Calcium (Ca) plays a crucial role as a nutrient influencing the ripening, post-harvest duration, and quality of fruits. Its impact on the cell wall and its function as a secondary messenger at the cellular level underscore its significance. While recently there has been an increase in studies examining the effects of Ca on fruit quality, there remains a need to consolidate and expand the literature on pre-harvest and post-harvest applications of Ca concerning the physical-chemical properties of fruits. This review aims to compile information on the mechanisms of Ca absorption by plants, as well as the interaction of Ca with the cell wall in fruit development and growth; the review also aims to synthesize literature on the effects of calcium on the physical and chemical properties of fruits that ultimately influences their quality. The review considers a comprehensive analysis of studies published in reputable scientific publishers (Elsevier, Springer, Frontiers, Wiley, MDPI, Hindawi, SciELO) over the last ten years, encompassing various relevant topics. Calcium proves effective in retarding the loss of firmness in fruits, increasing their mass, mitigating mass loss during storage, and extending postharvest life, thereby enhancing marketability. Furthermore, Ca demonstrates a role in decreasing the activity of enzymes responsible for cell wall degradation. Additionally, it reduces ethylene production in fruits, delaying the climacteric peak and reducing its intensity. Its application results in delayed color changes in fruits. For soluble solids, Ca diminishes sugar values and postpones their peak during the post-harvest period while maintaining high total acidity values. Notably, Ca applications contribute to a decreased incidence of certain physiological disorders.

Boron (B) is a crucial micronutrient for the initial formation, development, and final quality of fruits, as it affects their physical and chemical properties and helps prevent various functional disorders. Recently, numerous physiological disorders in fruits have been reported, which have been linked to B deficiency. However, there is still uncertainty about whether these issues are directly related to B, other nutrients, their combinations, or environmental conditions. This review aims to compile current and accurate information on how B is absorbed by plants, its role in the cell wall and membrane, its impact on flowering and fruit set, and its influence on physical and chemical properties, as well as its role in preventing physiological disorders. This review examines the latest studies on B published in major scientific journals (Elsevier, Springer, MDPI, Frontiers, Hindawi, Wiley, and SciELO). Boron is mobile in the xylem and slightly mobile in the phloem, and it plays a crucial role in pollination and fruit set. It reduces mass loss, maintains firmness, improves color, and results in larger, heavier fruits. Also, boron increases soluble solids, regulates total titratable acidity and pH, decreases respiration rate, and stabilizes ascorbic acid by delaying its breakdown. It also helps prevent disorders such as splitting, cork spots, internal rot, shot berry in grapes, blossom end rot, and segment drying in citrus. Foliar or soil application of B enhances fruit yield and post-harvest quality.

Cape gooseberry fruits have positioned in the world market due to their excellent nutritional characteristics, because they are an ideal food that contributes to raising the defenses of the human body and helps it to face diseases such as COVID-19, they are also a natural source of antioxidants and anticancer agents. In order to avoid the physiopathy of cracking in cape gooseberry fruits, these were characterized at harvest time, coming from greenhouse plants irrigated with different applications of water levels and irrigation frequencies, as well as different calcium doses, in a design of randomized complete blocks with 12 treatments. The blocks were the irrigation frequencies (4, 9 and 14 days), while the treatments were the combination of four irrigation coefficients (0.7, 0.9, 1.1 and 1.3 of the evaporation of the tank class A) and three doses of calcium (0, 50 and 100 kg ha-1). The plants were sown in 20 L pots with peat moss substrate. Fruits were harvested at the color stage 5 and 6 of the calyx, from 19 weeks after transplanting. The different water levels and irrigation frequencies did not significantly affect the firmness of the cape gooseberry fruits, but there was a strong tendency that cracked gooseberry fruits are less firm than healthy fruits. As the irrigation coefficient increased, the total soluble solids (TSS) increased while the total titratable acids (TTA) decreased. Irrigation frequency of 14 days generated fruits with higher TSS and pH values. The calcium doses did not affect the calcium concentration in the fruits or the TSS, TTA and pH values. Therefore, it can be concluded that incremented irrigation coefficients (up to 1.3) increase the quality of cape gooseberry fruits.

Agricultural productivity is closely linked to the spatial variability of soil physical properties. However, high variability makes it difficult to implement effective management strategies, and the constant expansion of eucalyptus plantations in certain areas alters the soil’s physical properties. This study conducted a geostatistical analysis of the physical properties of a soil in Sogamoso, Boyacá (Colombia), which contains areas with different management practices and vegetation cover, among which the presence of Eucalyptus globulus stands out. Ninety-seven points were sampled in an area of 29.1 ha, with multiple land uses. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and geostatistical analysis, which determined the semivariogram parameters, the degree of spatial dependence, and the best-fitting interpolation model for mapping. A correlation analysis between variables was also performed. Analysis of variance showed no significant differences among vegetation covers (dense forest, grass-crop mosaic, weedy grassland, and crop mosaic), indicating structural homogeneity. The hydraulic conductivity (K_sat) had the highest coefficient of variation (CV), at 141.9%, while particle density had the lowest CV, at 9.25%. K_sat (exponential model, range = 207 m) and porosity (spherical model, range = 98 m) showed a strong spatial dependence. K_sat was lower in areas with eucalyptus (0.01 to 0.2 m day⁻¹), attributed to hydrophobicity induced by organic compounds emitted by these plantations. Soil moisture contents showed lower values in areas with eucalyptus, corroborating their high water consumption. Soil aggregates were lower when eucalyptus plantations were on slopes greater than 15%. Porosity showed an inverse correlation with apparent density (r² = −0.86).

The demand for fruits with high anthocyanin content, such as blueberries, has increased in recent years due to their health benefits. However, few studies are known on the postharvest behavior of blueberry fruits subjected to the application of plant extracts and acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM). The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of the application of ASM and vegetable extracts (mint and coriander) on the organoleptic characteristics of blueberry fruits stored at 16°C during postharvest through a completely randomized design with five treatments. The contents of total anthocyanins in fruits (TA) did not differ between treatments, with values that ranged between 74.1 mg and 83.9 mg 100 g-1 of fresh weight. The TA tended to increase during storage and then to decrease during senescence. The firmness of blueberry fruits increased during storage, but hardness did not increase, since the fruits are softer and show wrinkling over time, indicating that the epidermis of the fruits has great elasticity. The fruits with the application of vegetable extracts showed the highest total soluble solids and total titratable acidity. The values of red/green and yellow/blue ratio increased, so the blueberry fruits slightly lost their blue hue during postharvest. Fruits with ASM application reached a postharvest life of 15 d after harvest (dah) while the other treatments only maintained quality for 13 dah.

Contextualización: el lulo es un fruto promisorio de alta demanda en los mercados, debido a sus excelentes propiedades organolépticas, además de ser fuente importante de vitaminas y minerales. Vacío de conocimiento: en los últimos diez años se han desarrollado múltiples investigaciones sobre la ecofisiología de la planta de lulo, sin que exista una revisión de literatura de este. Propósito del estudio: recopilar aspectos generales del cultivo, incluyendo los principales requerimientos agronómicos y aspectos ecofisiológicos para una producción sustentable. Metodología: la investigación se basó en una revisión metódica y ordenada de los estudios más relevantes publicados en diferentes bases de datos. Resultados y conclusiones: el cultivo de lulo se cultiva entre los 1900 y 2200 msnm en Colombia, con temperaturas de 15 a 24 °C. Requiere entre 1.500 a 2.500 mm de precipitación al año. Se asemeja a una planta de días cortos, que exhibe su mejor desarrollo en sitios sombreados con humedades relativas cercanas al 80 %. El método más eficiente de polinización es el realizado por abejorros (Bombus terrestris y Bombus sp.) por medio de vibraciones. La fotosíntesis neta del cultivo de lulo varia de 5,52 a 34,03 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1 a los 398 y 460 días después de transplante; mientras que la eficiencia máxima del fotosistema II (Fv/Fm) en el cultivo oscila entre 0,55 y 0,65, para plantas sin y con aplicación de nitrógeno foliar. Los valores de clorofila (a, b y total) para plantas de lulo son mayores en plantas en etapa de trasplante que en producción, debido a la reducida área fotosintética. Las concentraciones de nitrógeno mayores a 110 mg L-1 generan mejor rendimiento y mayor área foliar. La planta de lulo comienza la producción entre los ocho y 12 meses después ser trasplantada y produce rendimientos promedio de 8,5 t ha-1. El desarrollo y crecimiento de los frutos de lulo tiene un comportamiento que se ajusta a un modelo logístico sigmoide simple. Los frutos de lulo en la cosecha pueden llegar a alcanzar hasta 209 g con una firmeza de 58 N y valores de 13.6 °Brix y 56,2, 10,8 y 46,8 para los parámetros de color luminosidad (L*), cromaticidad a* y cromaticidad b*, respectivamente.