Instant Insights: Optimising Quality Attributes in Horticultural Products: (97 Burleigh Dodds Science: Instant Insights)

This book features five peer-reviewed reviews on best practices to optimise quality attributes in horticultural products. The first chapter examines the use of quantitative trait loci (QTL) to identify and determine favourable sensory characteristics in the tomato plant to meet current consumer expectations. The second chapter highlights some of the newest innovations in strawberry production with particular emphasis on genetic improvement of the crop through a number of technologies, including QTL and high-throughput genotyping. The third chapter examines specifications for fruit at harvest maturity and at commercial maturity, as well as technologies for monitoring relevant attributes, including machine vision in the estimation of canopy flowering. The fourth chapter reviews the wealth of clinical evidence supporting the health benefits of cranberry consumption, including their role in inducing protection against urinary tract infections. The chapter also considers approaches to maximising the bioefficacy of cranberry-related food and products. The final chapter addresses the use of plant bioregulators (PBRs) in tree fruit production and how they can be used to optimise plant growth, fruit yield and quality. The chapter provides a brief classification of PBRs and reviews their use in the development and maintenance of tree structure.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 - Developing tomato varieties with improved flavour: M. Causse, E. Albert and C. Sauvage, INRA, France; 1 Introduction 2 Genetic diversity of tomato flavour and consumer expectations 3 Genes and quantitative trait loci affecting flavour 4 Tomato texture 5 New approaches to tomato flavour diversity and genetic control 6 From MAS to genomic selection for flavour breeding 7 Interactions genotype by environment: a tool for breeding good tomatoes 8 Future trends 9 Conclusion 10 Where to look for further information 11 References Chapter 2 - Advances and challenges in strawberry genetic improvement: Chris Barbey and Kevin Folta, University of Florida, USA; 1 Introduction 2 Threats and solutions to sustainable production 3 Post-harvest quality 4 Next steps in genetics 5 High-throughput phenotyping 6 Future trends in research 7 Where to look for further information 8 References Chapter 3 - Monitoring fruit quality and quantity in mangoes: Kerry Walsh and Zhenglin Wang, Central Queensland University, Australia; 1 Introduction 2 Monitoring harvest maturity: making the decision to pick 3 Monitoring quantity 4 Monitoring ripeness 5 Decision support systems 6 Future trends and conclusion 7 Where to look for further information 8 Acknowledgements 9 References Chapter 4 - Advances in understanding and improving the nutraceutical properties of cranberries: Oliver Chen, Biofortis Research, Merieux NutriSciences and Tufts University, USA; and Eunice Mah, Biofortis Research, Merieux NutriSciences, USA; 1 Introduction 2 Nutrient composition 3 Health benefits 4 Future directions 5 Conclusion 6 Where to look for further information 7 References Chapter 5 - Optimizing plant growth, yield and fruit quality with plant bioregulators: Duane Greene, University of Massachusetts, USA; 1 Introduction 2 Classification of PBRs 3 Application of PBRs 4 Development and maintenance of tree structure 5 Control of vegetative growth 6 Crop load management 7 Influencing flowering and fruit set 8 Pre-harvest application of plant bioregulators 9 Improving fruit appearance and shape 10 References

About the Author :
Dr Kerry Walsh is a Professor at Central Queensland University working in the field of assessment of fruit quantity and quality. Dr Walsh' research focusses on the development of near infrared spectroscopy for assessment of fruit quality in both online and hand held formats, as well as the development of machine vision based tools for assessment of tree fruit load in terms of both fruit number and size.