The horticulture industry continues to show interest in using stabilized organic wastes as a component of container media. Vermicompost, also known as worm-worked waste or worm castings, is one of these materials of interest and can be produced from a number of organic wastes, including manure wastes. One issue that has not been addressed is the uniformity of vermicomposts produced from wastes of different sources. Are all vermicomposts created equal? The uniformity of vermicompost is important for growers to consider when using as a medium amendment. This research project investigated the physical properties of vermicompost 1) from different sources of wastes and 2) from a single waste source sequentially sampled over time. The first stage determined the physical properties of vermicompost from beef manure, hog manure, and peat-based media used by two earthworm growers. There were significant differences between the four vermicomposts in bulk density, air volume, percent air volume, percent volumetric moisture, total porosity, and water holding capacity. The second stage involved determining the physical characteristics of vermicompost produced from beef manure collected at the Illinois State University Research Farm from cattle receiving a consistent diet through the year. Manure was collected bimonthly. There was no difference in vermicompost bulk density among the samples. There were significant differences in air volume, percent air volume, percent volumetric moisture, total porosity, and water holding capacity. These changes in vermicompost physical characteristics must be quantified for growers to accurately predict performance as a growth medium amendment.
Chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments were measured with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) during leaf development in kale (Brassicaoleracea L. var. acephala D.C). Lutein and β-carotene are two plant-derived carotenoids that possess important human health properties. Diets high in these carotenoids are associated with a reduced risk of cancer, cataracts, and age-related macular degeneration. Kale plants were growth-chamber grown in nutrient solution culture at 20 °C under 500 μmol·m-2·s-1 of irradiance. Pigments were measured in young (<1 week), immature (1-2 weeks), mature (2-3 weeks), fully developed (3-4 weeks) and senescing (>4 weeks) leaves. Significant differences were measured for all four pigments during leaf development. Accumulation of the pigments followed a quadratic trend, with maximum accumulation occurring between the first and third week of leaf age. The highest concentrations of lutein were recorded in 1- to 2-week-old leaves at 15.1 mg per 100 g fresh weight. The remaining pigments reached maximum levels at 2-3 weeks, with β-carotene at 11.6 mg per 100 g, chlorophyll a at 251.4 mg per 100 g, and chlorophyll b at 56.9 mg per 100 g fresh weight. Identifying changes in carotenoid and chlorophyll accumulation over developmental stages in leaf tissues is applicable to “baby” leafy greens and traditional production practices for fresh markets.
Abstract
People unaware of the great differences among horticultural crops often regard fruits and vegetables each as a homogeneous group when considering requirements for implementation and support of breeding programs. Each fruit and vegetable crop is different enough, and of sufficient importance, to merit individual consideration. Although the total dollar value or hectarage grown are measures of economic worth of a crop, other factors must be considered when determining the importance of horticultural crops either singularly or as a group. Generally horticultural crops require more intensive culture than field crops, and thus are grown with greater risk which is rewarded by a higher per acre value. The contributions of the horticultural crops to our daily diets are far greater than economic values indicate. The USD A task group (Senti Committee) on GRAS status of new plant cultivars pointed out that fruits and vegetables provide 90% of the Vitamin C, 50% of the Vitamin A, 30% of the B6, 25% of the magnesium, 20% of the thiamin, and 18% of the riboflavin and niacin in the United States food supply. Research support for horticultural crops must reflect, in part, their dietary importance rather than solely their dollar value.
Insecticidal crystal protein fragments (ICPFs) of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) encoded by cryIA(c) gene were shown in diet incorporation studies to be lethal to codling moth (CM; Cydia pomonella) the key insect pest for walnut. However transformed walnut tissues expressing cryIA(c) with Bt codon usage patterns and native DNA sequence revealed very low levels of expression in planta. To correct this problem synthetic versions of one of these genes, cryIA(c) was used to transform walnut tissue. A total of 61 individual transgenic embryo lines were obtained. 34% of these lines (21/61) were high expressors (“class A”) demonstrating 80 to 100% mortality of first in star CM larvae and displaying no further larval development. Twelve clones (20%) were designated “class B” and these showed a marked retardation of larval development and a mortality between 40 to 79%. Embryos from the remaining 28 lines designated “class C” (46%). although transformed, were indistinguishable from the control (untransformed embryos) and showed a mortality of 0 to 39%.
The objective of this research was to investigate whether a controlled atmosphere established inside a high temperature forced air chamber could enhance the mortality of the most heat-resistant life stage of Mexican fruit fly larvae (Anastrepha ludens Loew) and thereby reduce the amount of time grapefruit (Citrus paradisi Macf.) harvested from Mexican fruit fly-infested regions must be exposed to high-temperature forced air to achieve quarantine security. The mortality of third instar larvae treated on diet was significantly higher after exposure to 1% oxygen or 1% oxygen enriched with 20% carbon dioxide than it was in either air or air enriched with 20% oxygen. Reducing the amount of oxygen in air from 21% to 1% during forced air heating at 46°C, reduced the exposure time required for 100% kill of larvae inside artificially infested grapefruit from 5 hours to 3.5 hours. Inconsistent fruit quality results warrant further study to optimize controlled atmosphere conditions during heating. Based upon relative levels of carbon dioxide inside the grapefruit during heating, fruit respiration during heating in 1% oxygen was lower than during heating in air. Results from this research suggest that reducing the amount of oxygen in a high temperature forced air chamber during heating can reduce the amount of time fruit must be exposed to heat for quarantine security against Mexican fruit fly.
Genetically modified potato and cotton crops that express insecticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have recently been commercialized. These crops display autonomous resistance to specific insect pests, and thus offer major agricultural and environmental benefits. We have implemented a microbial screening program to discover new types of insecticidal proteins for use in transgenic crops. New proteins with diverse modes of action offer opportunities to control insect pests that are not susceptible to Bt insecticidal proteins and to delay or prevent the potential occurrence of resistance of insects to crops genetically modified with Bt genes. Cholesterol oxidase emerged from our screen as a new insecticidal protein with potent activity against the cotton boll weevil. Cholesterol oxidase was acutely toxic to boll weevil larvae, with an LC50 of 2–6 parts per million when ingested in artificial diet feeding assays, and caused marked reductions in fecundity when ingested by adult boll weevils. Cholesterol oxidase also exerted significant, though less severe, toxicity against several lepidopteran pests. The insecticidal action of cholesterol oxidase appears to be due to oxidation of midgut epithelial membrane cholesterol followed by membrane disruption. A cholesterol oxidase gene was cloned and expressed in transgenic tobacco plants to yield plant tissue that exerted potent activity against boll weevil. Expression of this cholesterol oxidase gene in cotton plants may offer significant protection against the cotton boll weevil and may also aid in the mitigation of resistance of cotton lepidopteran pests to Bt proteins.
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is an important vegetable crop and a valuable source of nutrients for the human diet. The southeast is the main fresh market tomato producer of the United States, with much of the production concentrated in Florida. However, production in this region is threatened by plant diseases such as target spot of tomato (TS) caused by Corynespora cassiicola, a multitrophic fungus widely distributed in tropical and subtropical areas. TS can infect foliage and fruit, often resulting in significant yield losses in conductive environments. There are no known TS-resistant cultivars, and control relies entirely on fungicidal sprays. However, several studies have demonstrated that the fungus is developing resistance to commonly used fungicides which further complicates disease management. The objective of this work was to identify sources of resistance to TS from wild Solanum accessions. Initial screens of 83 accessions informed the selection of 24 accessions for a more robust screening in which six diverse C. cassiicola isolates were used for single-isolate inoculation experiments. The results from a broad-sense mixed-model analysis including data from all six experiments demonstrated that all 24 accessions had significantly lower disease severities compared with the susceptible controls, suggesting that all accessions potentially harbor resistance quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Solanum cheesmaniae accession LA0524, S. galapagense accessions LA0483 and LA0532, and S. pimpinellifolium accession LA2093 were among the most resistant accessions tested and may be particularly useful for introgression of resistance into cultivated germplasm and for mapping of TS resistance QTLs.
Anthocyanins are protective pigments that accumulate in plant organs such as fruits and leaves, and are nutritionally valuable components of the human diet. There is thus considerable interest in the factors that regulate synthesis. Malus crabapple leaves are rich sources of these compounds, and in this study we analyzed leaf coloration, anthocyanin levels, and the expression levels of anthocyanin biosynthetic and regulatory genes in three crabapple cultivars (Royalty, Prairifire, and Flame) following various temperature treatments. We found that low temperatures (LTs) promoted anthocyanin accumulation in ‘Royalty’ and ‘Prairifire’, leading to red leaves, but not in ‘Flame’, which accumulated abundant colorless flavonols and retained green colored leaves. Quantitative reverse transcript PCR (RT-PCR) analyses indicated that the expression of several anthocyanin biosynthetic genes was induced by LTs, as were members of the R2R3-MYB, basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) and WD40 transcription factor families that are thought to act in a complex. We propose that anthocyanin biosynthesis is differentially regulated in the three cultivars by LTs via the expression of members of this anthocyanin regulatory complex.
The importance of folic acid in the human diet has been recognized in recent years by major increases in government recommended allowances. Red beet (Beta vulgaris L.) is an important vegetable source of folic acid, however little is known about the extent of variation for native folic acid content in red beet germplasm. A total of 18 red beet entries, including 11 hybrids (F1) and seven open-pollinated cultivars (OP), were evaluated for free folic acid content (FFAC) in replicated field experiments during 1993 and 1994. Significant differences among entries were detected in all studies. FFAC ranged from 3.3 to 15.2 μg·g-1 on a dry mass basis. A significant entry × year interaction was detected. Changes in rank of entries between years were minimal among F1 hybrids, while the changes in rank among OP cultivars were large. These data demonstrate significant variability among cultivated red beet germplasm sources for FFAC. Entries with high FFAC may be useful for increasing levels of this vitamin in red beet.
Abstract
Starch granules were extracted from maize (Zea mays L.) endosperm of mature F2 kernels of IA5125 × IA453 normal, amylose-extender (ae), dull (du) waxy (wx), and ae du wx and from ae du wx F2 kernels harvested at the fresh market stage of development. Samples were digested for 1.5 hours with hog pancreatic α- amylase and Rhizopus II amyloglucosidase. The mature and immature ae du wx samples were usually digested significantly more than the other 4 genotypes, while ae was digested significantly less than the others. Digestion of starch granules from mature and immature ae du wx kernels did not differ. The sweet corn background used had little effect, since our observations of the single mutant genotypes were similar to those in a dent background. Clearly, ae du wx starch granules do not reflect the reduced digestibility associated with ae, and thus cultivars homozygous for ae du wx are not inferior with respect to their ability to supply carbohydrates to the diet.