Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 765-777 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Planta |
| Volume | 245 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 23 Dec 2016 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Apr 2017 |
Abstract
Main conclusion: Cell wall swelling, fracture mode (along the middle lamellae vs. across cell walls), stiffness, and pressure at fracture of the sweet cherry fruit skin are closely related. Skin cracking is a common phenomenon in many crops bearing fleshy fruit. The objectives were to investigate relationships between the mode of fracture, the extent of cell wall swelling, and the mechanical properties of the fruit skin using sweet cherry (Prunus avium) as a model. Cracking was induced by incubating whole fruit in deionised water or by fracturing exocarp segments (ESs) in biaxial tensile tests. The fracture mode of epidermal cells was investigated by light microscopy. In biaxial tensile tests, the anticlinal cell walls of the ES fractured predominantly across the cell walls (rather than along) and showed no cell wall swelling. In contrast, fruit incubated in water fractured predominantly along the anticlinal epidermal cell walls and the cell walls were swollen. Swelling of cell walls also occurred when ESs were incubated in malic acid, in hypertonic solutions of sucrose, or in water. Compared to the untreated controls, these treatments resulted in more frequent fractures along the cell walls, lower pressures at fracture (pfracture), and lower moduli of elasticity (E, i.e., less stiff). Conversely, compared to the untreated controls, incubating the ES in CaCl2 and in high concentrations of ethanol resulted in thinner cell walls, in less frequent fractures along the cell walls, higher E and pfracture. Our study demonstrates that fracture mode, stiffness, and pressure at fracture are closely related to cell wall swelling. A number of other factors, including cultivar, ripening stage, turgor, CaCl2, and malic acid, exert their effects only indirectly, i.e., by affecting cell wall swelling.
Keywords
- Biaxial tensile test, Cracking, Epidermis, Modulus of elasticity, Prunus avium
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
- Genetics
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Plant Science
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In: Planta, Vol. 245, No. 4, 01.04.2017, p. 765-777.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Cell wall swelling, fracture mode, and the mechanical properties of cherry fruit skins are closely related
AU - Brüggenwirth, Martin
AU - Knoche, Moritz
N1 - Funding information: We thank Dieter Reese and Christoph Knake for constructing, engineering, and programming the elastometer; Simon Sitzenstock for technical support; Sandy Lang and Andreas Winkler for helpful discussion and useful comments on an earlier version of this manuscript. This study was funded in part by a grant from the German Science Foundation (DFG).
PY - 2017/4/1
Y1 - 2017/4/1
N2 - Main conclusion: Cell wall swelling, fracture mode (along the middle lamellae vs. across cell walls), stiffness, and pressure at fracture of the sweet cherry fruit skin are closely related. Skin cracking is a common phenomenon in many crops bearing fleshy fruit. The objectives were to investigate relationships between the mode of fracture, the extent of cell wall swelling, and the mechanical properties of the fruit skin using sweet cherry (Prunus avium) as a model. Cracking was induced by incubating whole fruit in deionised water or by fracturing exocarp segments (ESs) in biaxial tensile tests. The fracture mode of epidermal cells was investigated by light microscopy. In biaxial tensile tests, the anticlinal cell walls of the ES fractured predominantly across the cell walls (rather than along) and showed no cell wall swelling. In contrast, fruit incubated in water fractured predominantly along the anticlinal epidermal cell walls and the cell walls were swollen. Swelling of cell walls also occurred when ESs were incubated in malic acid, in hypertonic solutions of sucrose, or in water. Compared to the untreated controls, these treatments resulted in more frequent fractures along the cell walls, lower pressures at fracture (pfracture), and lower moduli of elasticity (E, i.e., less stiff). Conversely, compared to the untreated controls, incubating the ES in CaCl2 and in high concentrations of ethanol resulted in thinner cell walls, in less frequent fractures along the cell walls, higher E and pfracture. Our study demonstrates that fracture mode, stiffness, and pressure at fracture are closely related to cell wall swelling. A number of other factors, including cultivar, ripening stage, turgor, CaCl2, and malic acid, exert their effects only indirectly, i.e., by affecting cell wall swelling.
AB - Main conclusion: Cell wall swelling, fracture mode (along the middle lamellae vs. across cell walls), stiffness, and pressure at fracture of the sweet cherry fruit skin are closely related. Skin cracking is a common phenomenon in many crops bearing fleshy fruit. The objectives were to investigate relationships between the mode of fracture, the extent of cell wall swelling, and the mechanical properties of the fruit skin using sweet cherry (Prunus avium) as a model. Cracking was induced by incubating whole fruit in deionised water or by fracturing exocarp segments (ESs) in biaxial tensile tests. The fracture mode of epidermal cells was investigated by light microscopy. In biaxial tensile tests, the anticlinal cell walls of the ES fractured predominantly across the cell walls (rather than along) and showed no cell wall swelling. In contrast, fruit incubated in water fractured predominantly along the anticlinal epidermal cell walls and the cell walls were swollen. Swelling of cell walls also occurred when ESs were incubated in malic acid, in hypertonic solutions of sucrose, or in water. Compared to the untreated controls, these treatments resulted in more frequent fractures along the cell walls, lower pressures at fracture (pfracture), and lower moduli of elasticity (E, i.e., less stiff). Conversely, compared to the untreated controls, incubating the ES in CaCl2 and in high concentrations of ethanol resulted in thinner cell walls, in less frequent fractures along the cell walls, higher E and pfracture. Our study demonstrates that fracture mode, stiffness, and pressure at fracture are closely related to cell wall swelling. A number of other factors, including cultivar, ripening stage, turgor, CaCl2, and malic acid, exert their effects only indirectly, i.e., by affecting cell wall swelling.
KW - Biaxial tensile test
KW - Cracking
KW - Epidermis
KW - Modulus of elasticity
KW - Prunus avium
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85007179108&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00425-016-2639-7
DO - 10.1007/s00425-016-2639-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 28012001
AN - SCOPUS:85007179108
VL - 245
SP - 765
EP - 777
JO - Planta
JF - Planta
SN - 0032-0935
IS - 4
ER -