Progress 11/28/08 to 11/27/13
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416): 1. Enhance productivity in strawberry. 2. Enhance blackberry yield and survival. Approach (from AD-416): Small fruits require high labor and chemical inputs. Improvements in cropping efficiency and out-of-season fruit production of strawberries and blackberries are needed to foster commercial expansion of these small fruits and help mitigate production factors limiting profit potential. In the current global economic market, it is difficult for the small fruit industry in the United States to maintain a profitable operation with ever-increasing competition and market share by fruits being imported from countries to the south. Studies will be conducted to: 1) determine the efficacy of novel cultural and chemical treatments to mitigate low temperature damage, and effects of primocane and environmental manipulations to accelerate and intensify floral bud initiation and subsequent reproductive development, 2) improve the understanding of mechanisms controlling flower development in strawberry and blackberry, and growth processes involved in regulating the flower size and inflorescence development, and 3) analyze the effects of plant material source and environmental conditions during transplant propagation to devise management strategies aimed at producing high quality, superior yielding strawberry transplants. Research into alternative production systems and evaluation of novel germplasm materials is expected to provide new technology and to create new opportunities to produce blackberries for fresh market. Research on season extension techniques for strawberries will provide new technology for the management of strawberries without the need for pre-plant soil fumigation and also opportunities to produce strawberries from October to December in the mid-Atlantic coast region. Technology transfer efforts proposed in this project are expected to improve viability of small fruit farming and rural vitality in several regions of the United States. This is the final report for the project 1931-21000-018-00D which terminated in November 2013 and has been replaced by a new project 1931- 21000-025-00D. Significant progress has been made in developing a production technique to enhance growth and fruiting in day-neutral strawberry cultivar by altering the temperatures of rooting medium during winter months. Experiments were carried out to reduce disease incidence using novel, non- chemical methods to make a fungus incapable of causing fruit rot. The results of these studies would benefit the strawberry industry that spends as much as $3,000 per acre each year to control fungal diseases. Significant progress has been made in enhancing blackberry productivity and developing a new propagation method for blackberries. We used the rotating cross-arm (RCA) trellis and cane training system to increase the number long lateral canes. Methods were developed to improve rooting at both ends of long lateral canes to produce looped cane plants. The results indicated that looped cane plants were more productive than long- cane plants with roots at one end. Growth chamber studies showed a significant effect of temperatures on plant yield and harvest date. The commercialization of this technology will benefit a large number of small acreage farmers developing niche market for specialty crops, expand blackberry production into a sub-tropical region, and offer new ways to produce blackberries in out-of-season. The technology to develop these novel plant material was issued a patent (U.S. Patent No. 8,327,578 B1) entitled, "Process for the off-season production of blackberry". Alternative cane training systems for two USDA-ARS trailing blackberry (Black Diamond and Siskiyou) were grown with the RCA trellis system. Several selections of strawberry materials with high potential to produce fruit in fall and spring were propagated in the greenhouse and established in a low-tunnel production system in Beltsville, Maryland. The susceptibility of blackberry buds, flowers, and fruit to sub-zero temperatures was determined in a radiation frost chamber. The findings indicated that most flowers and fruit were damaged after 30 minutes at 27 degrees F. Injuries were expressed as discolored anther filament, petals, and the pistils (part of flower that develops into fruit). The RCA trellis and winter protection system developed for expanding the blackberry production in the Midwestern states will be useful in mitigating spring frost. In the event of a frost, this production system offers the means to position the flower shoots close to the ground and be covered with a floating rowcover which can provide some freeze protection (2 to 3 degrees F), thus, avoiding a crop loss from spring frost. Significant Activities that Support Special Target Populations: ARS scientists participated in outreach efforts in Sandusky, Ohio directed at blackberry farmers in the Midwest and Mid-Continent by demonstrating the use of the RCA trellis and winter protection cover for reducing winter injury. These efforts have contributed to nearly doubling blackberry plantings in the midwestern and northeastern United States, and potentially adding more than $10 million annually to the rural economy. Accomplishments 01 Blackberry production in the Midwestern U.S. is limited by low winter temperatures that kill the fruit buds and vines. ARS researchers at Kearneysville, West Virginia developed a rotating cross-arm (RCA) trellis system that allows the vines to be rotated to the ground and covered with a floating row cover to protect the dormant vines from extreme temperatures. This new production system has reduced the risks of crop failure and major crop losses from extreme and untimely cold temperatures. January and February 2014, much of the Midwest experienced temperatures below 20 C which killed blackberry plants on conventional systems or with no winter protection. These growers harvested less than 10% of a normal crop in 2014. In contrast, growers who are using the RCA trellis and winter protection system saw little winter damage and harvested 80% of a normal crop in 2014. Since 2010, 120 ha of new blackberry plantings on 40 farms (1- to 10-h size) have been established from PA to IA with the RCA trellis system. In 2014 alone, these new plantings are expected to generate $60,000/ha in gross returns. It is projected that the RCA trellis production system will expand to >500 ha by 2018.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- Yu, P., Li, C., Takeda, F., Krewers, G., Rains, G., Hamrita, T. 2014. Evaluation of rotary, slapper, and sway blueberry mechanical harvesters for potential fruit impact points using a miniature instrumented sphere. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 101:84-92.
- Yu, P., Li, C., Takeda, F., Krewers, G. 2014. Visual bruise assessment and analysis of mechanical impact measurement in southern highbush blueberry. Applied Engineering in Agriculture. 30:29-37.
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Progress 10/01/12 to 09/30/13
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416): 1. Enhance productivity in strawberry. 2. Enhance blackberry yield and survival. Approach (from AD-416): Small fruits require high labor and chemical inputs. Improvements in cropping efficiency and out-of-season fruit production of strawberries and blackberries are needed to foster commercial expansion of these small fruits and help mitigate production factors limiting profit potential. In the current global economic market, it is difficult for the small fruit industry in the United States to maintain a profitable operation with ever-increasing competition and market share by fruits being imported from countries to the south. Studies will be conducted to: 1) determine the efficacy of novel cultural and chemical treatments to mitigate low temperature damage, and effects of primocane and environmental manipulations to accelerate and intensify floral bud initiation and subsequent reproductive development, 2) improve the understanding of mechanisms controlling flower development in strawberry and blackberry, and growth processes involved in regulating the flower size and inflorescence development, and 3) analyze the effects of plant material source and environmental conditions during transplant propagation to devise management strategies aimed at producing high quality, superior yielding strawberry transplants. Research into alternative production systems and evaluation of novel germplasm materials is expected to provide new technology and to create new opportunities to produce blackberries for fresh market. Research on season extension techniques for strawberries will provide new technology for the management of strawberries without the need for pre-plant soil fumigation and also opportunities to produce strawberries from October to December in the mid-Atlantic coast region. Technology transfer efforts proposed in this project are expected to improve viability of small fruit farming and rural vitality in several regions of the United States. Significant progress has been made in developing a production technique to enhance growth and fruiting in day-neutral strawberry cultivar by altering the temperatures of rooting medium during winter months. Experiments were carried out to reduce disease incidence using novel, non- chemical methods to make a fungus incapable of causing fruit rot. The results of these studies would benefit the strawberry industry that spends as much as $3,000 per acre each year to control fungal diseases. Significant progress has been made in enhancing blackberry productivity and developing a new propagation method for blackberries. We used the rotating cross-arm (RCA) trellis and cane training system to increase the number long lateral canes. Methods were developed to improve rooting at both ends of long lateral canes to produce looped cane plants. The results indicated that looped cane plants were more productive than long- cane plants with roots at one end. Growth chamber studies showed a significant effect of temperatures on plant yield and harvest date. The commercialization of this technology will benefit a large number of small acreage farmers developing niche market for specialty crops, expand blackberry production into a sub-tropical region, and offer new ways to produce blackberries in out-of-season. The technology to develop these novel plant material was issued a patent (U.S. Patent No. 8,327,578 B1) entitled, "Process for the off-season production of blackberry". Alternative cane training systems for two USDA-ARS trailing blackberry (Black Diamond and Siskiyou) were grown with the RCA trellis system. Several selections of strawberry materials with high potential to produce fruit in fall and spring were propagated in the greenhouse and established in a low-tunnel production system in Beltsville, MD. The susceptibility of blackberry buds, flowers, and fruit to sub-zero temperatures was determined in a radiation frost chamber. The findings indicated that most flowers and fruit were damaged after 30 minutes at 27 degrees F. Injuries were expressed as discolored anther filament, petals, and the pistils (part of flower that develops into fruit). The rotating cross-arm trellis and winter protection system developed for expanding the blackberry production in the Midwestern states will be useful in mitigating spring frost. In event of a frost, this production system offers the means to position the flower shoots close to the ground and be covered with a floating rowcover which can provide some freeze protection (2 to 3 degrees F), thus, avoiding a crop loss from spring frost. Significant Activities that Support Special Target Populations: ARS scientists participated in outreach efforts in Circleville, OH; Abbotsford, BC, Canada; Watsonville, CA; Parlier, CA; Portland, OR; Mt. Vernon, IL; and Chillicothe, OH, directed at small blackberry farm operators in the Midwest, Mid-Continent, along the Pacific Coast, and Mid- Atlantic coast regions by demonstrating the function and benefits of the Rotating Cross-Arm Trellis technology, techniques for producing summer propagated strawberry transplants that produce fruit in the fall and spring, and horticultural and engineering techniques to reduce fruit bruising in blueberry. These efforts have contributed to nearly doubling blackberry plantings in the midwestern and northeastern United States, and potentially adding more than $10M annually to the rural economy. Accomplishments 01 Blackberry acreage in the Midwest is expanding. Blackberry production in the Midwestern U.S. is limited by low winter temperatures that kill the fruit buds and vines, and spring frosts that kill flowers. ARS researchers at Kearneysville, West Virginia developed a Rotating Cross Arm Trellis System that allows the vines to be rotated to the ground and covered with a floating row-cover to protect the dormant vines from extreme temperatures. These same row covers can be used in the spring to protect the developing flowers from early spring frosts. This new production system reduces the risks of crop failure and major crop losses from extreme and untimely cold temperatures. Consequently, blackberry acreage for fresh market fruit production has grown from only a few acres to more than 200 acres in the last two years.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- Yu, P., Li, C., Takeda, F., Krewers, G., Rains, G., Hamrita, T. 2013. Quantitative evaluation of a rotary blueberry mechanical harvester using a miniature instrumental sensor. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 88:25-31.
- Takeda, F. 2013. The 2011 North American strawberry symposium: an introduction. International Journal of Fruit Science. 13:1-2.
- Takeda, F., Glenn, D.M., Tworkoski, T. 2013. Rotating cross-arm trellis technology for blackberry production. Journal of Berry Research. 3(1):25- 40.
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Progress 10/01/11 to 09/30/12
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416): 1. Enhance productivity in strawberry. 2. Enhance blackberry yield and survival. Approach (from AD-416): Small fruits require high labor and chemical inputs. Improvements in cropping efficiency and out-of-season fruit production of strawberries and blackberries are needed to foster commercial expansion of these small fruits and help mitigate production factors limiting profit potential. In the current global economic market, it is difficult for the small fruit industry in the United States to maintain a profitable operation with ever-increasing competition and market share by fruits being imported from countries to the south. Studies will be conducted to: 1) determine the efficacy of novel cultural and chemical treatments to mitigate low temperature damage, and effects of primocane and environmental manipulations to accelerate and intensify floral bud initiation and subsequent reproductive development, 2) improve the understanding of mechanisms controlling flower development in strawberry and blackberry, and growth processes involved in regulating the flower size and inflorescence development, and 3) analyze the effects of plant material source and environmental conditions during transplant propagation to devise management strategies aimed at producing high quality, superior yielding strawberry transplants. Research into alternative production systems and evaluation of novel germplasm materials is expected to provide new technology and to create new opportunities to produce blackberries for fresh market. Research on season extension techniques for strawberries will provide new technology for the management of strawberries without the need for pre-plant soil fumigation and also opportunities to produce strawberries from October to December in the mid-Atlantic coast region. Technology transfer efforts proposed in this project are expected to improve viability of small fruit farming and rural vitality in several regions of the United States. Under Objective 1, we made significant progress in evaluating strawberry plants resulting from crossing 'Chandler', 'Sweet Charlie', and 'Strawberry Festival' for fall flowering potential. Runner tips of 14 selections were harvested in early July 2011 to make transplants using a greenhouse propagation method developed by ARS researchers in Kearneysville, WV. The rooted transplants were established in a replicated field study in September 2011 under high tunnels. Of the 14 off-springs, 4 were identified to have good flower development in October, November, and December, and selected for advanced trials. Development of superior strawberry plants that are capable of flowering in fall will enable growers in the mid-Atlantic coast region to have plants that will produce fruit from fall to winter and from spring to summer. Double cropping strawberry plants will make strawberry production in this region more sustainable. Under Objective 2, we made significant progress in enhancing blackberry productivity in more northern climates. Demonstration plots were established in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 5 in Iowa and Pennsylvania using the Rotating Cross Arm Trellis technology developed by ARS researchers in Kearneysville, WV. With this technology, blackberry plants can be laid down close to the ground and covered with floating rowcover in the winter. Winter survival of blackberry plants grown with this technology was excellent. In the spring after flower shoots emerged, the entire canopy was covered again with floating rowcover to protect plants from the spring frost. This treatment was highly effective in protecting blackberry plants in Iowa. Little spring frost damage occurred in treated plants compared to more than >90% damage in uncovered, control plants. These findings will lead to widening the opportunities to produce blackberries for fresh market outside their traditional geographic zones and temporal restrictions and seasons. Significant Activities that Support Special Target Populations: ARS scientists participated in outreach efforts in Circleville, OH; Owasso, OK; Queenstown, MD; and Thurmont, MD directed at small blackberry farm operators in the Midwest, Mid-Continent, and Mid-Atlantic coast regions, respectively, by demonstrating the function and benefits of the Rotating Cross-Arm Trellis technology. These efforts have contributed to nearly doubling blackberry plantings in the midwestern and northeastern United States, and potentially add $10M annually to the rural economy. Accomplishments 01 New improved technology for producing long-cane blackberry plants. The S. blackberry growers want to produce out-of-season blackberries. ARS researchers at Kearneysville, West Virginia, used a unique trellis and cane training system to propagate many long-cane plants which can be manipulated to produce off-season fruit which command a higher price. T new propagation system increased plant output five- to seven-folds over the current commercial propagation technique. The new innovations inclu long-cane plants that are rooted at both ends of the cane. These long cane plants produced more fruit clusters, clusters with more fruit, larg fruit, and 250% increase in fruit production compared to long-cane plant produced by traditional methods. The new method was published in 2011 i HortTechnology to broadly disseminate the information to users. The new propagation method is efficient for producing a large number of long-can blackberry plants and should be useful to both growers and nurserymen.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- Takeda, F., Soria, J. 2011. Method for producing tip-layered, long-cane blackberry plants using the rotating cross-arm trellis and cane training system. HortTechnology. 21(5):563-568.
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Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/11
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416) 1. Enhance productivity in strawberry. 2. Enhance blackberry yield and survival. Approach (from AD-416) Small fruits require high labor and chemical inputs. Improvements in cropping efficiency and out-of-season fruit production of strawberries and blackberries are needed to foster commercial expansion of these small fruits and help mitigate production factors limiting profit potential. In the current global economic market, it is difficult for the small fruit industry in the United States to maintain a profitable operation with ever-increasing competition and market share by fruits being imported from countries to the south. Studies will be conducted to: 1) determine the efficacy of novel cultural and chemical treatments to mitigate low temperature damage, and effects of primocane and environmental manipulations to accelerate and intensify floral bud initiation and subsequent reproductive development, 2) improve the understanding of mechanisms controlling flower development in strawberry and blackberry, and growth processes involved in regulating the flower size and inflorescence development, and 3) analyze the effects of plant material source and environmental conditions during transplant propagation to devise management strategies aimed at producing high quality, superior yielding strawberry transplants. Research into alternative production systems and evaluation of novel germplasm materials is expected to provide new technology and to create new opportunities to produce blackberries for fresh market. Research on season extension techniques for strawberries will provide new technology for the management of strawberries without the need for pre-plant soil fumigation and also opportunities to produce strawberries from October to December in the mid-Atlantic coast region. Technology transfer efforts proposed in this project are expected to improve viability of small fruit farming and rural vitality in several regions of the United States. Under Objective 1, we made significant progress in developing a technique to delay and prevent flower bud development in day-neutral strawberry cultivar by altering the quality and intensity of red light. An experiment was conducted at a commercial strawberry nursery in which red LED lights were programmed to come on at dusk, midnight, or dawn to affect the phytochrome system and flowering response in day-neutral strawberry. The results of this study would benefit the California strawberry nursery industry that spends as much as $500 per acre each year to remove flowers by hand. Under Objective 2, we made significant progress in enhancing blackberry productivity and developing a new propagation method for blackberries. We used the rotating cross-arm (RCA) trellis and cane training system to increase the number long lateral canes. Methods were developed to improve rooting and flower bud development in long-cane plants. Research showed that plant yield can be improved by modifying the cutting date and temperatures at which they are grown. Such plant material should be useful for growing blackberries in southern United States where winters are too mild for outdoor blackberry production. The commercialization of this technology will benefit a large number of small acreage farmers developing niche market for specialty crops and expand blackberry production into a sub-tropical region and offer new ways to produce blackberries in out-of-season. The technology to develop these novel plant material was submitted in a patent application (S/N: 12/887,851) titled, "Long-cane blackberry plants for out-of-season fruit production". Alternative cane training systems for two USDA-ARS trailing blackberry (Black Diamond and Obsidian) were grown with the RCA trellis system. The selection of strawberry materials with high potential to produce fruit in fall and spring was made with a strawberry breeder in Beltsville, MD. In 2011, a greenhouse propagation method was used to produce large numbers of plug plants for a replicated field trial. Accomplishments 01 New, improved technology for producing long-cane blackberry plants. The S. blackberry growers want to produce blackberries in off-season as shipments of blackberries from Mexico increase during late spring to summer when the U.S. blackberry production is peaking. ARS researchers Kearneysville, WV, used a unique trellis and cane training system to propagate many single-cane blackberry plants which can be manipulated to produce off-season fruit which command a higher price. The new propagation system increased plant output five- to seven-folds over the current commercial propagation technique. The long-cane plants can be established in a warm area such as southern Florida in late winter to obtain a crop in March and April. For late season fruit production, the could be held in cold storage until summer and then grown in a warm environment so that the fruit matures from August to October. The new propagation method is efficient for producing a large number of blackber plants that can be manipulated to produce fruit in the off-season and should be useful to both growers and nurserymen.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- Takeda, F., Tworkoski, T., Finn, C.E. 2011. Blackberry propagation by non- leafy floricane cuttings. HortTechnology. 21(2):236-239.
- Takeda, F., Phillips, J.G. 2011. Horizontal cane orientation and rowcover application improve winter survival and yield of trailing 'Siskiyou' blackberry. HortTechnology. 21(2):170-175.
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Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/10
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416) 1. Enhance productivity in strawberry. 2. Enhance blackberry yield and survival. Approach (from AD-416) Small fruits require high labor and chemical inputs. Improvements in cropping efficiency and out-of-season fruit production of strawberries and blackberries are needed to foster commercial expansion of these small fruits and help mitigate production factors limiting profit potential. In the current global economic market, it is difficult for the small fruit industry in the United States to maintain a profitable operation with ever-increasing competition and market share by fruits being imported from countries to the south. Studies will be conducted to: 1) determine the efficacy of novel cultural and chemical treatments to mitigate low temperature damage, and effects of primocane and environmental manipulations to accelerate and intensify floral bud initiation and subsequent reproductive development, 2) improve the understanding of mechanisms controlling flower development in strawberry and blackberry, and growth processes involved in regulating the flower size and inflorescence development, and 3) analyze the effects of plant material source and environmental conditions during transplant propagation to devise management strategies aimed at producing high quality, superior yielding strawberry transplants. Research into alternative production systems and evaluation of novel germplasm materials is expected to provide new technology and to create new opportunities to produce blackberries for fresh market. Research on season extension techniques for strawberries will provide new technology for the management of strawberries without the need for pre-plant soil fumigation and also opportunities to produce strawberries from October to December in the mid-Atlantic coast region. Technology transfer efforts proposed in this project are expected to improve viability of small fruit farming and rural vitality in several regions of the United States. Progress was made on both objectives and their subobjectives. This research addresses NP 305, Component 1 � Integrated Sustainable Crop Production Systems. Progress on this project focuses on Problem 1B.3: Develop integrated strategies for the management of pests and environmental factors that impact yield, quality, and profitability of perennial crops; and Develop perennial crop production systems that are productive, profitable, and environmentally acceptable; and Problem 1C.4: Develop improved crop production systems for high quality greenhouses, high tunnel, and nursery crops. Under Objective 1, we made significant progress in developing production strategies to accelerate the flowering time in strawberry transplants to enhance productivity from fall to winter months. Also, a technique was developed to prevent flower bud development without affecting the plant�s ability to produce runners. This information will be of benefit to the California strawberry nurserymen who spend as much as $500 per acre each year to remove flowers by hand. Under Objective 2, we made significant progress in enhancing blackberry productivity and developing a new propagation method for blackberries. We used the rotating cross-arm trellis and cane training system to increase the number of five-foot-long canes that can be rooted at their tips in pots and potentially produce as many as 100,000 new plants per acre. Research showed that these potted plants have the capacity to flower quickly and can be transferred for fruit production in southern United States, where winters are too mild to induce flowering to be used for outdoor blackberry production. The commercialization of this technology will benefit a large number of small acreage farmers developing niche market for specialty crops and expand blackberry production into a sub-tropical region, as well as offer new ways to produce blackberries in out-of-season. The products and technology developed has been submitted as part of an invention titled, "New and improved vegetative propagation process for quick flowering blackberry plants". We made significant progress in developing new strawberry selections with high potential to produce fruit in fall and spring, and perform better under mid-Atlantic growing conditions than varieties developed in Florida or California. These results are useful for growers to have new varieties to choose from for the extended fruit production season. Also, we evaluated an additional 1,000 strawberry seedlings for disease tolerance, high fruit firmness, large fruit size, and high plant vigor, from which 16 were selected for further propagation and field evaluation. Significant Activities that Support Special Target Populations Target populations, including small farms and underserved farms, were addressed through presentations at national and regional grower conferences in Georgia, Virginia, and New York. Accomplishments 01 New technology to grow trailing blackberries without low-temperature injury. Trailing blackberries developed by ARS researchers in Corvallis Oregon, are susceptible to low temperature injury and are not grown commercially in the central or eastern United States. A variety of techniques, such as rowcovers, cold frames, greenhouses, and high tunnel have been used to modify the growing environment for berry crops, but no has been shown to reduce winter injury in trailing blackberries. Researchers at Kearneysville, West Virginia, used a novel trellis system with a long rotating cross-arm (RCA) trellis system to position canes close to the ground. Laying canes close to the ground together with rowcover application is a cost-effective method for protecting trailing blackberries from cold temperatures and dessicating winds. This researc enables trailing blackberries to be grown in the eastern United States. Trailing blackberries ripen earlier than other blackberries, thus will b a useful variety for growers in this region interested in an early seaso blackberry. This research was awarded a technology transfer award from the Federal Laboratory Consortium, and the RCA trellis is currently bein commercialized by Trellis Growing System, Inc., Ft. Wayne, Indiana, whic was awarded a Phase II USDA Small Business Innovation Research grant to expand blackberry production in the Midwest.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- Takeda, F., Glenn, D.M., Callahan, A.M., Slovin, J.P. 2010. Delaying flowering in short-day strawberry transplants with photoselective nets. International Journal of Fruit Science. 10:134-142.
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