Performance of Strawberry Varieties Developed for Perennial Matted-Row Production in Annual Plasticulture in a Cold Climate Region

Annual plasticulture production of strawberries promises superior weed control, fruit quality and yields. However, strawberry varieties adapted for perennial, matted-row production and local markets in cold climate regions have not been widely tested for adaptation to an annual production cycle. Productivity of seven short-day varieties developed for matted-row and/or annual production was examined in an annual plasticulture system in two consecutive trials in central NY (lat. 42.87° N, long. 76.99° W) harvested in 2013 and 2014. ‘Flavorfest’ demonstrated good performance in Trial 1 with high yield (390 g/plant) and large fruit size (13.9 g mean berry weight). ‘Jewel’ was shown to be well adapted to the annual plasticulture system with consistently high yields (330 and 390 g/plant) that equaled or surpassed other varieties and had moderate fruit size. ‘Chandler’ performed similarly to previous trials conducted in warmer regions with yield (340 g/plant) and fruit size (9.8 g mean berry weight) similar to ‘Jewel’. ‘Clancy’ yielded less but was consistent from year to year. The late season varieties Seneca and Ovation showed marked variability between years, possibly due to drastically different temperatures during flowering and fruit development in Trial 1 compared to Trial 2. High temperatures in Trial 1 likely caused higher early fruit yield, a compressed season and a precipitous decline in fruit size in the later season, thus reducing yield in the late season. Survival after a second dormant period was poor resulting in a small second harvest and reduced fruit size. Overall, the system demonstrated many of the expected benefits but may be more sensitive to weather conditions in the region. While many varieties developed for matted-row production may work well in an annual plasticulture system, not all varieties are equally adapted. Performance of each variety should be determined independently before large scale adoption by growers.

Evaluation of parental raspberry breeding forms for fruit size

Te article tackles the feasibility of improving the raspberry fruit size as an important production and marketability factor. Te trials included 22 domestic and foreign cultivars, 11 selected forms of raspberry, as well as ten cross-breeding combinations and three open-pollinated forms. Te assessment of parental forms and hybrids was carried out at the collection and breeding sites of the Kokino base station of Federal Horticultural Center for Breeding, Agrotechnology and Nursery during 2016-2020. Fruits were harvested from regular cultivar bushes every 2 days in triplicate. Te average weight was determined per 100 berries in each replicate. Cultivars and hybrids were divided into three groups, small- (3.6 g). Te average berry weight in hybrid nurslings was estimated per plant. Each plant was sampled with 30 berries. Weighing was performed with an SCC-750 electronic scales device. Te weather conditions of the trial period were contrast, allowing a more objective assessment of the collection and breeding raspberry material by berry weight. Te following cultivars were identified as the sources of improved berry size in the parental form trials: Maria, Cascade Delight, Fenomen, Lavina, Cowichan, Patricia, Laczka, Glen Ample and selections 2-115-1, 8-13-2, 18-11-3, 18-11-2, 2-90-2 and 2-90-3. Tese forms had an average trial-period berry weight of 3.7-4.3 g least affected by weather conditions. Te inspection of hybrids revealed the best parental forms for obtaining new raspberry cultivars with an improved berry weight: Maria, Fenomen, Lavina, Cowichan, Glen Ample and the selected form 8-13-2. Te promising cross-combinations are: 2-12-1 x Fenomen, Lavina x Ulybka, 8-13-2 x Peresvet, as well as the open-pollinated offspring of Glen Ample, Cowichan and Maria. Large-fruited genotypes isolated in these lineages will be used in further breeding to increase the fruit size in raspberry.

Quality and antioxidant activity of 'Isabel Precoce' grapes installed on different training systems and rootstocks in warmer seasons in a tropical semi-arid region

Production system and environmental factors might cause changes in grapevine physiology, affecting grape yield, quality, phenolic composition, and antioxidant potential. The aim of this study was to characterize the quality and antioxidant potential of 'Isabel Precoce' grapes on different training systems and rootstocks in warmer seasons, in tropical conditions. Experimental design was in randomized blocks, in sub-subplots through time and four replicates. Three training systems (overhead trellis, lyre and vertical shoot positioning - VSP) and two rootstocks (‘IAC 572’ and ‘IAC 766’) were studied in the production cycles from July to October, 2017 and from July to October, 2018 in the Submedium of São Francisco Valley. Berry weight; cluster weight; color attributes; berry resistance to compression (COMP); titratable acidity; soluble solids; total soluble sugars (TSS); yellow flavonoids; total anthocyanins; total extractable polyphenols and antioxidant activity by ABTS●+ and DPPH● free radical capture methods were analyzed. Lyre and VSP resulted on increases of 6% and 17% in berry weight and COMP, respectively. Moreover, differences between production cycles were more intense for both variables. In production cycle from July to October 2017, lyre and VSP systems provided increases of 2 g 100 g-1 of TSS and higher anthocyanin and yellow flavonoid contents, while grapes trained in VSP had higher antioxidant activity. Mean values of anthocyanins reached 529.34 mg 100 g-1 in grapes harvested in October 2017. Some grape quality and chemical components showed high variation in warmer seasons of sucessive years, according to training system or rootstock and their combinations

Genetic diversity and inter-relationships of fruit bio-chemicals and antioxidant activity in Iranian wild blackberry species

Blackberries are a rich source of bio-chemicals such as anthocyanins and polyphenolic antioxidants. The evaluation of the extent of variation among wild genetic resources can provide useful information for the establishment of effective conservation strategies and future breeding programs. In this study, variations and inter-relationship of berry weight, total phenol (TP), total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), ascorbic acid (AA), anthocyanin and antioxidant activity were estimated in their values among 57 accessions belonging to 4 different Rubus spp. native to Iran. The experiments were performed during two consecutive years (2014 and 2015). Combine analysis showed that there is no significant difference between the data of 2 years in all measured traits. High or very high levels of variations were detected in berry weight (0.14–1.30 g), antioxidant activity (40.21–88.08%), anthocyanin (80.74–145.09 mg/100 g), TSS (7.9–17.8 °Brix), TA (0.36–0.83%) and AA (9.56–20.92 mg/100 g). This is while TP showed very low levels of variation (109.5–129.1 mg/100 g). Correlation analysis showed that antioxidant activity correlated highly and positively with all of the measured characteristics including ascorbic acid (r = 0.927), anthocyanin (r = 0.752), total phenol (r = 0.681), TSS (r = 0.473) and berry weight (r = 0.541) except for TA. Cluster analysis based on all measured characteristics showed a partial differentiation between the accessions based on their species and, to lesser extent, according to their origin within the main clusters. Based on the bi-plot of the first two PCAs, genotypes and traits classified into four quadrants. This grouping was in agreement with that of cluster analysis, considering the fact that almost all of accessions in quadrants II and III (with a few exceptions) were same to those in the first clade of cluster analysis and the genotypes grouped in quadrants I and IV, represents the accessions of clade 2 in cluster analysis. The projection of the traits vectors in PCA were also fully in accordance to that of correlation analysis in almost all of studied traits. Results showed that a rich source of variations is available considering berry weight, fruit bio-chemical and antioxidant activity in the Iranian wild Rubus species, which needs immediate conservation and worth to be utilized in commercial breeding programs.

Thermal Cooling with Sprinklers or Microsprinklers Reduces Heat Damage and Improves Fruit Quality in Northern Highbush Blueberry

Hot and sunny weather can cause a considerable amount of fruit damage in northern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) and result in millions of dollars of crop loss each year. To combat this issue, many growers use over-canopy sprinkler or microsprinkler systems to cool the fruit, but questions remain on the amount of time and frequency these systems should be run and whether they have any effect on fruit quality. Two series of studies were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of using sprinklers or microsprinklers for reducing blueberry fruit temperature and improving fruit quality in western Oregon. With sprinklers, treatments were applied in 2014 and 2015 to ‘Elliott’ blueberry and included irrigation (night) and cooling (day) with sprinklers, sprinkler irrigation (at night only) with no cooling, and drip irrigation with no cooling. The sprinklers were run for cooling for 15 minutes every hour whenever air temperature was ≥32 or 35 °C. Berry temperature declined rapidly within the first 15 minutes of cooling and never exceeded ambient air temperature during the cooling cycles. While the percentage of fruit with heat damage was low even without cooling (<2%), cooling reduced damage to nearly 0% in 1 of 2 years and increased berry weight relative to no cooling in both years when it was run at ≥32 °C. Cooling also reduced the concentration of soluble solids (sugars) in the berries in 2014 but had no effect on yield, fruit firmness, titratable acidity, harvest date, or the total content of phenolics or anthocyanins in the berries in either year. With microsprinklers, cooling was tested at a commercial farm and at an experimental site. At the farm, 1.3-ha blocks of ‘Aurora’ blueberry were irrigated by drip and either had no cooling or were cooled using microsprinklers run continuously or pulsed in 1-hour or 20-minute cycles during three extreme heat events (≥35 °C) in 2015. Continuous cooling was the most effective treatment for reducing berry temperature, but it resulted in wetter conditions, which might impede fruit harvest afterward and increase the presence of slugs, insect pests, and fungal diseases. Pulsed cooling, especially with short cycles, effectively maintained fruit temperatures near that of ambient air and reduced water use by 50%. At the experimental site, cooling with microsprinklers, which in this case were pulsed in 20-min cycles when air temperature was ≥ 32 °C, reduced heat damage in ‘Aurora’ and ‘Elliott’ in 2016. Cooling at this site also increased berry weight by an average of 10% in both cultivars and increased fruit firmness by 32% during the first of three harvests in ‘Aurora’; however, it reduced the concentration of soluble solids in the berries in both cultivars. In general, cooling with microsprinklers used considerably less water than cooling with sprinklers, but it appeared to be equally effective at reducing berry temperature.

The Interplay between Atmospheric Conditions and Grape Berry Quality Parameters in Portugal

The atmospheric conditions are a strong modulator of grape berry composition, but further research is required to better understand this relationship, which is particularly pertinent under the context of climate change. The present study assesses the relationship between interannual variability in atmospheric conditions (mean, maximum and minimum air temperatures and precipitation totals) on grape berry quality attributes in three main Portuguese wine regions—Douro, Dão and Alentejo—and targets two major varieties growing in Portugal (cv. Touriga Nacional and cv. Aragonez/Tempranillo). Berry weight, titratable acidity (TA), pH, potential alcohol (PA), anthocyanins and total phenols index (TPI) data, collected two to three weeks after the end of the veraison until technological maturity, since 1999 in Douro, 2004 in Alentejo and 2008 in Dão, were selected. Meteorological data were obtained from both automatic weather stations and a climatic database defined at a very-high-resolution grid (<1 km) (PTHRES). The influence of daily mean, maximum and minimum air temperatures (November–October) and precipitation totals (April to June and July to September) on the above-mentioned berry quality parameters were first explored to identify the months/periods more influential to grape berry composition. Different statistical approaches were subsequently carried out to explore in greater detail these relationships. At technological maturity, temperature was negatively correlated to berry weight, titratable acidity, anthocyanins and TPI, but was positively correlated to pH and potential alcohol. Moreover, lowest levels of berry weight and TA (and highest levels of pH) were more frequent in warmer regions, while the opposite was seen in the cooler regions. PA, TPI and anthocyanins at maturity did not show a clear trend across regions. In addition, the maturation parameters of each site were grouped into two clusters—years where the maturation parameter is higher (cluster 1) and years where it is lower (cluster 2)—and significant differences in monthly mean temperatures between clusters were found. Overall, temperatures at veraison and maturation periods (June–August) were more influential in determining grape berry composition at harvest. The influence of precipitation was dependent on location and variety. The results also suggested that berry composition in Alentejo is more sensitive to atmospheric variability, while Aragonez seems more resilient than Touriga Nacional. These outcomes are based on a systematized and unprecedentedly large grape berry quality database in Portugal and provided the grounds for the development of grape quality forecast models, either to be used operationally in each vintage or for assessing potential modifications in berry composition in response to changing climates.

Osmia lignaria (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) produce larger and heavier blueberries than honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Fruit set, berry size, and berry weight were assessed for pollination by the solitary bee Osmia lignaria (Say) in caged rabbiteye blueberries (Vaccinium ashei Reade, Ericales : Ericaceae), and compared to that of uncaged rabbiteye blueberries which were pollinated largely by honey bees (Apis mellifera L). O. linaria produced berries that were 1.6mm larger in diameter and 0.45g heavier than uncaged blueberries. Fruit set was 40% higher in uncaged blueberries. This suggests that Osmia bees can produce larger and heavier berry fruit, but O. lignaria may be less efficient at blueberry pollination as compared to A. mellifera under field cage conditions.

Spatial variability in Ontario Riesling vineyards: I. Soil, vine water status and vine performance

Aim: The major focus of this research was to explain the so-called terroir effects that impact grapevine yield components, berry composition, and wine varietal character. To elucidate potential contributors to the terroir effect, vine water status [midday leaf water potential (ψ)] was chosen as a major determinant. The hypothesis of this component of the study was that consistent leaf ψ zones could be identified within vineyard sites and that vine water status would play a major role in vine performance and yield components. Soil texture was anticipated to play a role indirectly through its water-holding capacity.Methods and materials: To test this hypothesis, ten Riesling vineyards representative of each Vintners Quality Alliance of Ontario sub-appellation were selected within the Niagara Peninsula. These vineyards were delineated using global positioning systems and 75–80 sentinel vines were geo-referenced within a sampling grid for data collection. During the 2005–2007 growing seasons, leaf ψ measurements were collected bi-weekly from a subset of these sentinel vines. Data were collected on soil texture and composition, soil water content (SWC), vine performance and yield components. These variables were mapped using geographical information systems software and relationships between them were elucidated.Results: Vineyards were variable in terms of soil texture, composition, nutrition, and moisture. However, in general, few consistent relationships with soil composition variables were found. As hypothesized, consistent leaf ψ zones were identified within vineyards in all three vintages. Some geospatial patterns and relationships were spatially and temporally stable within vineyards. In many cases, spatial distribution of leaf ψ was temporally stable within vineyards despite different weather conditions during each growing season. Spatial trends within vineyards for SWC and leaf ψ were temporally stable over the 3-year period for eight vineyards. Generally, spatial relationships between leaf ψ, SWC, vine size, berry weight and yield were also temporally stable. Some inconsistencies in spatial distribution of variables were attributable to winter injury.Conclusions: Many viticultural variables such as leaf ψ, vine size, berry weight, and yield were spatially variable and, as hypothesized, consistent leaf ψ zones were identified within vineyards in three distinct vintages. Many geospatial patterns and relationships were determined and were temporally stable, and this temporal stability in these variables occurred despite different growing seasons. The strongest relationships were those concerning leaf ψ, SWC, vine size, and berry weight. No consistent relationships were found concerning soil composition. The most consistent soil variables that impacted vine performance and yield components were physical properties, particularly texture.Significance and impact of the study: Soil had some indirect effects, but leaf ψ was more likely a major contributor to the terroir effect, as it had a major impact on vine size, berry weight and yield in many vineyards across multiple vintages. Temporal stability is required for many practical geomatic applications to be initiated in vineyards, but it is also of importance to future research endeavors for this project as well as others.