ISHS Acta Horticulturae 636: XXVI International Horticultural Congress: Key Processes in the Growth and Cropping of Deciduous Fruit and Nut Trees
X-RAY MICROANALYSIS OF APPLES TREATED WITH KAOLIN INDICATES WAX-EMBEDDED PARTICULATE IN THE CUTICLE |
| Authors: | E. Curry, D. Baer, J. Young |
| Keywords: | Malus x domestica, kaolin, sunburn, heat injury, wax, micro-cracking |
| Abstract:
'Gala' apples trees were treated with kaolin (Surround) in mid-July, and fruit were sampled 1 and 7 days after treatment. Apples were gently rinsed with cold deionized water to remove loose surface material. Small sections of cuticle tissue were shaved from the fruit surface with a razor blade and flash frozen on an aluminum block held at -190ºC with liquid N2. The tissue was freeze-dried, coated with a thin film of carbon, and examined using a field emission scanning electron microscope coupled with an energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis system capable of light element detection. Qualitative secondary electron imaging combined with quantitative elemental compositional analyses indicated kaolin particles may become embedded in the cuticle between individual wax platelets. | |
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