter. A significant negative linear relationship was obtained between gcut. and CM thickness, but not between the permeability coefficient (p) and CM thickness. Further, p was positively related to strain rate, suggesting that strain associated with expansion of the fruit surface increased p.

KW - Cracking (cherry fruit)

KW - Cuticle

KW - Prunus (fruit)

KW - Stoma

KW - Strain

KW - Transpiration

KW - Water permeability

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0034778033&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s004250100568

DO - 10.1007/s004250100568

M3 - Article

C2 - 11722129

AN - SCOPUS:0034778033

VL - 213

SP - 927

EP - 936

JO - PLANTA

JF - PLANTA

SN - 0032-0935

IS - 6

ER -