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- Author or Editor: James J. Luby x
- Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science x
Progenies from a partial diallel mating scheme using 17 highbush (Vaccinium corymbosum L.), lowbush (V. angustifolium Ait.), and half-high (V. corymbosum/V. angustfolium hybrid) parents were subjectively evaluated for fruit color, picking scar, and firmness in two seasons. General combining ability (GCA) mean squares were significant (P ≤ 0.01 for all traits), but specific combining ability was significant for no traits (P > 0.05). However, the correlation coefficients between the GCA effects and the parental phenotype scores were low, indicating that selection of parents within this material based on their phenotype may not be indicative of progeny performance. GCA effects depended to some extent on the species ancestry. Vaccinium angustifolium parents produced progeny with relatively dark, soft fruit with large scars. Lowbush parents having light-blue fruit produced segregating progenies that were heavily skewed toward dark fruit, regardless of the color or species ancestry of the other parent. When the highbush and half-high parents were crossed with one another, segregation patterns were typical of predominately additive gene action.
The commercially successful apple (Malus pumila Mill.) cultivar Honeycrisp is known for its high degrees of crispness and juiciness. This cultivar has been incorporated into numerous breeding programs in an effort to duplicate its desirable texture traits in conjunction with such other traits as reduced postharvest disorders, disease resistance, and improved tree vigor. This study characterizes variability and estimates heritability for several apple fruit texture traits within a large breeding population over several years. Five full-sib families, all sharing ‘Honeycrisp’ as a common parent, were assayed with respect to crispness, firmness, and juiciness using sensory evaluation panels and total work required to fracture tissue using instrumental methods. The incomplete block design of the sensory panels, coupled with best linear unbiased prediction, facilitated the evaluation of a large number of genotypes with small numbers of fruit per genotype while accounting for individual sensory panelist effects. Broad-sense heritability estimates exceeded 0.70 for all four traits. Principal component analysis, applied to the phenotypic data, characterized ‘Honeycrisp’ as having average crispness and low firmness (53rd percentile relative to its offspring) but also as being a relatively extreme example of high juiciness and low work to fracture (first percentile). The improved characterization of desired fruit texture phenotypes and the high levels of broad-sense heritability provide valuable tools for the further development of new, high-quality apple cultivars.
The effects of pH and N form on growth and nutrition of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L. × V. angustifolium Ait. cv. Northblue) and cranberry (V. macrocarpon Ait. cv. Searles) were tested in separate greenhouse hydroponic experiments. A factorial treatment arrangement of two pH levels (4.5 and 6.5) and three N forms (NO3-N, NH4-N, and NH4-N/NO3-N) was used for each clone. Blueberry shoot growth and final dry weight were greatest at pH 4.5, regardless of N form. In contrast, cranberry fresh weight accumulation and final dry weight were higher with NH4-N/NO3-N or NH4-N than with NO3-N alone. Cranberry plants receiving NO3-N alone accumulated low levels of tissue N and grew relatively poorly at both pH levels. Differences in N response by these two species may be due partially to the environments in which they were selected. Soil from the site where `Northblue' blueberry was selected contained relatively high NO3-N and low NH4-N levels; soil from commercial `Searles' cranberry bogs had relatively low NO3-N and high NH4-N levels. Both species accumulated relatively high levels of root Fe, regardless of pH or N form. Levels of Fe in the root were as much as 100 times higher than in the shoot. Based on X-ray microanalysis of cranberry roots, most of the Fe appeared to be precipitated on the root surface as iron phosphate. Concentrations of Mn in shoots and roots depended on N form and pH. In general, root Mn was highest at pH 6.5 and apparently was precipitated with Fe.
Restriction fragment-length polymorphisms (RFLPs) of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) were used to study phylogenetic relationships among twenty-six Fragaria taxa and two closely related species, Potentilla fruticosa L. and Duchesnea indica (Andrews) Focke. Sixteen restriction enzymes and probes of the entire Nicotiana tabacum L. chloroplast genome revealed a very low level of variation among the Fragaria taxa, limiting phylogenetic resolution. However, Fragaria appears to be more closely related to Potentilla than Duchesnea. The diploid taxa, F. iinumae Makino, F. nilgerrensis Schlect. and F. vesca L. were the most divergent Fragaria taxa and F. iinumae appears to be the most ancestral taxon. Little variation was revealed within the economically important octoploid group of taxa, which gave rise to the cultivated strawberry, and no progenitor taxa to the octoploid group could be identified. The lack of variation in the chloroplast genome suggests that these Fragaria species may be of relatively recent evolutionary origin.
Pollination of the half-high blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L./V. anugustifolium Ait.) cultivars St. Cloud, Northsky, Northcountry, and Northblue with self, outcross, and outcross/self pollen mixtures suggests that outcross fertilization maximizes percent fruit set, berry weight, seeds per berry, and seeds per pollination while minimizing days to harvest. Based on these results, mixed plantings of at least two blueberry cultivars are recommended for these cultivars. Fruit and seed set were negatively associated with increased percentages of self pollen in outcross/self pollen mixtures. These responses were linear for `Northblue' due to a tendency to parthenocarpy, and nonlinear for `St. Cloud', `Northsky', and `Northcountry', due to low fruit set following self-pollination. These data indicate that post-fertilization abortion affected seed formation, which was, in turn, correlated positively with fruit set.
Zanthoxylum americanum is a common understory species in the northern forests of Minnesota and surrounding regions. It has potential economic importance for its citrus fragrance, pharmacological or insecticidal properties, and produces peppercorns similar to those of the related Zanthoxylum species. Zanthoxylum americanum is a dioecious species but has been reported to have aberrant flowers with autonomous apomixis instead of other potential reproductive barriers. The reproductive biology of Zanthoxylum americanum was investigated in two native Minnesota populations. Determinations of male fertility, whether autonomous apomixis was the predominant floral reproductive mechanism, the presence of seedless fruit (parthenocarpy/stenospermocarpy), and the occurrence of hermaphrodism were made over 2 years. Sex ratios (female:male plants) within each population differed. The mean pollen stainability was 95.8% ± 0.3% (fresh) and 78.6% ± 1.1% (stored 18 months). Parthenocarpy did not occur in either population. Autonomous apomixis was not the primary floral reproductive mechanism. Stenospermocarpy (seedlessness) occurred in 13% of the female fruit clusters. Although commonly described as being dioecious, two additional reproductive strategies were identified: 1) plants with functional protandrous flowers with rudimentary pistils and 2) hermaphroditic flowers with fully functional pistils (protogynous) and anthers. As many as 10% to 30% of the male plants bore at least one fruit/plant each year. One clonal stand had both hermaphroditic and functionally staminate flowers on the same plant. Two evolutionary pathways to dioecy in Z. americanum are proposed.
Narrow-sense heritability and among-family and within-family variance components were estimated for antioxidant activity (AA), total phenolic content (TPH), and anthocyanin content (ACY) in blueberry (Vaccinium L. sp.) fruit. AA, TPH, and ACY were determined in the parents and in 10 offspring from each of 20 random crosses for each of 2 years at Becker, Minn. Offspring-midparent regression analysis provided combined-year heritability estimates of 0.43 ± 0.09 (P ≤ 0.0001) for AA, 0.46 ± 0.11 (P ≤ 0.0001) for TPH, and 0.56 ± 0.10 (P ≤ 0.0001) for ACY. Analyses of variance delineated variation among and within families for AA, TPH, and ACY (P ≤ 0.001). Year-to-year variation in the means for all offspring genotypes was not significant for AA or TPH, but there were changes in rank between years for families and for offspring within families for these traits. Year-to-year variation in the mean for all offspring genotypes was significant for ACY, but rank changes were observed only among offspring within families, not among families. In total, 18 of 200 offspring from 7 of the 20 crosses were transgressive segregants for AA, exceeding the higher parent of the cross by at least two sds. Estimates of variance components showed that variation among families accounted for 24% to 27% of total variance for the three traits. However, variation within families was greater than that among families, accounting for 38% to 56% of total variance for the three traits. These results suggest that increasing antioxidant activity in blueberry through breeding is feasible, and that the breeding strategies utilized should exploit the large within-family variation that exists.
Variation in antioxidant activity (AA), total phenolic content (TPH), and total anthocyanin content (ACY) was examined in 1998 and 1999 in fruit of 52 (49 blue-fruited and 3 pink-fruited) genotypes from a blueberry breeding population. The species ancestry included Vaccinium corymbosum L. (northern highbush blueberry), V. angustifolium Ait. (lowbush blueberry), V. constablaei Gray (mountain highbush blueberry), V. ashei Reade (rabbiteye blueberry), and V. myrtilloides Michx. (lowbush blueberry). Using a methyl linoleate oxidation assay (MeLO) on acidified methanolic extracts of the berries, a 5-fold variation was found in AA in 1998 and a 3-fold variation in 1999 among the blue-fruited genotypes. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) revealed variation among genotypes (P < 0.0001) in single and combined years, regardless of inclusion of pink-fruited selections and adjustment for berry size. While mean AA of all genotypes did not change between the 2 years, ranking of some genotypes for AA changed significantly between 1998 and 1999. Of the 10 genotypes that demonstrated the highest AA in 1998, four were among the 10 genotypes that demonstrated highest AA in 1999. Similarly, of the 15 genotypes with the highest AA, 10 were the same both years. As with AA, mean TPH of all genotypes did not change between years and ANOVA demonstrated genotypic variation regardless of adjustment for berry size/weight or exclusion of pink-fruited selections. Changes in genotype rank occurred between years. The difference in TPH between lowest- and highest-ranking blue-fruited genotypes was ≈2.6-fold in both 1998 and 1999. Seven of the 10 highest-ranking genotypes were the same both years and TPH correlated with AA (r = 0.92, P < 0.01) on a genotype mean basis for combined years. ACY correlated less well with AA (r = 0.73, P < 0.01 for combined years). When genotypes were categorized into six groups according to species ancestry, V. myrtilloides and V. constablaei × V. ashei crosses ranked highest and second highest, respectively, for AA in both years. The groups comprised of V. corymbosum genotypes, V. angustifolium genotypes, and those with both V. corymbosum and V. angustifolium in their lineage were indistinguishable from each other. Samples from some of the genotypes were analyzed for oxygen radical absorbance capacity and ferric-reducing antioxidant power, and these aqueous-based antioxidant assays correlated well with the lipid emulsion-based MeLO (all r ≥ 0.90, P < 0.01). The three antioxidant assays may be equally useful for screening in a blueberry breeding program and the choice of assay may depend on the goal of the program and the resources available.
Progenies from crosses among eight highbush (Vaccinium corymbosum L.), lowbush (V. angustifolium Ait.), and V. corymbosum/V. angustifolium hybrid-derivative parents were evaluated in vitro at low (5.0) and high (6.0) pH for vitality, height, and dry weight. Succinic acid and 2[N- morpholino]ethanesulfonic acid (Mes) effectively maintained pH in the medium and rhizosphere. The pH regime did not affect percent radicle emergence from seed or survival; however, percent seed germination was slightly lower at high pH. The parental general combining ability (GCA), reciprocal and maternal, but not the specific combining ability (SCA) variance components were significant for plant vitality, height, and dry weight. The GCA variance components were six to 26 times larger than the SCA variance components for the plant growth traits. Variation due to pH regime was significant for vitality and dry weight but not for plant height. The progenies of parents with high percent lowbush ancestry were taller at both pH levels than those with less such ancestry. Little variation was apparent for higher pH tolerance as measured by dry weight; however, the GCA effects suggested that the progenies of some parents performed better than others at high pH. Vaccinium angustifolium parents differed in the extent to which tolerance to high pH was transmitted. In vitro screening in concert with a traditional breeding program should be effective in improving blueberry tolerance to higher pH.
Thirty-three seedling progenies from crosses among Vaccinium corymbosum L., V. angustifolium Ait., and V. corymbosum/V. angustifolium hybrid-derivative parents, and `Northblue', `Northsky', and `Northcountry' were grown for 2 years at three soil pH levels at Becker, Minn. Iron sulfate and lime were incorporated to amend the soil to pH levels of 4.0 and 6.5, respectively; the native soil, pH 4.5, was the third pH regime. The plants grew well in the low pH regime, poorly in the high pH regime, and intermediately in the native pH regime. Variation among populations was significant for all traits except vitality 18 months after being planted, and pH treatment affected all traits. The pH regime × population interactions were not significant for any of the plant performance characteristics. Nondestructive subjective and objective measurements were positively and highly correlated with total plant dry weight. Therefore, populations could be effectively evaluated for tolerance to higher pH without destroying the plant. Vaccinium angustifolium was not a general source of tolerance to higher pH, but some populations derived from V. angustifolium were tolerant of high soil pH.