Doctor Xin He
Candidature
Graduated PhD 2023
Thesis title
Light Altering Film Affects Capsicum Development and Quality in a Protected Cropping Facility
Research Project
Under global climate change, production in controlled environments will promote sustainable agriculture, contribute to food security and elevate nutritional quality, but energy costs are high. Advanced covering materials such as Smart Glass (SG) were designed to reduce energy costs, but the impact on light quantity and quality on production and nutritional values of greenhouse horticultural crops are still unknown. In addition, elevated CO2 (eCO2) is conventional way to promote crop productivity, and both light and CO2 influence crop quality. Bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is an economically important vegetable of high nutritional value, but fruit quality and nutrition are sensitive to environmental factors, subsequently impacting the shelf life and commercial value.
My research objectives are to investigate the effects of SG and eCO2 on: (1) fruit yield, and external quality such as firmness and texture, on shelf life. (2) Light receptors and key nutritional biosynthesis gene expression during fruit development, including pectin structure and metabolic enzyme activity; (3) Identify impact of epidermal thickness on water loss and fruit firmness, antioxidant compounds, and cell wall degradation enzymes on shelf life; and (4) Transcriptome and proteome regulation of capsicum fruit maturation and quality.
Publications
Chavan SG, He X, Maier C, Alagoz Y, Anwar S, Chen Z-H, Ghannoum O, Cazzonelli CI, Tissue DT, (2023) 'An energy-saving glasshouse film reduces seasonal, and cultivar dependent Capsicum yield due to light limited photosynthesis', Annals of Agricultural Sciences, vol.68, no.1, pp 21 - 35
He X, Chavan SG, Hamoui Z, Maier C, Ghannoum O, Chen ZH, Tissue DT, Cazzonelli CI, (2022) 'Smart Glass Film Reduced Ascorbic Acid in Red and Orange Capsicum Fruit Cultivars without Impacting Shelf Life', Plants-Basel, vol.11, no.7, Article no.985
He X, Maier C, Chavan S, Chenchen Z, Alagoz Y, Cazzonelli CI, Ghannoum O, Tissue DT, Chen ZH, (2021) 'Light-altering Cover Materials and Sustainable Greenhouse Production of Vegetables: A Review', Plant Growth Regulation, vol.95, pp 1-17
Zhao C, Chavan S, He X, Zhou M, Cazzonelli CI, Chen Z-H, Tissue DT, Ghannoum O, (2021) 'Smart glass impacts stomatal sensitivity of greenhouse Capsicum through altered light', Journal of Experimental Botany, vol.72, no.8, pp 3235–3248
Li X, He X, Smith R, Choat B, Tissue D, (2020) 'Temperature alters the response of hydraulic architecture to CO2 in cotton plants (Gossypium hirsutum)', Environmental and Experimental Botany, vol.172, Article no.104004
Supervisors
Professor David Tissue, Professor Zhong-hua Chen, A/Professor Oula Ghannoum and Dr Christopher Cazzonelli
