Recipient Organization
UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS
(N/A)
AMHERST,MA 01003
Performing Department
Cranberry Substation
Non Technical Summary
Cranberry production has a long history in Massachusetts (MA) that adds important economic and aesthetic value to the region. About 30% of US acreage and the two largest cranberry handler companies are located in Massachusetts. Threats to the sustainability of cranberry production in MA and elsewhere in the US come from many sources: consumer demands for sustainable but inexpensive products, commodity pricing in an industry that is currently over-supplied with juice concentrate, changes to industry (handler) fruit quality standards, rising costs for energy and pest management products, climate change, and changing standards in pesticide use to accommodate global marketing.The majority of cranberry acreage in MA is still under old cultivars with low productivity and poor disease resistance. The data in Table 1 represents percentages of acreage of cultivars grown and their productivity in terms of 5-year average yield in MA as of 2017. The data show that over 43% of the acreage is still under 'native' cultivars 'Early Black' and 'Howes' "released" in 1852 and 1843, respectively. 'Stevens' and 'Ben Lear', which are the first generation of hybrid cultivars released in 1940 and 1900, respectively make up nearly 40% of the acreage under cranberry production. Although 'Stevens' and 'Ben Lear' have higher yields, they were not explicitly bred for disease resistance. In total, 83% of the acreage in MA is currently under cultivars released before 1940. The data also shows improved productivity with the newer hybrids. The 5-year average yield of 'Mullica Queen' released in 2008 is 320 barrels per acre. In comparison, the 5-year average yield of 'Early Black' and 'Howes' is astronomically lower at 142 barrels per acre.MA does not have a breeding program for new cultivars. Growers in MA are interested in bringing in new hybrid cultivars from breeding programs in New Jersey and Wisconsin. However, without proper cultivar evaluation under MA growing conditions, growers are hesitant to do so because of the significant financial risk. The cost of renovating a cranberry bog can range from $10,000 to $45,000 per acre, and growers assume significant financial risk when they 'experiment' with these new cultivars without proper evaluation. This project will evaluate new hybrid cultivars under MA growing conditions and provide growers with reliable data to use in decision making when considering bog renovation. Twelve new hybrid cultivars from breeding programs will be evaluated under rigorous scientific conditions.Recently, disease resistance has become a critical trait in cranberry production because of the restrictions imposed by export markets on the most widely used effective fungicides, the broad-spectrum chlorothalonil (Wells et al., 2014). Adopting resistant cultivars is one of the most sustainable and profitable ways to produce high-quality fruit as it reduces pesticide inputs and the cost of cultivation. Our solution is to conduct a trial of the latest commercially released cranberry hybrid cultivars with a partner farmer under MA growing conditions and collect data on cultivar performance so that our growers can make better cultivar selection decisions. The experimental design will be a randomized complete block design with four replications per treatment.The research will be conducted in conjunction with a MA cranberry grower who has already been identified. The grower has agreed to provide a 0.9-acre cranberry bog for use in the project. The grower will renovate the cranberry bog at a cost of ±$20,000. The renovation will include laser leveling of the bog surface, the addition of a deep sand layer ≈ 10 inches, replacing irrigation systems, purchasing, and applying fertilizers and herbicides. Data will be collected on ease of establishment, yield and productivity, fruit quality, frost tolerance, and susceptibility to damage from pests and disease. The experimental plots will also be made accessible to cranberry growers on field days, and growers will be able to walk through the demonstration plots. Data collected can be used by cranberry growers in MA when making decisions for renovating their bogs, lowering their financial risk when planting new hybrid cranberry cultivars.As data are collected and analyzed, results will be shared with cranberry growers at winter meetings and bog side workshops. Incorporating grower feedback, we will update management recommendations to reflect knowledge gained and disseminate the recommendations in the Cranberry Chart Book-Management Guide for Growing Cranberries in MA (our annually edited extension publication for cranberry growers) and via newsletters, the recorded Cranberry Station IPM message, and the Cranberry Station website. Information will be shared with colleagues in other cranberry production regions via established networks and the biennial North American Cranberry Research and Extension Workers Conference (NACREW). The primary beneficiaries of this research will be MA cranberry growers and the handlers who receive the fruit. Growers and handlers in other cranberry regions of the U. S. (Wisconsin, New Jersey, and Pacific Northwest) will also benefit from the best management practices developed as a result of this project.This project aims to be the first to record and publish hybrid cranberry cultivar evaluation under MA growing conditions in the 21st century. Information on yield, fruit quality, disease resistance, herbicide compatibility, frost tolerance, susceptibility to insect damage, and attractiveness to pollinators will be released for the benefit of cranberry growers in MA.
Animal Health Component
50%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
50%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Our goal is to enhance the potential for the long-term sustainability of cranberry production by evaluating twelve new hybrid cranberry cultivars with improved fruit quality, yield, and disease resistance. This project will: Provide cultivar evaluation data specific to MA that can be used in the decision-making process when renovating new cranberry bogs; Improve productivity and profitability of the industry through the planting of higher-yielding cultivars; Improve environmental sustainability through the identification of resistant cultivars that can be grown with reduced pesticides; and reduce the risk of cranberry growers in MA by identifying cultivars not suitable to their growing conditions.The specific objectives are:Bog establishment, yield, and time to full productivity: Characterize ease of establishment, bloom phenology for new cultivars under MA growing conditions, assess yield and time to the reach maximum productivity of the new high-yielding cultivars.Fruit quality: Evaluate fruit quality in (fruit color, fruit firmness, internal quality, berry size).Disease management: Document the resistance and susceptibility of new cultivars to fruit rot incidence in MA. We will also document the incidence (if any) of other diseases such as Phytophthora root rot and upright dieback on new cultivars.Weed management: Document the susceptibility of the new cultivars to damage from herbicides currently used in MA and Evaluate the ability of the new cultivars to outcompete weed species that are predominant in newly renovated cranberry bogs in MA.Insect management and pollination: Document susceptibility of the cultivars to insect pests and attractiveness to pollinators.Frost tolerance: Document the frost tolerance of the new cultivars; Develop recommendations for the management of the new cultivars in under MA growing conditions, and disseminate project findings and recommendations.The project will benefit cranberry growers in MA by providing reliable information on yield performance, disease susceptibility, and fruit quality of new hybrid cultivars under MA growing conditions. Growers will then be able to make informed choices when renovating their cranberry bogs.Our approach will be to conduct on-farm research on new hybrid cultivars in under MA growing conditions to:Determine if the new hybrid cultivars outperform the cultivars currently grown in MA in terms of yield and the time needed to reach full yield potential (ease of establishment and realization of return on investment (ROI)).Determine if the new hybrid cultivars have better fruit quality (fruit color, fruit firmness, internal quality, berry size) compared to the cultivars currently grown in MA in terms of yield.Determine the resistance of the new cultivars to the fruit rot disease complex by comparing them to the cultivars currently grown in MA and develop fungicide protocols for disease control.Determine the sensitivity of new cultivars to herbicides currently registered for use on cranberry in MA and if these new cultivars outcompete weed species found in MA, or if they need extra care in terms of weed control.Determine the new cultivars' susceptibility to insect pests and attractiveness to pollinators.Determine the frost tolerance thresholds for the new cultivars.Develop best management practices (outputs) for the new cranberry cultivars under MA growing conditions in terms of frost tolerance and pest control.Document the adoption of the new cultivars by MA cranberry growers.
Project Methods
Bog establishment, yield and time full productivity (Obj. 1)The project will be carried out on a ≈0.9-acre commercial cranberry bog at Mann Farms in East Wareham, MA. The bog will be renovated in the winter of 2020 by applying 10 inches of sand to the existing planting. Drainage tiles and sprinkler irrigation system will be installed during bog renovation. The 12 hybrid cranberry cultivars to be evaluated are: Ruby Star, Sundance, HyRed, Crimson King, Valley King, Pilgrim King, Midnight 8, Granite Red, Haines, Welker, Scarlet Knight and Vassana. Two cultivars, 'Stevens' and 'Mullica Queen®' will be used as the standard controls. 'The experimental design will be a randomized complete block design with four replicates. Each plot replicate will be 40 feet long, and 15 feet wide with 2-foot buffer rows. Cranberry vines will be sourced in December 2020. The vines will be stored in a cold room at the UMass Cranberry Station and propagated as cuttings in the greenhouse. The rooted cuttings will be planted on the bog May 2021. After planting, standard cultural practices will be followed for fertilization, weed management, and irrigation.Data on light interception will be collected from each plot replicate using a ceptometer to measure how easily the new cultivars grow under MA growing conditions. Point-intercept surveys and biomass collections will also be done to establish "colonization" by the vines.Bloom phenology data will be collected from each plot replicate by counting the number of flowers on the fruiting uprights. Ten fruiting uprights will be tagged in each plot replicate. The total number of flowers will be assessed as well as the length of the flowering period. The ratio of flowering to vegetative growth will also be determined by collecting biomass samples, separating the uprights into different classes, and then counting them.Yield and productivity will be measured by collecting samples using a 1-ft2 quadrat in each plot replicate. Two quadrats will be collected from each plot replicate. The sample from each plot replicate will be weighed to estimate yield. Cumulative yield will also be assessed over the total duration of the project.Fruit quality (Obj. 2)Fruit quality will be measure on the samples collected for yield. A sample of 25 fruit will be collected to measure fruit length, fruit diameter and fruit firmness using a FirmTech Fruit Firmness Tester®. The rest of the sample will be divided in half. One portion of the sample will be tested for fruit color development using the standard total anthocyanin test. The other half will be used to measure total soluble solids and titratable acididty.Disease management (Obj. 3)Percent fruit rot incidence: From all cultivars, from each replicated plot, berries harvested from 1-foot-square area will be evaluated for fruit rot incidence (number of rotten berries/total number of berries x 100). If we observe any symptoms of Phytophthora root rot and Upright dieback in experimental plots, root and upright samples respectively, will be brought to the lab and plated on appropriate agar media using standard laboratory procedures. After ten days of incubation on agar plates, we will document the fungal pathogens isolated (if any).Weed management (Obj. 4) Weed management (Obj. 4). We will work with the grower to develop a weed management plan for the project areas. The utilization of conventional herbicides for new plantings will be used (Sandler and Ghantous, 2018). We will assess vine injury and control of weed species on the project area. Comparisons will be made variety to variety (i.e., we will not purposefully leave untreated areas). We will conduct yearly weed surveys. In Years 1and 2, we will utilize point-intercept survey techniques (anticipating plant cover will be low). Once plant cover (both cranberry and/or weeds) is abundant, we will utilize the quadrat technique to assess both abundance and diversity of weed species (Hanzlik and Gerowitt, 2016; Hayek and Buzas, 1997).Insect management and pollination (Obj. 5)In each year of the study, cultivars will be visually inspected for insect injury, for example, outbreaks of sucking insects on new growth, bud feeding by cranberry weevil (Anthonomus musculus), foliar feeding by cutworms, spanworms, and leafrollers, and fruit feeding by fruitworms (Acrobasis vacinii and Sparganothis sulfureana). During bloom in years 3-5, comparative bee visitation rates among cultivars will be quantified. If differences are observed, nectar secretion levels will be assessed using capillary micropipettes as in Cane and Schiffhauer (1997).Frost tolerance (Obj. 6) The new cultivars will be exposed to a series of cold acclimation treatments which consisted of sequentially exposing plants to 15, 6, 2 and -2°C for 14 days at each temperature in a controlled growth chamber. The temperature regimes for the controlled-temperature acclimation study were selected based on the average ambient temperatures for September, October and November in East Wareham, Massachusetts. A -2°C temperature regime will be added to the experiment.Each cultivar will be used in this experiment and maintained in the growth chamber. At the end of each 14-d single temperature acclimation period, four replications of each cultivar will be removed from the chamber. Approximately 20 cranberry leaves will be collected from each replicate for lipid analysis while the remaining plants in that replicate will be separated into leaves and stems for carbohydrate analysis.Carbohydrates and starch extracted from leaf and stem samples will be analyzed by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) using elution methods developed by Botelho and Vanden Heuvel (2005). Lipids will be extracted from the leaf samples according to a modified procedure of Welti et al., (2002). Vials will be stored at -80?C until shipped to Kansas Lipidomics Research Center (Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS) for analysis.Develop recommendations for the management of the new cultivars (Obj. 7)Research and extension will be integrated in our on-farm approach by our project team. Results from this project will form the basis for pest management and frost tolerance recommendations specific to new hybrid cranberry cultivars. By the end of this project, cranberry growers will increase their knowledge about cultivar performance and incorporate this knowledge into their decision making.Disseminate project findings and recommendations (Obj. 8).We will present project results at the annual UMass Cranberry Station Research and Extension Update Meeting, held in January of each year (attended by ca. 175 growers), make the research results available on the UMass Cranberry Station web site, on ScholarWorks, (a digital repository operated by UMass Libraries) and in our newsletters (distributed to ca. 220 growers). As appropriate and timely, recommendations will be included in our IPM alerts (website and via call-in). At least two newsletter articles will be written in 2022 and 2024 regarding project results and ways to implement that knowledge into cranberry management. As they are developed, recommendations for use will be incorporated into the Cranberry Chart Book Management Guide (updated annually and distributed to all MA growers) and into the Best Management Practices Guide. At least three factsheets will be produced and distributed via the Cranberry Station newsletter list and posted to ScholarWorks and our website. The project team will also exchange information with other national colleagues during the course of this project.