The eastern Himalayas, one of the important hotspots of global biodiversity, have a rich diversity of wild edible fruit trees. The fruits of these tree species have been consumed by the tribal people since time immemorial. However, there is limited information available on the biochemical and antioxidant properties of the fruits. Therefore, the present investigation was undertaken to study the physico-chemical and antioxidant properties of the nine most important wild fruit trees. Among the species, Pyrus pashia had the maximum fruit weight (37.83 g), while the highest juice (43.72%) and pulp content (84.67%) were noted in Haematocarpus validus and Myrica esculenta, respectively. Maximum total soluble solids (18.27%), total sugar (11.27%), moisture content (88.39%), ascorbic acid content (63.82 mg/100 g), total carotenoids (18.47 mg/100 g), and total monomeric anthocyanin (354.04 mg/100 g) were recorded in H. validus. Docynia indica had the highest total phenolic content (19.37 mg GAE/g), while H. validus recorded the highest total flavonoids and flavanol content. The antioxidant activities of the different fruits ranged from 0.17 to 0.67 IC₅₀ for DPPH activity and 3.59–13.82 mg AAE/g for FRAP. These fruits had attractive pigmentation of both pulp and juice and were a good potential source for the extraction of natural edible color in the food industry. The fruits also possess high market prices; Prunus nepalensis fetched $ 34.10–$ 141.5 per tree. Therefore, these fruits are rich sources of antioxidants, pigments and have a high market value for livelihood and nutritional security.

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is one of the most important tropical fruits in the World. Mango leaves, bark, and fruit (pulp, peel, and stone) are rich sources of bio-active compounds (BaCs) such as proteins [0.36 – 0.40 g 100 g^–1 fresh weight (FW) of pulp; 1.76 – 2.05% (w/w) of peel; 66.1 g kg^–1 of kernel flour; and 3.0% (w/w) of leaves], vitamin A [0.135 – 1.872 mg 100 g^–1 FW pulp; 15.27 International Units (IU) in kernels; 1,490 IU in leaves], vitamin C [7.8 – 172.0 mg 100 g^–1 FW of pulp; 188 – 349 µg g^–1 FW of peel; 0.17 g kg^–1 DW of kernel flour; 53 mg 100 g^–1 dry matter (DM) in leaves], carotenoids (0.78 – 29.34 µg g^–1 FW of pulp; 493 – 3,945 µg g^–1 FW of peel), mangiferin (1,690.4 mg kg^–1 DM in peel; 4.2 mg kg^–1 DW of kernel extract), phenolic compounds, dietary fibre (DF), carbohydrates, minerals, and other anti-oxidants known to have medicinal, nutritional, and industrial benefits. Bio-active compounds exist in functional foods and can protect us against diseases via several mechanisms. The anti-oxidant properties of several BaCs are important to protect against diseases related to oxidative stress. Fruit intake provides us with anti-oxidants that may act in a synergistic way to offer protection. In mango fruit, only the pulp is used, while all other parts are discarded and cause environmental pollution. The importance of all the different parts of mango fruit and trees should not be disregarded. With a global increase in health issues there is an increasing demand for natural foods. Hence, there is need to study all the bio-active constituents in mango to provide greater insights into their medical, nutritional, and industrial applications, as well as their role(s) in defending of the plant. This review aims to assist in the proper utilisation of mangoes to improve nutrition and health, as well as to improve our understanding of the defence mechanisms in plants that depend on these compounds.

Seaweed extracts have shown profoundly positive effects on crop growth, quality and reproduction in diverse agricultural and horticultural crops. Seaweed extracts can be used to promote the rooting and growth of cuttings in perennial fruit species like kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa). In this study, the cuttings were treated with 1, 5, 10 and 50% solutions of G Sap (Gracilaria edulis), K Sap (Kappaphycus alvarezii), AN (Ascophyllum nodosum), EM (Ecklonia maxima), HA (Humic acid) and control (water) for 6 h as base dipping. Subsequently, the treatments of G Sap, K Sap, AN, EM, HA and control were repeated every 15 days for a period of six months as application of 50 ml solutions in the potted cuttings. All the treatments exhibited significant effects on the rooting percent in all the kiwifruit cultivars, namely ‘Monty’, ‘Abott’, ‘Hayward’, ‘Allison’ and ‘Bruno’ (P ≤ 0.01) as compared to the control. Shoot and root growth parameters including leaf number per cutting, number of roots per cutting, number of branches, plant height, shoot diameter, root length, root diameter and root weight were all positively increased with the application of seaweed extracts (P ≤ 0.05). Cuttings treated with seaweed extract exhibited significantly higher levels of pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total carotenoids), metabolites (total carbohydrates and soluble phenols) and less electrolyte leakage as compared to the control cuttings. Significant positive and negative correlations were observed between biochemical parameters combined with plant nutrient concentration. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that PC1 and PC2 (first two principal components) accounted for 75% of the entire variation. While, PC1 accounted for 63% of the total variation, PC2 accounted for 11% of the total variation. The leaves and the roots of kiwifruit cultivar ‘Hayward’ treated with G Sap at 10%, K Sap at 10%, AN at 10%, EM at 10%, HA at 10% exhibited higher expression of all four root promoting candidate genes (GH3-3, LBD16, LBD29 and LRP1) compared to the control. Therefore, it can be concluded that, seaweed extract and humic acid can be used as a suitable alternative to synthetic hormones for promoting the rooting and growth of kiwifruit cuttings.

Lenticels are macroscopic openings occurring on the surface of mango fruit and are responsible for gaseous exchange and transpiration. Lenticel originates from the ruptured stomata during fruit enlargement and growth, reaching their maximum size at full maturity of fruit. Distribution of lenticel is 2–3 times higher in the apical region of the fruit than middle or shoulder portion at all growth stages. Although, the mechanism of lenticel discoloration (LD) is poorly understood, however few studies revealed that it is due to several factors including cultivar differences, movement of air and water through lenticel and membrane damage and liberation of phenolics, as a consequence of inadequate pre- and post-harvest handling. LD in mango cultivars is a serious problem, affecting the appearance and economic value of the fruit. A little information is available on the prevention of LD, which indicates that it can be prevented by adopting standardized pre- and post-harvest strategies like drying of orchard soil, fruit bagging, desapping of harvested fruit and storage in ventilated chamber.