Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/16
Outputs
Target Audience:The immediate target audiences for research on processing varieties for pie stock and baby food puree are processing companies, selected seed companies specializing in developing and marketing squash varieties for processing, and farmers who grow processing squash or have the capability for expanding into squash production. For fresh market squash, there is a much larger audience comprised of local and wholesale growers, catalog seed companies, and consumers of fresh produce. Also, information on developing interspecific hybrid squash and pumpkin must be provided to other professional horticulturists, especially cooperative extension specialists, who provide growers with cultural and marketing guidance. Information on the progress of this project will be published in journals and trade magazines, and presentations are being given at professional horticultural meetings. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Several undergraduate students have contributed to this project over the past three years. Currently, one is serving as a part-time research assistant and another student is completing a special investigation on the relationship between % DW in squash flesh and water loss during cooking and processing. A graduate student project is focusing on the use of interspecific hybrids as grafting rootstocks for melons, and utilizing early maturing varieties that were developed through support by the NH Agricultural Experiment Station. Another graduate student is investigating the use of grafting techniques and interspecific hybrid rootstocks to promote flowering in recalcitrant tropical accessions and tropical species of Cucurbita which are sources of pest resistance which could be transferred to domestic species. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been communicated at several grower and professional meetings during the past three years, and will be communicated at two grower workshops being held in January of 2017, at a regional meeting of a professional society being convened in January of 2017, and at the national meeting for the American Society for Horticultural Science during the summer of 2017. Two publications on growth and productivity of interspecific hybrids will be submitted to a scientific journal this month. In addition, I am cooperating with three seed companies to evaluate and possibly introduce interspecific hybrids in the future. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Hybrid varieties of fresh market winter squash and pumpkin have largely supplanted open-pollinated varieties in developed countries because of their uniformity and consistency of yield and fruit quality. Open pollinated varieties, on the other hand, are still the dominate type grown by farmers for the pie and baby food processing industry. Hybrids between two species of squash, Cucurbita maxima (buttercup, Golden Delicious, and Hubbard types) and Cucurbita moschata (butternut, Large Cheese, and Dickinson Field types) are possible and have tremendous potential. Interspecific hybrids are sterile and thereby do not produce seeds, and as such, offer the potential for greater economic yield of the usable flesh or mesocarp tissue of fruit. Strains of fresh market and processing squash with the bush habit of growth have been developed at the University of New Hampshire, and some of these strains have proven to be compatible parents in producing interspecific hybrids in combination with cultigens of Cucurbita moschata. These hybrids are vigorous and have a semi-bush habit of growth, allowing for rapid leaf canopy development and suppression of weed development. Current breeding efforts are focused on developing strains of Cucurbita moschata fresh market types of squash which flower later and have a higher ratio of male to female flowers such as occurs in some of the processing cultigens. It is expected that such strains in hybrid combination with C. maxima will result in a more acceptable pattern of fruit set. Evaluate productivity of NH65 x SC936 (NH1310). The hybrid NH1310 has a semi-bush growth habit combined with lateral branching from the first 8 to 10 nodes, resulting in rapid leaf canopy development for more efficient photosynthesis and better weed control through shading. The female flowering pattern of NH1310 was shown to be similar to that of a popular processing strain of C. moschata, allowing sufficient vegetative growth prior to fruit set so as to promote a heavy fruit load of fruit uniform in size and flesh consistency. Fresh weight and dry biomass pericarp yields of NH1310 were respectively, 40 and 93% higher than that of the C. moschata processing strain SC936 which is also the male parent of NH1310. Interspecific hybrids are sterile, and thus, photosynthates required for fruit development can be allocated to solely to mesocarp tissue rather than apportioned between mesocarp tissue and seeds. Our research on allocation of photosynthate (as glucose equivalents) to fruits demonstrate that approximately 30 to 40% of the increase in yield of interspecific hybrids versus open-pollinated cultivars could be the due to seed sterility. Increase the diversity of C. moschata and C. maxima breeding lines for making compatible interspecific crosses. Based on experiments conducted between 2011 and 2013, a bush C. maxima processing strain, NH65, was found to be a compatible parent in terms of fruit set and relatively uniform seed yields in crosses to several C. moschata cultigens, but seed yields were still relatively low. We have developed new inbred processing lines, and new interspecific crosses are being evaluated for fruit set and seed yield. In 2016, four of the best cross combinations, NH.Max65 and NH Max5-10-1-3 to NH.Mo127-9-6-2 and NH.Mo116-33-7-3, seed yield averaged 189 per fruit. Additional crosses will need to be made in 2017 to confirm hybrid compatibility, and the new hybrids will have to be evaluated for productivity, flesh quality, and use as rootstocks for melon grafting. Important phenotypic and culinary traits of new Processing breeding lines. We have successfully developed processing lines with desirable rind color, fruit size, and plant growth habit, and the current emphasis is on improving culinary traits. In C. moschata, we have been able to breed new processing lines with a range in dry matter from 7% to as high as 18%. Starch content is positively correlated with dry matter content, and the higher starch content associated with higher flesh dry matter improves the consistency and texture of processed squash. In 2016, the % DW in fruit of three uniform inbred lines, NH.Mo125-1-10-7, NH.Mo116-33-7-3, and NH.Mo127-9-6-2, averaged respectively, 12.7, 13.8, and 11.9%, about double that of two 'Dickinson Field' strains employed in previous studies. We also demonstrated a high negative correlation (r2 = -82) between % mesocarp DW and water loss during cooking and processing. In the C. moschata processing lines, we have successfully selected for high for content of β-carotene. We use a Roche Egg Yolk color fan for rating flesh color which has a numerical range from 1 (light yellow) to 15 (dark orange). The three inbred processing lines enumerated above had values from 14 to more intense than 15. Interspecific hybrids as rootstocks for grafting melons and squash. Several UNH interspecific hybrids have been evaluated as rootstocks for grafting melon, and hybrids with NH65 as a parent have shown good compatibility. NH1320 (NH65 to NH.Mo176-29-1) exhibits good seed germination, seedling uniformity, and graft compatibility with melon, and thus, has been used extensively in grafting studies. In 2015, we demonstrated that grafted plants of Halona cantaloupe produced significantly higher fruit yield than non-grafted plants. A follow-up grafting study with Halona was conducted in 2016 using earlier planting dates. Marketable fruit yields of grafted plants at three planting dates, May 11, 20 and 31, were respectively, 91%. 122%, and 147% higher than with non-grafted plants. The plot yield for grafted plants planted on May 11 extrapolated to 104,765 pounds per acre. In a greenhouse study comparing early growth of grafted and non-grafted melons in pot media cooled to 13 oC, both root and foliar growth was significantly better in grafted than in non-grafted plants. In a preliminary, replicated study using two acorn and two kabocha varieties, we compared fruit yield and quality in non-grafted and grafted plants using the interspecific rootstock, NH1329. Fruit yield in non-grafted kabocha plants could not be evaluated because of plant loss to squash bug predation; however, there was no squash bug feeding and loss of grafted plants. In acorn squash, fruit yields were significantly increased in grafted versus non-grafted plants, and in one of the two varieties, both % DW and soluble solids were significantly higher in grafted versus non-grafted plants.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Bonina-Noseworthy, J., J. B. Loy, J. Curran-Celentano, R. Sideman, and D. A. Kopsell. 2016. Carotenoid Concentration and Composition in Winter Squash: Variability Associated with Different Cultigens, Harvest Maturities and Storage Times. HortScience 51:472-480.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Loy, B. 2015. Use of interspecific hybrids in squash for fresh market, processing and grafting rootstocks for melons. Proc. New England Vegetable Grower Meeting, Dec. 16.
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Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15
Outputs
Target Audience:The immediate target audiences for research on processing varieties for pie stock and baby food puree are processing companies, selected seed companies specializing in developing and marketing squash varieties for processing, and farmers who grow processing squash or have the capability for expanding into squash production. Also, information on developing interspecific hybrid squash and pumpkin must be provided to other professional horticulturists, especially cooperative extension specialists, who provide growers with cultural and marketing guidance. Information on progress of this project will be published in journals and trade magazines, and presentations are being given at professional horticultural meetings. Changes/Problems:The primary objectives of the project have been modified according to results obtained on this project during the past five years: 1. Using traditional breeding methods, increase the diversity of C. maxima and C. moschata inbred lines which can be used for making interspecific hybrids. 2. Determine cross compatibility of newly developed breeding lines in terms of fruit set and development of well-filled seed. 3. Evaluate interspecific hybrids for growth and flowering habit, productivity, important fruit phenotypic traits, and for culinary traits important for either fresh market or processing uses. 4. Evaluate interspecific hybrids for possible use as rootstocks for grafting melons. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Several undergraduate students have contributed to this project over the past three years, and one is currently completing a special investigation which will be a capstone requirement for her major in Sustainable Agriculture. A graduate student project is focusing on the use of interspecific hybrids as grafting rootstocks for melons, and utilizing early maturing varieties that were developed through support by the NH Agricultural Experiment Station. Another graduate student will be evaluating tropical plant accessions of C. moschata for use in interspecific hybrids. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results from the summers of 2013 and 2014 were presented at the international Cucurbitaceae Conference in October of 2014 in Michigan. Results from 2015 will be made at grower and professional meetings. Collaboration on this project has been initiated with two major seed companies, and as a result, germplasm resulting from this research will be evaluated at other locations. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The development of new germplasm in Cucurbita maxima and C. moschata is a continuing process, especially in regards to improvements in germplasm which can be used to create kabocha-type squash in the species Cucurbita moschata. As new breeding lines reach genetic uniformity, they will be tested for cross compatibility for producing interspecific hybrids. New interspecific hybrids will be generated in the greenhouse during the winter/spring of 2016, and these hybrids will be field tested and evaluated in cooking tests in fall of 2016. In addition to use in producing interspecific hybrids, the new breeding lines can be evaluated as open pollinated cultigens and also used to produce intraspecific hybrids within each of the two species. Because of the initial success in utilizing interspecific hybrid NH1320 as a rootstock for melon grafting, grafting work will be considerably expanded, with a goal of testing rootstocks for earlier planting schedules, determining the response of different melon varieties, and for investigating drip irrigation regimes for increasing sugar content in melons.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
In 2015, 19 breeding lines of C. moschata suitable for processing were grown in the field and evaluated for growth traits, fruit size, color and shape, percent dry matter (DM), soluble solids content (SSC), rating of carotenoid content with Roche Egg Yolk Fan, and evaluation of culinary traits in steamed squash. Three C. moschata inbred lines are now genetically uniform enough for regional evaluation and for use in producing new intraspecific and interspecific hybrids. These lines have higher carotenoid content and higher DM (starch content) than previous Dickinson Field-type processing lines in our possession. Water loss during steam cooking, a measure of processing efficiency in squash, was significantly higher in cultigens with low DM than those with high dry matter. Six new bush lines of C. maxima were evaluated for growth habit, seed yield and other fruit traits in 2015, and three of these are now genetically uniform enough to test in hybrid combinations. These lines are similar to an elite C. maxima parental line, NH65, but with greater branching growth habit and higher seed yield. Five new interspecific processing hybrids were evaluated in the field for growth habit, flowering and fruiting pattern, fruit size and shape, and in the laboratory, for percent dry weight (DW), soluble solids content (SSC), water loss during steam cooking, and several culinary traits of the cooked puree. None of the hybrids exhibited appreciable precocious pistillate flowering which negatively impacts productivity. Fruit size and shape were acceptable for four out of five hybrids, and two, NH1326 and NH1329, had more uniformly high carotenoid content and carotenoid distribution in the flesh than previous hybrids. Mean % DM in hybrids varied from 8.6 to 10.5%, an acceptable range for processing squash intended producing pie puree. Two of the NH interspecific hybrids were evaluated for use as rootstocks for melon production. One hybrid, NH1320, exhibited good graft compatibility with a popular melon variety, Halona, and produced fruit yields more than double that of non-grafted plants in a replicated field study. For breeding interspecific squash hybrids for direct marketing, the goal is to produce hybrids that have fruit size, shape and culinary traits similar to the popular kaboch/buttercup varieties marketed in North America. Several bush kabocha inbred lines with both orange and green rind have been developed at the University of New Hampshire and these are being evaluated for cross compatibility with breeding lines of C. moschata. However, field studies and cooking tests conducted in 2013, 2014 and 2015 indicate that the starch content in fruit is too low in our current breeding lines of C. moschata for producing interspecific hybrids with good eating quality. In summer of 2015, several promising selections were made in a new breeding population of C. moschata segregating for high starch content, several fruit traits, and pattern of male and female flowering. All selections were homozygous for powdery mildew resistance and showed tolerance to black rot.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Loy, B., J. Uretsky and W. Cole. 2014. High productivity demonstrated for semi-bush, interspecific hybrids derived from bush Cucurbita maxima x C. moschata crosses. Presentation: Cucurbitaceae 2014, Bay Harbor, MI, October 15.
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Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14
Outputs
Target Audience: The immediate target audiences for research on processing varieties for pie stock and baby food puree are processing companies, selected seed companies specializing in developing and marketing squash varieties for processing, and farmers who grow processing squash or have the capability for expanding into squash production. Also, information on developing interspecific hybrid squash and pumpkin must be provided to other professional horticulturists, especially cooperative extension specialists, who provide growers with cultural and marketing guidance. Information on progress of this project will be published in journals and trade magazines, and presentations are being given at professional horticultural meetings. Changes/Problems: The evaluation of carotenoid content of interspecific hybrids is an objective of the proposal, and high carotenoids levels have been visually selected in breeding lines, and interspecific hybrids with the most intense orange pigmentation have been identified. However, for cost effectiveness and efficiency,the identification of carotenoid profiles usingHPLCwill bebeing delayed until suitable interspecific hybrids have been identified that are likely to be commercially produced. In the interim, thin layer chromatography will be employed for a preliminary examination of carotenoid profiles in breeding lines which visually exhibit high carotenoid content. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? One undergraduate studenthad a research investigationinvolving this project and gained valuable insight into breeding methodology, data collection, interpretation of data, and how to organize data into a presentation. The student in question presented the results at the NE Regional meeting of the American Society for Horticultural Science in Philadelphia, PA in January of 2014. This student also has participated in cooking tests on the interspecific hybrids in fall of 2014. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Results for the summer of 2013 were presented at theNE Regional meeting of the American Society for Horticultural Science in Philadelphia, PA in January of 2014. An overview of the project was provided at a twilight meeting at the Kingman Research Farm in mid-September of 2014. A summary of the results in 2013 were also provided in January of 2014 to Rupp Seeds, a cooperator in the project. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? The interspecific hybrid NH1310 has performed well in New Hampshire and Ohio, and may be a good fit for pie processing in different regions of North America. However, texture of the cooked mesocarp flesh of this hybrid may not be suitable for pie stock, and thus, requires additional evaluation by processors. Several new breeding lines of C. maxima and C. moschata are being developed, and some of these are uniform enough for evaluating interspecific compatibility in 2015. Another breeding population of C. moschata was established in 2014 which segregated for a higher level of resistance to powdery mildew than that previously attained. A major emphasis in developing these new lines has been on improvement of the textural properties of mesocarp tissue, especially in breeding lines of C. moschata, so as to produce puree with a smooth texture free of stringiness. Although several selections were made in 2014 for improved texture of cooked squash, progeny tests will be need to be conducted in 2015 to confirm the results. Additionally, lines selected for improved flesh texture will have to be evaluated for compatibility in producing interspecific hybrids, and then in turn, the hybrids will have to be evaluated for productivity and different fruit traits, including texture of the cooked product. For fresh market, the current need is to develop more breeding lines of C. maxima with the erect leaf canopy trait and C. moschata lines with higher dry matter (starch) and soluble solids content, the latter trait being an estimate of sugar accumulation inmesocarp tissue. New breeding populations will be grown during the summer of 2015 to begin this process. Some of the new interspecific hybrids already produced may be valuable for use as rootstocks for grafting melons, watermelons, and some varieties of Cucurbita pepo squash. Although melon and watermelon grafting have been limited in North America, this technology has expanded rapidly in other regions of the world and is likely to gain a foothold in North America. An additional objective of this project will be to test the use of the interspecific hybrids for compatibility as rootstocks for melon production.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Hybrid varieties of fresh market winter squash and pumpkin have largely supplanted open-pollinated varieties in developed countries because of their uniformity and consistency of yield and fruit quality. Open pollinated varieties, on the other hand, are still the dominate type grown by farmers for the pie and baby food processing industry. Hybrids between two species of squash,Cucurbita maxima (buttercup, Golden Delicious and Hubbard types) and Cucurbita moschata (butternut, Large Cheese, and Dickinson Field types) are possible, and have tremendous potential, but have not been exploited in North America. Interspecific hybrids are sterile and thereby do not produce seed. Although the potential of these new interspecific hybrid varieties is enormous, they need to be further evaluated in different growing regions for productivity, flesh quality and tolerance to diseases prevalent in regions where there is substantial acreage of processing squash. The potential of interspecific hybrids for the fresh market squash industry is no less than that of the processing industry, and as such, offer the potential for greater economic yield of the usable flesh or mesocarp tissue of fruit. The interspecific hybrid NH1310 (NH65 x SC936) produced yields greater than 60 metric tons per hectare in 2012 and 2013, andfruit solids content (8.0 to 9.5%)was acceptable for pie processing.However, in cooking tests conducted in 2013 and 2014the texture of the pumpkin puree appeared excessively stringy for use for pie puree stock. In an effort to improve puree texture both for pie stock and baby food, additional bush C. maxima and vining C. moschata breeding lines are being developed with selection for improved textural properties of the cooked flesh. One of the new C. moschata and two of the new bush C. maxima linesare uniform enough for making experimental hybrids. In a replicated field trial during the summer of 2014 we evaluated four experimental, interspecific hybrids for growth habit, patterns of fruit set, fruit traits, and uniformity: NH1310, NH1321, [NH65 x Long Island Cheese (LIC)], NH1320 (NH65 x NH176-29), and NH1323 (NH65 x NH204-3916). All hybrids showed high tolerance to powdery mildew and leaf canopies were more resistant to late season senescence than in C. moschata hybrids growing in an adjacent plot. Mesocarp dry weight (DW), a variable correlated with starch content and texture of cooked squash, was 11.8% for NH65, the female parent in all hybrids. Although mean DWs for the C. moschata male parents in the hybrids varied widely from 6.5% in SC936 to 17.5% in NH204-3916, DWs in the hybrids were similar, with values of 9.6, 9.1, 9.1, and 9.7 percent, respectively, for NH1310, NH1320 NH1321, and NH1323. These results were unexpected because flesh dry matter in squash generally shows additive genetic variation with hybrid dry weights close to the mean of the two parents. The male parent of NH1323 was a butternut breeding line, and the resulting hybrid was highly female, setting 5 to 8 fruit within 9 nodes from the base of the plant. The early fruit set suppressed vegetative growth and likely accounted for the low fruit DW. The other hybrids set most fruit beyond the tenth node of the main vines and fruit size and flesh DW were uniform. For developing fresh market interspecific hybrids, several bush kabocha (buttercup) lines of C. maxima have been developed through research supported by NHAES, and some of these have shown good compatibility with round-fruited breeding lines of C. moschata for making interspecific hybrids with fruit size in thedesired 2 to 4 pound range. Seven fresh market interspecific hybrids were evaluated during the summer of 2014. Two hybrids, NH1315 and NH1316, were vigorous and productive, and had attractive orange fruit. However, fruit DW and soluble solids in both hybrids were marginal for good eating quality. Two other hybrids, NH1311 and NH1318, exhibited vigorous vegetative growth, produced attractive green fruit, similar in appearance to standard kabocha. Eating quality was good in both hybrids, but flesh of NH1318 had excessive green pigmentation in the outer layer of flesh. Although NH1311 tended to produce some smaller fruit near the crown of the plant, it was judged to be worthy of further evaluation. One notable trait in fruit of all interspecific hybrids was excellent shelf life and resistance to common storage rot diseases.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Cole, W. and B. Loy. 2014. Relationship of phenological and morphological attributes of interspecific F1 hybrid processing squash to productivity. HortScience 49(9):S8.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Cole, W. and B. Loy. 2014. Relationship of phenological and morphological attributes of interspecific F1 hybrid processing squash to productivity. NE Regional Meetings, Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci., Jan. 7, Philadelphia, PA.
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