Progress 07/15/06 to 07/14/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Funding was provided for research activities at the PE. Marucci Center for Blueberry and Cranberry Research and Extension and a team of researchers from Rutgers University School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. The proposal was developed by group including blueberry and cranberry producers, researchers and extension personnel. Communication of research to stakeholders, cooperators and collaborators was held in various ways. A summer field day was held in August (2006, 2007) where researchers funded under this proposal presented ongoing research activities and fielded questions from growers, industry leaders and colleagues from the university. At the meetings participants were invited to inspect research plots (breeding, entomology and plant pathology) as well as to take part in laboratory tours and informational talks. In March (2006) a second one-day instructional workshop was held for growers, researchers and industry leaders to continue to learn GIS technology as it applies to specific farming practices. Three winter meetings were held for the stakeholder group where research results as well as extension recommendations were presented and discussed. During the summer months four twilight meetings were held to update stakeholders on research progress and recommendations. In total over 90% of the industry stakeholders were contacted through the methods described. In October (2007) an international meeting of Cranberry researchers was held at the PE Marucci center and a one day field trip was held highlighting all research efforts conducted at the center.In addition, In June (2008) a technical workshop was held to train personnel on geostatistical analysis and to evaluate cranberry yield databases for spatial structure. This provided a forum for four research scientists to analyze a cranberry spatial yield dataset. PARTICIPANTS: The Primary investigator is Peter Oudemans. The following scientists worked with the objectives of this project GIS and Remote Sensing Peter Oudemans Daniel Gimenez Ruth Kerry Plant Pathology Peter Oudemans Bradley Hillman Entomology Cesar Rodriguez-Saona Dean Polk Chris Ranger Albrecht Koppenhoffer Plant Breeding Nicholi Vorsa Jennifer Johnson Cicalese Human Health Amy Howell Laradana Quadro Nicholi Vorsa TARGET AUDIENCES: Two industries are targeted in our research efforts. Both industries include agriculture (production) as well as value-added product development (marketing). The industries (Blueberry and Cranberry farming) are located in the New Jersey Pinelands where land preservation and ecological approaches to land management are mandated through the Pinelands Preservation Act. Thus research efforts target areas where conventional methods are not feasible. Breeding to improve yields, disease resistance and increase health benefits are paramount. Remote sensing is used to identify and quantify sources of crop loss and reductions in quality so that land management can be done in a more efficient manner. Insect and disease management methods are sought to increase both ecological and economic sustainability by reducing reliance on hard chemistry and improving knowledge of the target pathogen or insect so that controls can be more specific. In this funding period a significant effort was made to address elucidate health benefits of blueberry and cranberry. The results of this work will target the value-added component of these industries. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
For this proposal, a unique, multidisciplinary team composed of ten Rutgers University scientists was assembled to address twenty-one specific objectives under three interrelated program areas. The fundamental, over-riding goal in this project is to develop tools, techniques and technologies that can be used by blueberry and cranberry growers to improve on-farm efficiency, enhance ecological sustainability and identify and provide phytochemically rich cultivars with nutraceutical benefits for human consumption. The proposal is divided into three interrelated discipline areas with the following goals: 1) Develop cultural, biorational, and precision management methods aimed at locating and reducing losses to cranberry and blueberry crop production due to disease, insect and climatic factors, while minimizing the use of pesticides; 2) Increase levels of genetic resistance to insects and diseases, and to improve fruit quality and productivity through genetic enhancement; 3) Identify and utilize the phytochemical potential of these two crop species for both agronomic purposes and for enhancing human health. Highlights of this research include the use of satellite remote sensing for crop loss detection. This program is nearing completion and will result in commercial products that can be utilized by growers to aid in multiple aspects of farm management. Use of Geographic Information Systems and Global Positioning technologies to conduct spatially explicit sampling methods to greatly reduce mandated, biologically irrational use of insecticides while satisfying international export regulations. Development of novel biologically-based methods using insect pheromones to disrupt insect mating and further reduce insecticide use (5-7 years). Development of new cultivars of both blueberry and cranberry using traditional breeding methods that contain both improved yield potential and enhanced health benefits (1 new cranberry cultivar released in 2006), with future releases anticipated in the next 3- 5 years. Testing of the novel suite of cranberry phytochemicals for effect on the development of insulin resistance using a new mouse model recently described in the journal Nature (Yang, Q., Graham, T. E., Mody, N., Preitner, F., Peroni, O. D., Zabolotny, J. M., Kotani, K., Quadro, L., and Kahn, B. B. (2005) Serum retinol binding protein 4 contibutes to insulin resistance in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Nature 436, 356-362) (2 years). Use of bioassay-directed fractionation to identify the anti-fungal components in cranberry that will be used as biochemical markers for the development of disease-resistant plants (2 years).
Publications
- Durate, S., S. Gregoire, A.P. Singh, N. Vorsa, K. Schaich, W. H. Bowen, and H. Koo. 2006. Inhibitory effects of cranberry polyphenols on formation and acidogenicity of Streptococcus mutans biofilms. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 257 50-56.
- Gregoire, S., A.P. Singh, N. Vorsa, H. Koo. 2007. Influence of cranberry phenolics on glucan synthesis by glucosyltransferases and Streptococcus mutans acidogenicity Journal of Applied Microbiology 103:1960 - 1968
- Gupta, K., Chou, M.Y., Howell, A., Wobbe, C., Grady, R., Roberts, P., Stapleton, A.E. 2007.Cranberry products inhibit adherence of uropathogenic Escherichia coli to primary cultured bladder and vaginal epithelial cells. Journal of Urology 177(6)2357-2360.
- Howell, A.B. 2007. Bioactive compounds in cranberries and their role in prevention of urinary tract infections. Molecular Nutrition and Food Research 51 732-737.
- Kalt, W., MacKinnon, S., McDonald, J., Vinqvist, M., Craft, C., Monro, S., Howell, A. 2007. Selected bioactivities of Vaccinium berries and other fruit crops in relation to their phenolic content. J Sci Food Agric 87:2279-2285.
- Koppenhofer, A.M., Rodriguez-Saona, C. R., Polavarapu, S., and Holdcraft, R.J. 2008. Entomopathogenic nematodes for control of Phyllophaga georgina (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in cranberries. BioControl Science and Technology 18:21-31.
- Kresty, L.A., Howell, A.B., Baird, M. 2008. Cranberry proanthocyanidins inhibit acid-induced cell proliferation in human esophageal adenocarcinoma cells, Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry 58:676-680. Lehman, J.S., Igarashi, S., and Oudemans, P.V. (2007) Resistance to hyphal growth of Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi in flowers and fruits of highbush blueberry cultivars. Plant Disease 91:852-856
- Oudemans, P.V., J.J. Polashock and B. Vinyard (2008) Fairy Ring Disease of Cranberry; Assessment of Crop Losses and Impact on Cultivar Genotype. Plant Disease 92: 616-622
- Ranger, C.M., A.P. Singh, J. Johnson-Cicalese, S. Polavarapu, and N. Vorsa. 2007. Intraspecific Variation in aphid resistance and constitutive phenolics exhibited by the wild blueberry Vaccinium darrowi. J Chem Ecol 33:711-729.
- Ranger, C.M., J. Johnson-Cicalese, S. Polavarapu and N. Vorsa. 2006. Evaluation of Vaccinium spp. Illinoia pepperi (Hemiptera: Aphididae) performance and phenolic content. J. Econ. Entomol. 99:1474-1482.
- Robideau, G.P., F. Caruso, P.V. Oudemans, P.S. McManus, M.A. Renaud, M.E. Auclair, J. DeVerna, and C.A. Levesque (2008) Detection of cranberry fruit rot using DNA array hybridization. Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology 30: 226-240
- Stelinski, L.L., Oakleaf, R., and Rodriguez-Saona, C. 2007. Oviposition-deterring pheromone deposited on blueberry fruit by the parasitic wasp, Diachasma alloeum. Behaviour 144: 429-445.
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