Contribution of Health Attributes,Research Investment and Innovation to Developments in the Blueberry Industry

Abstract

This paper examines how the United States and Canadian highbush and lowbush blueberry industries have changed over the last two decades. Production increases have been driven by a combination of changing consumer preferences for healthy foods and the development of new cultivars that have opened new production regions, expanded fresh market opportunities, and created new food products. Canada has found it advantageous and economical to invest its research effort in the development of the lowbush blueberry, exploiting its health protective properties. The United States has concentrated its research effort on highbush cultivars to lengthen the harvest window and promote diversification opportunities in the Southern United States. Highbush production expansion in the Pacific Northwest has relied very little on new cultivar development and improvements in yield but more on increases in cultivated area.     

越橘品种(系)栽培特性初探

该研究以吉林农业大学越橘园内78个品种(系)为试材,对其果实性状及产量等进行调查研究。结果表明:(1)越橘平均单果重0.49~3.73g,其中高丛越橘为1.13~2.92 g,半高丛越橘为1.01~1.97 g,矮丛越橘为0.49~1.33 g,杂交品系为0.67~3.73 g。越橘最大果重可达4.89 g。(2)果型指数为0.661~0.992,果实均呈扁球形。(3)越橘果实成熟期为6月中旬—9月下旬。其中早熟品种(系):高丛越橘品种有4个,半高丛越橘品种有4个,矮丛越橘品种有8个,杂交品系有8个;中熟品种(系):高丛越橘品种有18个,半高丛越橘品种有7个,矮丛越橘品种有2个,杂交品系有25个;晚熟品种(系):只有高丛越橘品种2个。(4)越橘单株产量为8.23~2632.00g。其中高丛越橘为171.97~2325.00g,产量高于1000.00g的品种有14个;半高丛越橘为553.93~2632.00g,产量均高于500.00g;矮丛越橘为8.23~1278.17g,产量高于500.00g的品种有6个;杂交品系为393.30~2465.03g,产量高于1000.00g的品系有25个,仅1个品系产量低于500.00g。     

高丛、半高丛和矮丛越橘越冬冻害研究

试验在长春进行,2002年10月中旬温度骤降,造成越橘枝条成熟程度差。2003年4月撤除防寒物后发现部分品种不同程度受冻害,调查了高丛越橘品种斯巴坦、蓝丰、蓝乐,半高丛越橘品种圣云、北陆、北蓝和矮丛越橘品种北村、美登,比较了其基生枝、延长枝、2年生枝的受冻枝条数、受冻长度、花芽和叶芽受冻比例,韧皮部受冻级别。结果表明:越橘3种类型中,高丛越橘抗寒能力最低,半高丛越橘其次,矮丛越橘抗寒能力最强。各品种中,高丛越橘斯巴坦受害最重,其基生枝和延长枝受害枝条数和枝条受冻长度分别为82.5％、85.7％和88.0％、95.6％,远高于蓝丰和蓝乐2个品种;2年生枝受害数量和长度斯巴坦为85.2％和76.4％,而蓝丰仅为17.6％和5.5％,蓝乐仅为33.0％和0％;3个品种花芽和叶芽受害比例、韧皮部受害级别也表现出同样趋势。半高丛越橘按抗寒能力由强到弱顺序排列依次为:北蓝>北陆>圣云。矮丛越橘2个品种北村和美登基本无冻害发生。     

An Evaluation of Blueberry Cultivars Grown in Plastic Tunnels in Douglas County,Oregon

Abstract

Growing fruits and vegetables in plastic tunnels is known to accelerate maturity and protect quality. There are several studies on highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) that demonstrate the ability of row covers to advance or delay crop maturity depending on how they are manipulated. Accelerating or delaying harvest time can prove to be very lucrative for producers. However, before producers start putting plastic tunnels over their crops it is important to know how blueberry cultivars will behave when grown under plastic. Six cultivars of southern highbush blueberry and eight cultivars of northern highbush blueberry were grown in a high hoop plastic tunnel for two seasons. Blueberry plants were grown under plastic from February 1 until their harvest was completed each year. After harvest, the plastic covering over the hoops was removed to help the blueberry plants develop fruit buds and meet winter chill requirements. On February 1 the plastic covering was returned to the high hoop tunnel after chilling requirements were met. As expected, fruit maturity dates were 1-3 weeks earlier for all the highbush blueberries grown inside the tunnel versus the same cultivars grown outside. The difference in maturity dates between cultivars grown under plastic and outside did change from one year to the next because of variation in the weather. Despite potential for poor pollination of blueberries in plastic tunnels, yields were significantly enhanced for four cultivars when grown under plastic tunnels. ‘Toro’, ‘Nui’, ‘Legacy’, and ‘Misty’ showed yield gains ranging from 1 to 4 times when grown under a plastic tunnel. Seed numbers per fruit were not significantly impacted by growing plants inside our tunnel.     

Temporary immersion and stationary bioreactors for mass propagation of true-to-type highbush,half-high,and hybrid blueberries (Vaccinium spp.)

True-to-type propagules in half-high, highbush, and hybrid blueberries (Vaccinium L. spp.) were produced using stationary (SB) and temporary immersion bioreactor (TIB) systems containing a liquid medium. Multiple shoots were produced in vitro from nodal segments of blueberry cultivars ‘St. Cloud’ and ‘Polaris’, and of six blueberry hybrids obtained from crossing between half-high/highbush and lowbush blueberries. Shoot proliferation was best in a liquid medium containing 4.6 µM zeatin in both TIB and SB systems, but the performance was genotype dependent. Shoot proliferation was better in hybrids than in cultivars. Although SB produced longer shoots with more leaves per shoot in most of the genotypes, TIB-derived shoots were more vigorous and rooted better under ex vitro condition. Liquid culture-derived elongated shoots were rooted ex vitro by treating with indole-3-butyric acid (39.4 mM) before planting on a 3 peat:2 perlite (v/v) medium. Micropropagules were acclimatized and maintained in a greenhouse with 80?90% survival rate of rooted plantlets. Expressed sequence tag (EST)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and EST- and genomic-simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker assay formed a homogenous monomorphic banding pattern in the in vitro-derived and donor control plants proving the clonal fidelity of liquid-culture-derived micropropagated plants.     

Fruit Firmness and Holding Ability in Highbush Blueberry—Implications for Mechanical Harvesting

Abstract

Fruit firmness plays a critical role in the ability of blueberry cultivars to be machine harvested. We recently completed a survey of “initial” fruit firmness in a large group of highbush cultivars and southern highbush cultivars with varying percentages of V. corymbosum L., V. angustifolium Ait., V. ashei Reade, V. darrowi Camp ancestry. The cultivars exhibited an approximately 2.4-fold difference between the softest and the firmest selections. Many of the firmest selections were newer cultivars with some V. darrowi ancestry. Cultivars also differ in their ability to retain quality once ripeness has been achieved. In preliminary studies, ‘Legacy’ appeared best at retaining firmness, but several other cultivars retain good quality by merit of having very high initial firmness values. The ability to retain quality presents growers with more harvest options, in that, it might allow greater percentages of ripe fruit to accumulate before harvesting, thereby minimizing harvest expenses. Initial studies, however, indicate that utilizing holding ability under field conditions may be a double-edged sword. There are tradeoffs between harvest frequency and yield.     

越橘新品种‘北春’

 ‘北春’是由美国引入的越橘中选出, 属半高丛类型。果实中早熟, 在长春地区7月中旬成熟, 球形, 被白色果粉, 呈蓝色, 平均单果质量112 g, 品质佳。结果枝条上呈串状结果, 果穗紧密。抗病力和抗寒力强, 丰产性好。     

高丛蓝莓对干旱胁迫的生理响应及其抗旱性综合评价

 为研究高丛蓝莓对干旱胁迫的生理响应并筛选具有较强抗旱能力的品种,同时确定基于生理指标的隶属函数分析对于筛选蓝莓抗干旱品种的可行性,分别以北高丛蓝莓中的‘布里吉塔’、‘斯巴坦’以及南高丛蓝莓中的‘夏普蓝’、‘奥尼尔’4 个品种为材料,在人工控水模拟水分胁迫条件下,测定叶片相对含水量、电导率、丙二醛含量、H₂O₂ 含量与　产生速率、F_v/F_m 以及叶片气孔特性等生理生化指标的变化,并采用隶属函数法进行综合评价。结果表明,随着干旱胁迫程度的加深,4 个蓝莓品种叶片的相对含水量、Fv/Fm、气孔开放率和气孔大小均呈下降趋势,而相对电导率、丙二醛含量、H₂O₂ 含量与产生速率以及气孔密度则呈上升趋势。4 个高丛蓝莓品种的抗旱性强弱顺序为奥尼尔 > 夏普蓝 > 布里吉塔 > 斯巴坦,大田干旱试验验证了基于生理指标的隶属函数分析对于蓝莓抗旱品种的筛选的准确性及可靠性。     

蓝莓‘美登’品种在根河市引种的物候研究

根河市蓝莓繁育基地从吉林引进矮丛蓝莓‘美登’品种进行引种驯化与栽培繁殖试验。其一系列数据表明:‘美登’品种引种驯化过程中物候表现正常,该蓝莓品种在根河市适应状况良好,引种成功。     

越橘反转录转座子插入多态性分子标记开发及品种鉴别

从蔓越橘（Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.）品种‘Ben Lear’基因组序列中发掘了398 014 bp的长末端重复序列反转录转座子（LTR-RT）,占整个基因组序列的11.17%;鉴别出228条Ty1-Copia家族成员和137条Ty3-Gypsy家族成员。以45个越橘（Vaccinium spp.）品种和1个蔓越橘品种为材料,从53对基于LTR-RT插入位点开发的引物中筛选出17对多态性引物,建立了越橘品种的LTR-RT插入多态性（RBIP）分子标记。使用RBIP标记对46个品种进行了亲缘关系分析和分子身份证构建,其中多态性最高的位点是Vmrg1,最低的位点是Vmrg14。其PCR产物的大小变化范围为200 ~ 463 bp,最小长度片段和最大长度片段分别出现在位点Vmrc19和Vmrc3。46个品种基于遗传距离聚为6组,组Ⅰ包括3个北高丛越橘品种,蔓越橘单独聚为组Ⅵ,其他4组中北高丛越橘、南高丛越橘或兔眼越橘混杂在一起。利用17个位点组成的“1”、“0”字符串构建了45份越橘品种和1份蔓越橘品种的唯一分子身份证,为越橘品种的鉴别提供了参考。     

Influence of liming and fertilization on lowbush blueberry in harvested peat field condition

The objectives of the study were to determine: (a) if the addition of lime reduces the peat soil acidity to a suitable level for lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.) plant growth and yield formation; (b) if the fertilizer rates used create favourable conditions for plant growth on peat soil; and (c) if the nutrients uptake will be sufficient for the lowbush blueberry plant growth in changed soil conditions. The experiment was set up in early spring 2000 on the harvested peat field of the Tartu region, South Estonia (58° 22′N, 26° 43′E). The soil type on the experimental area is Fibric–Dystric Histosol. In the experiment the complex fertilizer and limestone powder were used. The use of a mineral fertilizer increased the growth of blueberry plants significantly. Liming reduced soil acidity but decreased blueberry vegetative growth and increased weed numbers. In the given experiment the strongest blueberry bushes developed with the pH_KCl level of 2.5–2.7. General recommendations are to fertilize lowbush blueberries on peat fields every year with a small amount of mineral fertilizer to secure stabile annual productivity of plants. In the plantations of lowbush blueberry on harvested peat fields one should be careful with the use of limestone.     

EST-PCR markers developed for highbush blueberry are also useful for genetic fingerprinting and relationship studies in rabbiteye blueberry

The pedigrees of most rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium virgatum) cultivars can be traced back to four wild selections, ‘Ethel’, ‘Clara’, ‘Myers’, and ‘Black Giant’; thus, they result from a very narrow germplasm base and are highly related. Until now randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) has been the only type of molecular marker used in rabbiteye blueberry. Here we have tested whether a type of sequence-tagged site (STS) marker which utilizes specific ∼20-mer primers from expressed sequence tags (ESTs) of highbush blueberry (V. corymbosum), called EST-PCR markers, are useful for genetic fingerprinting and relationship studies in rabbiteye blueberry. Of 44 EST-PCR primer pairs, from an assortment of genes expressed in flower buds of cold acclimated and non-acclimated plants, and shown to amplify polymorphic fragments among a collection of highbush genotypes, 40 (91%) resulted in successful amplification, and 33 of those (83%) amplified polymorphic fragments among the rabbiteye genotypes. The average number of scorable bands per primer pair was two. A dendrogram constructed from genetic similarity values, based on the EST-PCR marker data, tended to group siblings and parent/progeny together, generally agreeing with pedigree information. A group of 20 markers from five EST-PCR primer pairs distinguished all the genotypes in this study. These markers are as easy to generate and as affordable as RAPDs, but are based on actual gene sequences, and should have general utility for DNA fingerprinting, genetic diversity, and mapping studies.     

Root System Distribution of Highbush Blueberry Crops of Various Ages in Medium-Textured Soils

The paper deals with the spatial distribution of root density in highbush blueberry plantations of various ages for a proper planting distance recommendation and a better irrigation and fertilization management. The environmental conditions consist of sandy-loamy soils and a continental temperate climate. Two highbush blueberry cultivars were studied, ‘Bluecrop’ and ‘Blueray’. Root density (RD) and density of root cross-sectional area (RCSA) were investigated for various root diameters. It was found that the prevalent type of roots in highbush blueberry crops is the hair type, with root diameters less than 0.1?mm. Both RD and RCSA decreased with distance from plant and with soil depth; the 38-year-old crop showed a more developed root system versus the 8?year-old crop. In both cases the roots did not grow more than 0.6?m laterally and more than 0.7?m deep. According to these results, the planting distances in highbush blueberry could be reduced to substantially increase the number of plants/ha and fruit yield. Irrigation application should be carried out to wet a proper soil volume, about 0.6–0.7?m deep for older crops, and about 0.5?m deep for younger crops.     

越橘新品种“禾韵1号”选育报告

“禾韵1号”是由美国引入的越橘中选出,属半高丛类型.果实中晚熟,在吉林地区7月下旬至8月上旬成熟,扁圆形,被白色果粉,呈蓝色,平均单果质量1.96 g,品质佳.结果枝条上呈串状结果,果穗紧密.抗病力和抗寒力强,丰产性好.适宜于吉林省土壤pH4.5～5.5、冬季绝对低温不低于-35℃(简易防寒)、无霜期110 d以上、≥10℃年有效积温2 300℃以上的地区引种试栽.     

Romina and Cristina: Two New Strawberry Cultivars with High Sensorial and Nutritional Values

ABSTRACT

The two cultivars (Romina and Cristina) recently released from the Marche Polytechnic University (Ancona, Italy) strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) breeding program, show high adaptability to non-fumigated soil. Furthermore, ‘Romina’ showed very early ripening, conic or bi-conic fruit shape, good taste with high sweetness, high firmness and shelf life, and high vitamin C and folate contents. ‘Cristina’ showed very late ripening, high productivity, large fruit of conical shape, good taste, and high vitamin C and folate contents. The European Union patents of ‘Romina’ and ‘Cristina’ have been transferred to the United States, and nursery production has begun following United States rules to determine future market interest.     

越橘新品种‘禾韵2号’选育报告

‘禾韵2号’,由美国引入的越橘中选出,属半高丛类型。果实极晚熟,在吉林地区8月下旬成熟。果实扁圆形,呈蓝色,被白色果粉,平均单果质量1.8g,品质佳。结果枝条上呈串状结果,果穗紧密。抗病力和抗寒力强,丰产性好。该品种2010年10月通过吉林省农作物品种审定委员会审定。适宜于吉林省土壤pH值4.2～6.0、冬季绝对低温不低于-30℃、无霜期110d以上、≥10℃积温2300℃以上的地区引种试栽,须简易防寒。     

Quality of Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) and Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) Jam

ABSTRACT

Jam from wild bilberries and from the blueberry culti vars ‘Bluecrop’ and ‘Berkeley’ were analyzed by means of sensory profiling and by instrumental measurement of anthocyanins, color, pH and soluble solids. The study shows that bilberry jam has more “bluish black color,” compared to a more “reddish-blue color” and “glossy” surface of the jam from cultivated blueberries. Bilberry jam was less “smooth” and higher in “viscosity” and “berry density” as well as less distinct in “flavor of flowers and fruits,” while the “blueberry flavor and odor” were more distinct in the bilberry jam than that made of highbush blueberries. Analysis of color by means of sensory hue and instrumental a Hunter lab corresponded well, as did saturation measured by the sensory method and chroma instrumentally measured.     

Splitting Severity Among Rabbiteye (Vaccinium ashei Reade) Blueberry Cultivars in Mississippi and Louisiana

Abstract

A survey of blueberry growers determined the extent of rain-related splitting fruit on blueberry production in Mississippi and Louisiana. Growers were asked to approximate (1) the number of acres or plants of each cultivar on their farm (2) the severity rating (1 = No splitting-5 = Severe splitting) of each cultivar, and (3) the percent of berries lost to rain-related splitting. Among the 3 most widely planted cultivars, ‘Premier’ exhibited the least splitting (1.2 rating) followed by ‘Climax’ (2.2) and ‘Tifblue’ (3.1) had the most split fruit.     

高温对北高丛越橘叶片结构和生理代谢的影响

以2年生北高丛越橘（Vaccinium corymbosum L.）‘蓝丰’、‘公爵’和‘布里吉他’为试验材料,利用人工气候箱设置4个培养温度（25、30、35和40 ℃）,研究高温对叶片叶绿体超显微结构、气体交换参数、叶绿素荧光、抗氧化酶活性、色素含量以及电导率的影响。结果表明：温度对3个品种超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）活性影响不大,但显著改变了3个品种叶片的过氧化物酶（POD）、过氧化氢酶（CAT）活性。40 ℃对‘公爵’和‘蓝丰’的叶绿体结构有不同程度的破坏,而对‘布里吉他’没有产生显著影响。另外,随着温度的升高,3个品种叶片的叶绿素a（Chl.a）、叶绿素b（Chl.b）、叶绿素a/叶绿素b（Chl.a/b）、总叶绿素[Chl.（a + b）]及类胡萝卜素（Car.）均呈现先升高后降低的趋势,且3个品种的净光合速率（P_n）、蒸腾速率（T_r）和水分利用效率（WUE）也出现了相似的变化趋势,品种不同其最大值出现的温度也不同。叶片相对电导率和叶绿素荧光参数F_v/F_m的测定结果也间接地支持了上述结论,即30 ℃和35 ℃高温对叶片结构和功能的影响有限,但40 ℃高温导致其受到严重损伤。抗高温能力‘布里吉他’最强,‘蓝丰’次之,‘公爵’最弱。     

Photosynthetic characteristics of highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum cv. Bluecrop) leaves in response to water stress and subsequent re-irrigation

SUMMARY

Gas exchange and photosystem II (PSII) activities in the leaves of 2-year-old ‘Bluecrop’ highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) were monitored during water stress and subsequent re-irrigation to investigate the effects of the intensity of water stress on changes in photosynthetic characteristics. The blueberry shrubs were not irrigated for 3 to 5 weeks, then re-irrigated daily up to 8 weeks. The decrease in soil water potential during water stress caused a progressive decrease in leaf water potential. Soil water potentials decreased to -0.26 MPa and -0.34 MPa at 3 and 5 weeks, respectively, following water stress, but recovered following subsequent re-irrigation, while the soil water potential in daily-irrigated shrubs was maintained at over -0.13 MPa throughout the experiment. Chlorophyll concentrations decreased with an increasing duration of water stress. Chlorophyll concentrations in leaves on shrubs subjected to water stress for 5 weeks did not recover following re-irrigation, unlike those subjected to water stress for 3 weeks. The leaves on shrubs subjected to water stress for 5 weeks maintained lower levels of chlorophyll during reirrigation. The net rate of CO₂ assimilation (A_n) decreased significantly with an increasing duration of water stress. Reirrigation reversed the decrease in A_n in leaves on shrubs subjected to water stress for 3 weeks. Stomatal conductance (g_s) exhibited a similar pattern to A_n. The actual quantum yield of photosystem II (Φ_PSII) and the electron transport rate (ETR) also decreased significantly with an increasing duration of water stress, although the F_v/F_m ratio was not affected. Φ_PPSII and ETR values in the leaves on shrubs subjected to water stress for 5 weeks did not recover after reirrigation, unlike those subjected to water stress for 3 weeks. Non-photochemical quenching increased with an increasing duration of water stress, but subsequent re-irrigation did not reverse the increase. These results indicate that the timing of re-irrigation of water-stressed ‘Bluecrop’ highbush blueberry is critical in order to maintain their photosynthetic capacity. Among the photosynthetic characteristics measured, Φ_PSII and ETR could be used as sensitive indicators to assess the physiological status of leaves of ‘Bluecrop’ highbush blueberry growing under water stress conditions.