Blue light promotes vascular reconnection, while red light boosts the physiological response and quality of grafted watermelon seedlings.

The wound inflicted during grafting of watermelon seedlings requires rapid and sufficient vascular development which is affected by light quality. Our objective was to investigate the effect of light spectra emitted by light-emitting diodes (LEDs) during healing of grafted watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) seedlings on their vascular development, physiological and phytohormonal profile, and root architecture. Three LEDs emitting red (R), blue (B), and RB with 12% blue (12B) were tested in a healing chamber. During the first three days, the photosynthetic apparatus portrayed by PIABS, φP0, ψE0, and ΔVIP was less damaged and faster repaired in B-treated seedlings. B and 12B promoted vascular reconnection and root development (length, surface area and volume). This was the result of signaling cascade between phytohormones such as indole-3-acetic acid and others. After vascular reconnection the seedlings switched lights for 3 more days and the picture was reversed. Seedlings treated with B for the first 3 days and R for days 4 to 6 had better photosynthetic characteristics, root system development, morphological, shoot and root biomass, and quality (i.e. Dickson's quality index) characteristics. We concluded that blue light is important during the first 3 days of healing, while the presence of red is necessary after vascular reconnection.

Effects of intermittent CO2 convection under far-infrared radiation on vacuum drying of pre-osmodehydrated watermelon.

BACKGROUND: Watermelon, a tropical seasonal fruit with high nutrient content, requires preservation through drying due to its perishable nature. Nevertheless, drying of watermelon through conventional processes has a negative impact either on the drying time or on the final product quality. In this work, osmotic dehydration of watermelon followed by far-infrared radiation-assisted vacuum drying (FIRRAVD) was optimized to develop dehydrated watermelon with minimum moisture content. Significantly, during FIRRAVD, an attempt was made to further intensify the drying rate by forced convection through intermittent CO2 injection. Drying kinetics of each operation and physicochemical qualities of dried products were evaluated. RESULTS: FIRRAVD was a viable method of watermelon drying with appreciably high moisture diffusivity (Deff,m ) of 4.97 × 10-10 to 1.49 × 10-9 m2 s-1 compared to conventional tray drying. Moreover, intermittent CO2 convection during FIRRAVD (ICFIRRAVD) resulted in appreciable intensification of drying rate, with enhanced Deff,m (9.93 × 10-10 to 1.99 × 10-9 m2 s-1 ). Significantly, ICFIRRAVD required less energy and approximately 16% less time compared to FIRRAVD. The quality of the final dehydrated watermelon was superior compared to conventional drying protocols. CONCLUSIONS: The novel CO2 convective drying of watermelon in the presence of far-infrared radiation demonstrated an energy-efficient and time-saving operation rendering a dehydrated watermelon with acceptable quality parameters. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Responses of the photosynthetic electron transport system to excess light energy caused by water deficit in wild watermelon.

In plants, drought stress coupled with high levels of illumination causes not only dehydration of tissues, but also oxidative damage resulting from excess absorbed light energy. In this study, we analyzed the regulation of electron transport under drought/high-light stress conditions in wild watermelon, a xerophyte that shows strong resistance to this type of stress. Under drought/high-light conditions that completely suppressed CO(2) fixation, the linear electron flow was diminished between photosystem (PS) II and PS I, there was no photoinhibitory damage to PS II and PS I and no decrease in the abundance of the two PSs. Proteome analyses revealed changes in the abundance of protein spots representing the Rieske-type iron-sulfur protein (ISP) and I and K subunits of NAD(P)H dehydrogenase in response to drought stress. Two-dimensional electrophoresis and immunoblot analyses revealed new ISP protein spots with more acidic isoelectric points in plants under drought stress. Our findings suggest that the modified ISPs depress the linear electron transport activity under stress conditions to protect PS I from photoinhibition. The qualitative changes in photosynthetic proteins may switch the photosynthetic electron transport from normal photosynthesis mode to stress-tolerance mode.