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A lightweight agrotextile floating rowcover (10 g·m−2) designed for insect control was evaluated for its potential to reduce carrot weevil [Listronotus oregonensis (Le conte)] damage and to improve germination and carrot (Daucus carota L.) yield. The floating rowcover had no effect on total emergence and spread on emergence time but decreased emergence time by 0.5 day. Although floating rowcovers generally increased fresh weight of carrot leaves and roots during early development, no effect was detected late in the season and at harvest time. Carrot weevil damage of uncovered plants was 0.4 tunnels per root in 2006 and 2.0 tunnels per root in 2005. In both years, covering carrots with a floating rowcover for a period of 35 days after sowing reduced carrot weevil damage by 65% to 75%. In most years with low or medium carrot weevil infestation, the use of a rowcover could eliminate the use of insecticide to control this pest.
Eighteen strawberry genotypes were evaluated for their phenolic content and antioxidant capacity using several methods. High antioxidant capacity was found for `Harmonie', `Saint-Jean d'Orléans', and `Saint-Laurent d'Orléans', which were reported to have better shelf life than `Kent'. `Harmonie', `Saint-Jean d'Orléans', `Orléans', and some advanced selections had higher hydroxycinnamic acids, benzoic acids, and flavonols than `Kent'. The significant variation in antioxidant capacity and total phenolic compounds clearly shows the potential value of certain new cultivars and advanced lines as parents in a breeding program. The future plan is to examine individual antioxidant and their role in disease resistance and extension of shelf life and to use selected genotypes as parents to developed new lines.
`SuperMac' (Malus ×domestica Borkh) is being released as a replacement for `Spartan', which is presently being grown in Eastern Canada for its excellent shelf life. However, it is susceptibility to scab [Venturia inaequalis (Cke) Wint.], the most common apple disease. This new cultivar produces larger fruit than `Spartan' and is resistant to apple scab. It is very attractive (Fig. 1), has a pleasant taste and an excellent shelf life, and keeps very well and longer compared with the `Spartan'. `SuperMac' is a `McIntosh'-type apple. The tree is hardy to –30 °C, and the fruit and leaves are resistant to the common races of apple scab resulting from the presence of the V f gene derived from Malus floribunda 821.