Fabrizio Costa

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at University of Trento

In Norway, apples (Malus domestica Borkh.) are produced at latitude around 60 • north. Notably the season is short and cool and Norwegian cultivars have developed under selection pressure from these distinct climatic conditions, resulting in apple germplasm with unique genetic structure and pedigree. Strong selection for earliness has resulted in s...

Increasing consumption of apples (Malus domestica Borkh.) produced in Norway requires the availability of superior cultivars and extended marketability. Favorable texture and slow softening are important traits for consumer appreciation and postharvest performance. Apple texture has been well characterized using both sensory evaluation and instrume...

After harvest fruit are stored to preserve the quality features established during the on-tree development and maturation, ensuring thus a continuous availability of fresh fruit on the market. For certain fruit species like apple, storage can last for almost a year, especially when coupled with several strategies, such as the reduction of the oxyge...

To preserve quality features and ensuring availability of fresh fruit on the market, apples need to be stored after harvest. The low temperature applied during storage, beside avoiding important fruit loss, can also promote the development of serious chilling injury disorders, such as superficial scald. One of the strategies largely employed to pre...

Advances in fruit development and ripening Fruits originate from different tissues of the plant's reproductive organs. They have evolved primarily to protect the developing seeds from the environment, and to act to facilitate seed dispersal and subsequently plant propagation. In order to become attractive to seed-dispersing animals, fleshy fruits u...

Fleshy fruits of angiosperms are organs specialized for promoting seed dispersal by attracting herbivores and enticing them to consume the organ and the contained seeds. Ripening can be broadly defined as the processes serving as a plant strategy to make the fleshy fruit appealing to animals and leads to a coordinated series of changes in color, te...

Fruit flesh browning is a natural oxidative phenomenon occurring after cutting or processing. This event, manifesting dark-brown coloration, can seriously limit the production and marketability of fresh cut fruit products. Antioxidant compounds can partially prevent this phenomenon, but in turn they can affect the quality and the organoleptic prope...

The low temperature normally applied to prevent fruit decay during the storage of apples, can also triggers the onset of a chilling injury disorder known as superficial scald. In this work, the etiology of this disorder and the mechanism of action of two preventing strategies, such as the application of 1-MCP (1-methylcyclopropene) and storage at l...

Mango is heavily affected by rapid off-tree ripening progression with an excessive fruit softening that eventually limits its marketability. The comprehension of the physiological events occurring in the post-climacteric/ senescent phase can contribute to the identification of possible solutions for the improvement of shelf life. In this study, the...

Superficial scald is a post-harvest chilling storage injury leading to browning of the surface of the susceptible cv Granny Smith apples. Wounding of skins has been reported to play a preventive role on scald development however its underlying molecular factors are unknown. We have artificially wounded the epidermal and sub-epidermal layers of appl...

The ripening of climacteric fruits, such as apple, is represented by a series of genetically programmed events orchestrated by the action of several hormones. In this study, we investigated the existence of a hormonal crosstalk between ethylene and auxin during the post-harvest ripening of three internationally known apple cultivars: 'Golden Delici...

The molecular and biochemical events underlying the onset of superficial scald in two pear cultivars with different susceptibility (‘Blanquilla’ and ‘Conference’) was investigated in fruit untreated and treated with lovastatin, 1-MCP or ethylene. ‘Conference’ pears were characterized by higher content of flavonols and linolenic acid (18:3), two met...

To elucidate the physiology underlying the development of superficial scald in pears, susceptible "Blanquilla" fruit was treated with different compounds that either promoted (ethylene) or repressed (1-methylcyclopropene and lovastatin) the incidence of this disorder after 4 months of cold storage. Our data show that scald was negligible for the fr...

Texture is a complex trait and a major component of fruit quality in apple. While the major effect of MdPG1, a gene controlling firmness, has already been exploited in elite cultivars, the genetic basis of crispness remains poorly understood. To further improve fruit texture, harnessing loci with minor effects via genomic selection is therefore nec...

Loquat marketability is affected by purple spot (PS), a preharvest physiological disorder, evident as skin discoloration with depressed surface. The intensity and severity of PS in three loquat cultivars ('Morphitiki', 'Karantoki' and 'Obusa') was phenotypically monitored during successive on-tree fruit developmental stages. At harvest. 'Obusa' fru...

Apple fruit quality is strongly influenced by the interplay between juiciness and texture. To better decipher the complexity underneath the control of such quality traits, a multidisciplinary approach combining the mechanic and acoustic profiling of texture, juice analysis, cell morphology, sensory and genetic analysis was carried out. The analyses...

After harvest, apples are stored at low temperature to slow down the ripening physiological processes. This strategy can, however, also promote the development of superficial scald, a chilling injury-related disorder showing brown-discoloured areas on the fruit skin, totally compromising its marketability. To examine thoroughly the underlying physi...

Fruits are nowadays considered important suppliers of anti-oxidant molecules. Apples are particularly rich in phenolic compounds, non-nutritional phytochemicals that play active roles in controlling severe chronic diseases. In this work, 19 phenolic compounds were investigated in both skin and pulp tissues of seven apple accessions across the Malus...

Almost 10 years since the first draft of the apple genome was published, the insights it has afforded are being used to improve crops, while next generation DNA sequencing is enabling the breeding value of individual plants to be more rapidly assessed. In this review, Cameron Peace at Washington State University in Pullman, US, and colleagues descr...

To decipher the transcriptomic regulation of the on-tree fruit maturation in pear cv. 'Abate Fetel', a RNA-seq transcription analysis identified 8939 genes differentially expressed across four harvesting stages. These genes were grouped into 11 SOTA clusters based on their transcriptional pattern, of which three included genes upregulated while the...

Apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) is a model species for studying the metabolic changes that occur at the onset of ripening in fruit crops, and the physiological mechanisms that are governed by the hormone ethylene. In this study, to dissect the climacteric interplay in apple, a multidisciplinary approach was employed. To this end, a comprehensive a...

Most cultivated apple cultivars are highly susceptible to fire blight, caused by Erwinia amylovora. However, differences in resistance levels are observed among cultivars and could be used in breeding. In this paper, we investigated the genetic basis of fire blight resistance of the cultivar ‘Enterprise’ and the advanced breeding selection X-6398....

The inclusive threshold policy for publication in BMC journals including BMC Plant Biology means that editorial decisions are largely based on the soundness of the research presented rather than the novelty or potential impact of the work. Here we discuss what is required to ensure that research meets the requirement of scientific soundness. BMC Pl...

Fruits stored at low temperature can exhibit different types of chilling injury. In apple, one of the most serious physiological disorders is superficial scald, which is characterized by discoloration and brown necrotic patches on the fruit exocarp. Although this phenomenon is widely ascribed to the oxidation of α-farnesene, its physiology is not y...

In vascular plants the cell-to-cell interactions coordinating morphogenetic and physiological processes are mediated, among others, by the action of hormones, among which also short mobile peptides were recognized to have roles as signals. Such peptide hormones (PHs) are involved in defense responses, shoot and root growth, meristem homeostasis, or...

Peach is a climacteric species whose ripening is regulated by the plant hormone ethylene. A crosstalk mechanism with auxin is necessary to support climacteric ethylene synthesis. The homeostasis control of auxin is regulated also by the activity of peptide hormones (PHs), acting both as short and long distant ligands. In this work, we investigated...

The correlation of light availability and fruit quality traits for apple fruits (Malus × domestica Borkh.) within the canopy in two training systems, Slender Spindle and Bi-axis, were tested on nine-year-old trees of 'Gala' grafted on M9 rootstock. Three trees were chosen for each training system and twelve fruits from each tree were selected in di...

The "Slender Spindle", one of the most used training systems for apple, was compared with the "Bi-axis", an innovative training system, to determine their effect on fruit quality and fruit distribution within the canopy on 'Gala' cultivar. Two levels of crop loads were also introduced to observe their effects through chemical and manual thinning. F...

Fruit quality represents a fundamental factor guiding consumers’ preferences. Among apple quality traits, volatile organic compounds and texture features play a major role. Proton Transfer Reaction-Time of Flight-Mass Spectrometry (PTR-ToF-MS), coupled with an artificial chewing device, was used to profile the entire apple volatilome of 162 apple a...

Fruit texture is a complex feature composed of mechanical and acoustic properties relying on the modifications occurring in the cell wall throughout fruit development and ripening. Apple is characterized by a large variation in fruit texture behavior that directly impacts both the consumer’s appreciation and post-harvest performance. To decipher th...

Apple is a fleshy fruit distinguished by a climacteric type of ripening, since most of the relevant physiological changes are triggered and governed by the action of ethylene. After its production, this hormone is perceived by a series of receptors to regulate, through a signaling cascade, downstream ethylene related genes. The possibility to contr...

Suberin, a polymer composed of both aliphatic and aromatic domains, is deposited as a rough matrix upon plant surface damage and during normal growth in the root endodermis, bark, specialized organs (e.g., Solanum tuberosum (potato) tubers), and seed coats. To identify genes associated with the developmental control of suberin deposition, we invest...

Apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) is a model species for studying the metabolic changes that occur at the onset of ripening in fruit crops and the physiological mechanisms that are governed by the hormone ethylene. In this study, to dissect the climacteric interplay in apple, a multidisciplinary approach was employed. To this end, a comprehensive an...

The development of molecular markers linked to specific traits is now routine practice, but the gap between genomics and breeding often delays their application. In the frame of the FP7 European project FruitBreedomics, apple pilot studies were designed to exploit the project’s outcomes towards the practical application of marker-assisted breeding...

Fruit quality is a combination of several features impacting the general consumers’ appreciation, and it is thought as the final result of a complex physiological mechanism ongoing during the entire ontogenic life cycle. In the horticultural management apples are normally stored for a long period, ensuring the availability of fresh fruit on the mar...

The epidermis of aerial plant organs is the primary source of building blocks forming the outer surface cuticular layer. To examine the relationship between epidermal cell development and cuticle assembly in the context of fruit surface, we investigated the tomato SlMIXTA-like gene. MIXTA/MIXTA-like proteins, initially described in snapdragon petal...

In terms of the quality of minimally processed fruit, flesh browning is fundamentally important in the development of an aesthetically unpleasant appearance, with consequent off-flavours. The development of browning depends on the enzymatic action of the polyphenol oxidase (PPO). In the 'Golden Delicious' apple genome ten PPO genes were initially i...

Fleshy fruits are generally stored before consumption, especially apple, during which several diseases and disorders can occur. Mechanical handling and transportation may cause general wounding, leading to dramatic quality decay and fruit loss, thus to a negative economic impact. Although the majority of the research addressing fruit quality has ma...

ASSIsT (Automatic SNP ScorIng Tool) is a user-friendly customized pipeline for efficient calling and filtering of SNPs from Illumina Infinium arrays, specifically devised for custom genotyping arrays. Illumina has developed an integrated software for SNP data visualization and inspection called GenomeStudio(®) (GS).ASSIsT builds on GS derived data...

The outer epidermal layer of apple fruit is covered by a protective cuticle. Composed of a polymerized cutin matrix embedded with waxes, the cuticle is a natural waterproof barrier and protects against several abiotic and biotic stresses. In terms of apple production, the cuticle is essential to maintain long post-harvest storage, while severe fail...

To date, the accepted hypothesis about the development of superficial scald in apple fruit is related to the accumulation of harmful α-farnesene auto oxidation products, such as conjugated trienols or 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one (MHO). The aim of this research was the implementation of an alternative, rapid, reliable, analytical technique based on PTR-...

In this study we assessed the main bioactive compounds of a broad apple germplasm collection, composed by 247 accessions of wild (97) and domesticated (150) species. Among the stilbenes, trans- and cis-piceid were found to be ubiquitary components of both wild and cultivated apples. Apple was suggested to be the second dietary source of resveratrol...

A comparison between the two training systems Slender Spindle and Bi-axis was performed on two main cultivars, such as ‘Galaxy Evolution’ and ‘Pink Lady’® (‘Rosy Glow’). Tree architecture description and fruit position in the canopy were monitored during the fruit maturation and ripening using a software developed to design tree architecture and fr...

Fruit quality represents an important aspect of any fruit species, due to its economical importance and direct impact on consumers’ appreciation. In order to generate a compendium about the genomic intervals putatively involved in the control of the several fruit quality components, a Metaquantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis was performed startin...

Fruit quality is generally represented by several components, among which aroma plays a fundamental role in determining the overall appreciation. To generate a comprehensive data inventory of aroma compounds in apple, a large collection represented by 190 apple accessions was characterized by a proton transfer reaction-time of flight-mass spectrome...

Background Fruit quality features resulting from ripening processes need to be preserved throughout storage for economical reasons. However, during this period several physiological disorders can occur, of which superficial scald is one of the most important, due to the development of large brown areas on the fruit skin surface.ResultsThis study ex...

Next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) produces vast amounts of DNA sequence data, but it is not specifically designed to generate data suitable for genetic mapping. Recently developed DNA library preparation methods for NGS have helped solve this problem, however, by combining the use of reduced representation libraries with DNA sample barcoding to...

The superficial scald is an important physiological disorder affecting apple fruit during postharvest storage. To date, the accumulation, and further oxidation, of α-farnesene was considered as the most probable cause for the development of this physiopathy. In order to perform a more broad investigation, a PTR-ToF–MS (proton transfer reaction—time...

The hydrophobic cuticular membrane of land plants performs a number of important roles during fruit development, including protection from a range of abiotic and biotic stresses. The components of the fleshy fruit cuticle are synthesized and secreted from the epidermal cells. While the biosynthetic and transport pathways of the cuticle have been th...

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are funda-mental elements of flavor, one of the most important fruit-quality traits. Despite its importance, this aspect is still poorly considered in assisted breeding programs, due to the lack of suitable and fast detection systems as well as validated func-tional markers. In this work, a full-sib parental mappin...

This book, divided into four parts, aims to gather comprehensive and concise information on the advances in fruit research. Part one focuses on physiology and metabolism. Part two deals with fruit nutritional quality and part three with signalling and hormonal control of fruit ripening. Part four covers genetic and epigenetic control of fruit ripen...

Key message Proof of concept of Bayesian integrated QTL analyses across pedigree-related families from breeding programs of an outbreeding species. Results include QTL confidence intervals, individuals’ genotype probabilities and genomic breeding values. Abstract Bayesian QTL linkage mapping approaches offer the flexibility to study multiple full s...

Key message Proof of concept of Bayesian integrated QTL analyses across pedigree-related families from breeding programs of an outbreeding species. Results include QTL confidence intervals, individuals’ genotype probabilities and genomic breeding values. Abstract Bayesian QTL linkage mapping approaches offer the flexibility to study multiple ful...

Ethylene is a gaseous hormone that coordinates several important physiological processes resulting in the final fruit quality in apple. Due to its genetic heterozygousity, apple offers the possibility to exploit the natural allelic variation existing at the level of two genes involved in the ethylene biosynthetic pathway, Md-ACS1 and Md-ACO1. The a...

Molecular markers are nowadays considered fundamental tools in breeding programs, supporting the selection of the most favourable offspring. This role is invaluable in the case of complex agronomic traits in tree fruit crop species, such as fruit texture in apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.). This work presents the validation of a previously identifi...

In terms of the quality of minimally processed fruit, flesh browning is fundamentally important in the development of an aesthetically unpleasant appearance, with consequent off-flavours. The development of browning depends on the enzymatic action of the polyphenol oxidase (PPO). In the 'Golden Delicious' apple genome ten PPO genes were initially i...

The aroma trait in apple is a key factor for fruit quality strongly affecting the consumer appreciation, and its detection and analysis is often an extremely laborious and time consuming procedure. Molecular markers associated to this trait can to date represent a valuable selection tool to overcome these limitations. QTL mapping is the first step...

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) markers have been recognized as the marker of choice in genetic studies due to their suitability for high throughput genome-wide genotyping. Several SNP genotyping platforms and related software for genotype calling are commercially available, including Illumina’s Infinium platform and Genome Studio software....

Marker assisted selection (MAS) permits the selection of plants carrying genes that control interesting agronomic traits through the screening of associated markers. In practice, it is possible to select the phenotype of plants at the seedling stage based on their genotype, in order to allow the breeders to retain only germplasm conferring desirabl...

High throughput arrays for the simultaneous genotyping of thousands of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have made the rapid genetic characterisation of plant genomes and the development of saturated linkage maps a realistic prospect for many plant species of agronomic importance. However, the correct calling of SNP genotypes in divergent poly...

Erroneously scored genotype clusters containing additional SNPs. Examples of erroneously scored genotype clusters following automatic genotyping using GenomeStudio (Illumina) containing additional SNPs (hereafter reported as B’) and null (n) alleles. Red circles and genotypes indicate scores assigned by GenomeStudio, blue circles indicate genotypes...

The names of the 192 Malus varieties genotyped with the IRSC array. (PDF)

The genetic positions, marker names, segregation ratios and physical positions on the ‘Golden Delicious’ genome sequence of the 797 SNP markers mapped to the M432 linkage map. (XLS)

Linkage map of newly-mapped SNP markers. The M432 consensus linkage map detailing the map positions of the 797 novel SNP loci mapped in this investigation following manual re-annotation of data generated with the IRSC array. The scale in centi-Morgans (cM) is given at the left edge of the figure. (PNG)

Erroneously scored genotype clusters annealing to multiple genomic regions. Examples of erroneously scored genotype clusters following automatic genotyping using GenomeStudio (Illumina)of SNP that target multiple sites. Red circles and genotypes written in red indicate genotype assignment by GenomeStudio: (a) Data scored as monomorphic AA clearly c...