The size and shape of individual fruit cells are key indicators of a fruit’s physiological condition and overall quality. However, due to the three-dimensional (3D) nature of fruit cells, existing biomicroscopes are not capable of efficiently or accurately characterizing their 3D geometry. In this work, a novel microscope system integrated with computer software was developed to enable precise 3D geometrical characterization of fruit cells. To validate the system’s effectiveness, tomatoes and strawberries at two different stages of ripeness were used as test samples. First, the front and bottom views of the fruit cells were captured. Subsequently, the developed software was used to measure the 3D geometric size of each individual cell. Key performance parameters of the developed 3D microscope, including overall magnification, aperture diameter, resolution, and field of view area, were carefully measured and evaluated. The experiment revealed differences in the length D₁, thickness D₂, width D₃, and geometric mean diameter (GMD) of single cells of tomatoes and strawberries; these differences were 18.18%, 4.6%, 9.8%, and 29.7%, 10.7%, 12.6%, respectively. Furthermore, 3D geometrical data, including surface area S, volume V, and sphericity φ of single cells, were successfully obtained. This demonstrated that the developed microscope system can efficiently and accurately capture and characterize the true 3D geometry of cells, emphasizing its scientific value.

Wind disturbance has emerged as a potential eco-friendly method for seedling cultivation. In this study, an electromechanical device was designed and built to investigate the effects of airflow on the micro-environment and physiological activities of tomato seedlings in seedbeds by controlled experiments. The results indicated that airflow could enhance CO₂ concentration near the seedling canopy, accelerate water evaporation from the seedling substrate, and reduce fluctuations in the temperature and humidity in microclimate. The photosynthetic rates of leaves at the 4th, 7th, and 10th positions in seedlings subjected to airflow increased by 25.04%, 8.23%, and 8.47%, respectively, whereas the transpiration rates increased by 15.59%, 22.28%, and 13.26%, respectively when compared to the control group. Additionally, the strong seedling index of seedlings treated with airflow and exogenous iron element increased by 26.02% and 31.5%, respectively. Compared to seedlings treated with exogenous iron element, the geometric mean diameter of the pith tissue cells in the stems of seedlings subjected to airflow disturbance was reduced by approximately 18.66%, while the elastic modulus and bending strength of the stems increased by 10.01% and 5.89%, respectively. Similarly, the volume of root tissue cells decreased by 19.22%, but the elastic modulus of the roots increased by 6.46%. This study confirms that airflow significantly enhances seedling resilience to abiotic stress, yielding similar or better outcomes than exogenous iron application. It provides both theoretical and practical support for using airflow disturbance as a green technology for cultivating robust seedlings.

Mechanical stimulation technology is critical in agricultural crop production because it is constantly regarded as a developing green technology to regulate plants to meet people's need for green and healthy agricultural products. Various environmental mechanical stimulation impacts seed germination, seedling growth, flowering date, fruit quantity, and fruit quality throughout the life cycle of a horticultural plant. This study first outlines the basic characteristics of six types of common mechanical stimulation in nature: precipitation, wind, gravity, touch, sound, and vibration. The effects of various mechanical stimulation types on the seed, seedling, flowering, and fruit of horticultural plants throughout their whole life cycle are then presented, as reviewed in the recent 100 years of existing literature. Finally, potential future study directions are discussed. The main challenge in mechanical stimulation technology is to uncover its potential capabilities for regulating and controlling plant development and fruit quality in green agriculture instead of agricultural chemicals.