Introduction. Au Bénin, le régime alimentaire des populations est déficient en vitamines et minéraux; la consommation de fruits et légumes pourrait constituer un moyen efficace pour éviter les carences nutritionnelles et prévenir les maladies chroniques. Dans un tel contexte, il importait d’étudier le volume de consommation des fruits et légumes au Bénin et d’évaluer les liens existant entre leur disponibilité, leur prix et leur acquisition par les ménages. Nous nous sommes intéressés à l’autoconsommation des fruits produits dans une région du Bénin, le plateau d’Allada. Matériel et méthodes. Les différentes espèces fruitières cultivées sur le plateau d’Allada ont été identifiées. Leur disponibilité a été évaluée et mise en relation avec leur consommation en s’appuyant sur une enquête régionale portant sur un échantillon de 120 chefs d’exploitation agricole répartis sur quatre communes de la région. Résultats. L’autoconsommation nette des fruits cultivés localement par chacun des ménages producteurs a été évaluée à 31,6 kg par an. Parmi les 15 espèces fruitières recensées, les plus consommées se sont révélées être la mangue (13,3 kg par personne et par an, 42 %), la banane (7,6 kg par personne et par an, 18 %), l’orange (8 %) et l’avocat (7 %). Aucune corrélation significative n’a été établie entre la consommation et la production des fruits. En revanche, une très forte corrélation a été mise en évidence entre la production et la quantité de fruits commercialisée, et une corrélation négative significative a été trouvée entre la quantité de fruits produits et leur prix de vente. Le bilan entre production et consommation a fait apparaître une marge positive pour l’orange, l’ananas, le tangelo et la papaye, ce qui signifie que ces productions sont avant tout marchandes; seule une part résiduelle de ces récoltes est réservée à l’autoconsommation. La plus grande partie des autres productions fruitières consommées par les ménages du plateau d’Allada doivent être importée. Discussion. Sur le plateau d’Allada, malgré une forte production de certains fruits, leur consommation par les ménages agricoles est faible et peu diversifiée par rapport à leur disponibilité et se situe bien en deçà des normes recommandées par l’OMS. Il sera nécessaire de mieux étudier les déterminants d’une telle distorsion pour mieux guider les politiques publiques, ainsi que les choix des producteurs et des consommateurs, afin d’assurer un meilleur régime alimentaire aux populations locales.

Introduction. Kiwifruit is a typical climacteric fruit, which grows profitably well in sub-temperate climatic conditions. The major problem with kiwifruit is that it does not ripen for about a week at room temperature but after this period there is a sudden rise in the respiration rate and fruits remain in edible condition for only a few days, giving it a very short shelf life in ambient conditions. Materials and methods. Kiwifruits were treated with different concentrations of spermine [(0.5, 1.0 and 1.5) mM] and spermidine [(1.0, 1.5 and 2.0) mM] by the immersion method; biochemical and physiological analyses were carried out, then fruit were stored in ambient conditions for 15 days. Results and discussion. Polyamine-treated fruits did not show any amount of ethylene evolution up to the 6th day of storage as compared with those of control, in which it started after the 3rd day of storage. The respiration rate was also the lowest in treated fruit. Similarly, polygalacturonase and lipoxygenase activities rose rapidly in control fruits in comparison with polyamine-treated fruits. Conclusion. The doses of spermine at 1.5 mM and spermidine at 2.0 mM showed the best results in extending the shelf life of kiwifruits when stored in ambient conditions [(22 ± 4) ◦C, RH: (65 ± 5)%].

Introduction. Papaya is grown mainly under tropical conditions due to its requirement of high temperatures year-round. With modern greenhouse technology and production systems, the Mediterranean countries are now able to produce many tropical crops such as banana and papaya. Such technology has also increased the yield and improved fruit quality in comparison with open field production systems. Materials and methods. Our study was conducted in an unheated greenhouse in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. Three papaya cultivars (‘SS-45’, ‘BH-65’ and ‘Sel-42’) were evaluated for their physical and physicochemical properties and yield. Results. There were no significant differences in chemical properties related to fruit cultivars. Conversely, certain features of the development cycle of these three cultivars varied: BH-65 flowered at only 65.4 cm compared with SS-45 (133.8 cm) and Sel-42 (135.1 cm). Fruit set was improved for Sel-42 (63.7 fruits) compared with SS-45 (49.3 fruits) and BH-65 (31.3 fruits). The corresponding yields for Sel-42, SS-45 and BH-65 were (28.3, 21.3 and 7.8) kg per plant, respectively. The Sel-42 cultivar presented the largest fruits (weight, 460.0 g; width, 11.7 cm; length, 16.7 cm), closely followed by those of SS-45 (433.3 g, 11.3 cm and 15.3 cm, respectively). In contrast, the cultivar BH-65 produced the smallest fruits (weight, 250.0 g; width, 9.7 cm; length, 13.3 cm). The physical and chemical characteristics did not vary among the cultivars. Conclusion. Our results allow us to recommend the cultivars Sel-42 and SS-45 for greenhouse cultivation under a Mediterranean climate in Turkey.

Introduction Fruit quality characteristics are governed by preharvest factors, mainly climate, nutrition and plant bio-regulators, of which the latter two can easily be manipulated in the grower’s interest. Likewise, the postharvest treatments with the best performance can maintain quality during storage and distribution. Therefore, it is important to embrace a holistic approach to combine the pre- and postharvest practices in view of attaining maximum quality and satisfaction at the consumer level. Materials and methods. Various combinations of mineral nutrients (calcium and boron) and bio-regulators (salicylic acid and gibberellic acid) were applied at the pre- and postharvest stages of apple fruits to study their influence on postharvest behavior of these fruits during 60 days of storage under ambient conditions. Results and discussions Among the different treatments tried, fruits treated with either salicylic acid or calcium showed significant improvement with regards to improved physico-chemical characteristics and reduced fruit infection percentage. Integration of pre- and postharvest application of chemicals was verified as the most effective choice for the improvement of shelf life of apple fruits amongst the treatment combinations applied either at the pre- or postharvest stage. The application of salicylic acid in combination with calcium or boron renders an alternative to the use of fungicides to control decay during apple fruit storage.

Introduction Theobroma cacao L. is economically speaking the most important species of the genus Theobroma. Cacao is cultured in tropical regions and its yield is affected by several diseases, such as black pod. Black pod rot in cacao. Cacao black pod, particularly, is an economically serious problem in all areas of the world where cacao is grown, causing significant pod losses of up to 30% and killing up to 10% of the trees annually. The disease is caused by different species of the stramenopile genus Phytophthora and, once it has infected a cacao field, its control is fairly difficult. Black pod rot control strategies. Several approaches are used to manage black pod: chemical control, phytosanitary and cultural methods, genetic resistance, and biological control. Losses in yield due to black pod could be reduced through integrated management practices, although the results may vary for each cacao-growing region. Main challenges and new approaches Black pod control could be achieved if an integrated management strategy is established, with the combination of biological and chemical methods, genetic control, and adequate cultural methods in an integrated program.

Introduction. Consumers and processors value tomatoes with high fruit sugar content; however, most breeding and cultural practices negatively impact this trait. Wild tomato species can accumulate two- to three-fold more fruit sugar than cultivars and are proving to be valuable both as a source of high-sugar loci to broaden the genetic base of currently produced cultivars, and as research material to understand this trait. Synthesis. While cutting-edge genomic approaches have taught us much about fruit phenotypes, it is still important to assess fruit enzyme activities and metabolic fluxes in lines with contrasting fruit sugar accumulation. These metabolic functions are closest to the ripe fruit sugar trait. In this review, we focus our attention on the biochemical pathways, especially starch biosynthesis, that may influence tomato fruit sugars. We try where possible to put this information into a physiological context because together they influence yield. We compare and contrast sugar metabolism in cultivars and wild tomato species and identify factors that may influence differences in their fruit size. Conclusion. Although difficult, we show that it is possible to develop fruit with high horticultural yield and use the breeding line ‘Solara’ as an example. In addition, we suggest avenues of further investigation to understand the regulation and control of fruit carbohydrate content.