Paper · 2026 · Functional Plant Biology

Role of non-structural carbohydrates in the sustainable production of apples (Malus domestica)

Reema Prakash; Oluyoye Idowu; Bruno Holzapfel; et al.

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Open access · cc-by-nc-nd

Abstract

Consistent yield and production of high-quality fruits are key drivers for sustainable apple industry. Flowering and fruiting in apple (Malus domestica) can be limited by non-structural carbohydrates. Apples flower profusely, and as strong sinks, both flowers and fruits compete with vegetative parts of the tree for carbohydrate allocation. Low sugar availability results in inconsistent blooms and regular cropping disruptions, leading to low yields and substantial economic losses. Various crop thinning strategies are used to reduce crop load and improve carbohydrate allocation for better fruit quality and return bloom. The implementation times of these strategies in the current season can significantly alter the sugar balance, affecting flower formation in the following season. This review examines various roles of non-structural carbohydrates in apple tree physiology, with a focus on flower and fruit development. It appraises the fundamentals of effective carbohydrate management for achieving long-term sustainability in apple production. A dual carbon transport system in apples ensures a more stable and efficient supply of sugars to the sinks and enables carbohydrates to perform essential roles in signalling, structural support during flower formation, floral metabolism, pollination, fruit set, fruit development, fruit metabolism, and fruit quality enhancement. Understanding the vital functions of carbohydrates in tree dormancy, flowering, and fruiting calls for a more efficient implementation of fruit thinning strategies at the earliest possible time during the reproductive phase.

Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record; open copy licensed cc-by-nc-nd. Read at the source ↗

The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.

Claims 3

Observationobservedreview summarybasis n/a

Claim · model-written summary

Apples have a dual carbon transport system that ensures a more stable and efficient supply of sugars to sinks.

Outcome
dual carbon transport systeme0

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Malus domestica
Malus domestica · TaxonW.carter · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“A dual carbon transport system in apples ensures a more stable and efficient supply of sugars to the sinks”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1054–1160 · show in text ↑
Mechanismauthor interpretationreview summarybasis n/a

Claim · model-written summary

In apples carbohydrates perform essential roles in signalling, flower formation, floral metabolism, pollination, fruit set, fruit development, fruit metabolism and fruit quality.

Compound
carbohydratese1
Outcome
flower formation, floral metabolism, pollination, fruit set, fruit development, fruit metabolism, and fruit quality enhancemente1

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Malus domestica
Malus domestica · TaxonW.carter · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“A dual carbon transport system in apples ensures a more stable and efficient supply of sugars to the sinks”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1054–1160 · show in text ↑
e1

“enables carbohydrates to perform essential roles in signalling, structural support during flower formation, floral metabolism, pollination, fruit set, fruit development, fruit metabolism, and fruit quality enhancement”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1165–1382 · show in text ↑
Recommendationauthor interpretationreview summarybasis n/a

Claim · model-written summary

Fruit thinning strategies should be implemented more efficiently and at the earliest possible time in the reproductive phase of apple.

Taxon
Malus domesticaMalus domesticat0
Outcome
fruit thinning strategies at the earliest possible timee0

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Malus domestica
Malus domestica · TaxonW.carter · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“calls for a more efficient implementation of fruit thinning strategies at the earliest possible time during the reproductive phase”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1477–1607 · show in text ↑
t0

“apples (Malus domestica)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 70–94 · show in text ↑