2004 Annual Report 1.What major problem or issue is being resolved and how are you resolving it (summarize project aims and objectives)? How serious is the problem? What does it matter? Small fruit farming historically has required high labor and chemical inputs to produce superior fruit. Improvements in the production efficiency and harvesting systems 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, the blackberry industry in the Pacific Northwest and the blueberry industry in the southeastern United States, finds it difficult to maintain a profitable operation with ever-increasing competition and market share by fruits being imported from countries to the south. The project has four specific goals: . 1)to develop novel blackberry cultural and chemical treatments to mitigate low temperature damage to accelerate and intensify floral bud initiation and subsequent reproductive development,. 2)to develop particle film technology methods for weed, mollusc, and insect control in small fruit systems,. 3)to understand the flower development mechanisms in blackberry and growth processes involved in regulating flower size and inflorescence development, and. 4)to document the effects of plant material source and environmental conditions during propagation and generative stages of strawberry plant development in order to devise management strategies aimed at producing high quality, superior yielding strawberry transplants. The research to be undertaken falls under National Program 305, Crop Production and addresses goals 1.2, 2, and 3.2 as described in the National Program Action Plan. Specifically these are: 2.1.6.1, Develop crop management principles. Improve the understanding of the biological mechanisms to enhance the competitive advantage of U.S. small fruit crops and 2.1.6.2, Develop crop management practices and technologies for berry crops. Research into alternative production systems, pest control strategies, and evaluation of novel germplasm materials is expected to provide new technology that will create new opportunities to produce blackberries and blueberries for fresh market. Harvesting is one area where technological advances can contribute to increasing output while lowering labor cost, thereby can greatly improve competitive position in global markets. Research on soilless production techniques for strawberries will provide new technology for management of strawberries without the need for pre-plant soil fumigation and also opportunities to extend the harvest and eliminate nutrient leaching. 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. 2.List the milestones (indicators of progress) from your Project Plan. Year 1 (FY 2004) Develop environmentally friendly crop management practices to mitigate environmental and biotic stresses. Complete work on weed control techniques. Establish winter protection techniques for growing blackberries in areas with low winter temperatures. Evaluate the activity of products formulated with kaolin clay particles for mollusc control. Determine the feasibility of a split root growing technique for developing a zero-nutrient discharge hydroponic growing system. Determine whether particle film technology can increase spring frost avoidance in blackberries. Improve the understanding of mechanisms controlling flowering and fruit size in small fruit crops. Evaluate the effect of photoperiods on flowering in blackberries. Determine the effects of cold storage treatments on strawberry propagation propagules and their performance in plasticulture. Year 2 (FY 2005) Determine whether the bud tissue injury in blackberry plants, trained to the rotatable cross-arm trellis, can be reduced. If not, initiate experiments to include additional winter protection measures. Evaluate new formulations with molluscicidal activity and develop products with extended residual activity for mollusc control. Determine whether nutrient utilization and distribution in plants occurs when nutrients are available only to a portion of the root system. If this growing system does not support optimum plant performance then attempt to model the nutrient uptake by strawberry plants in the conventional hydroponic system. Determine the flowering response of blackberry plants exposed to a range of light periods, temperatures, and endogenous plant growth regulator levels and their relationships to flower bud development in blackberry plants. Identify production factors that may limit the sustainability of soilless strawberry propagation techniques. Complete work on soilless propagation techniques for production of strawberry transplants. Complete work on particle film technology products to make blackberry buds and canes less vulnerable to damage by sub-freezing temperatures. Year 3 (FY 2006) Release economic analysis of a hydroponic system for winter strawberry production in eastern United States under protected cultivation. Complete work on the performance of greenhouse-produced transplants in annual plasticulture systems, characterize the loss of vitality in cold stored propagation material, analyze tissue carbohydrate and mineral nutrient status. Complete field studies on mollusc control Determine whether the raspberry crown borer insect can be controlled by particle film technology products applied as soil mulch. Conduct a feasibility study to determine the prices and yield required for an economically viable blackberry production systems in New England region Year 4 (FY 2007) Complete field studies on the potential of expanding blackberry production to colder regions, conduct an economic sensitivity analysis to determine the combinations of prices and yields necessary for profitable blackberry operation in New England. Determine the extent of raspberry crown borer control achieved by particle film technology soil mulch. Describe the mode of action for disrupting the lifecycle of raspberry crown borer insect. Conduct modeling studies of nutrient uptake by strawberry and develop a hydroponic strawberry culture with indefinite recirculation of the nutrient. Identify factors for optimizing zero-discharge hydroponic production system for strawberries. Complete work to determine the effect of environmental variables on blackberry growth using the Richard's function and Pearson's method. Year 5 (FY 2008) Complete field and economic analysis of winter protection systems for growing blackberry in areas with low winter temperatures, and transfer production techniques to potential growers. Complete field research on particle film technology products for suppressing the raspberry crown borer insect in blackberry plantings and mollusc pests in strawberry and other fruit crop plantings; transfer technology. Characterize the growth and development of blackberries in protected environment and propose production techniques for out-of-season fruit production in temperate climate. Characterize the economic viability of soilless propagation of strawberry transplants in the mid-Atlantic coast region. 3.Milestones: A. The milestones listed below were scheduled to be completed under Year 1. All but one milestone were completed. The milestone to evaluate the effect of photoperiods on flowering in blackberries could not be initiated in late 2003 because the necessary plant materials were not acquired in time from the cooperator and the controlled environment facility needed for this particular study was not constructed. As of July 2004, the required blackberry plants have been propagated and studies will be initiated in late 2004 to investigate the role of temperature in regulating the time of flowering in blackberry plants. Work was completed on the following milestones: Complete work on weed control techniques. Establish winter protection techniques for growing blackberries in areas with low winter temperatures. Evaluate the activity of products formulated with particle film technology materials for mollusc control. Determine the feasibility of utilizing the phenomenon of compensation uptake in a split root growing technique for developing a zero-nutrient discharge hydroponic growing system. Evaluate the effect of photoperiods on flowering in blackberries. Determine the effects of cold storage treatments on strawberry propagation propagules and their performance in plasticulture. QUESTION 3B. Milestones that you expect to address over the next 3 years (FY 2005, 2006, & 2007). What do you expect to accomplish, year by year, over the next 3 years under each milestone? The Year 2, 3, and 4 milestones are listed below with a description of the anticipated outcomes. Year 2 (FY 2005) Develop environmentally friendly crop management practices to mitigate environmental and biotic stresses. A novel weed control strategy for blackberry plantings will be published. Develop winter protection system for blackberries. Determine whether the bud tissue injury in blackberry plants can be reduced with an application of particle film technology to block activity of extrinsic ice nucleating agents. Develop alternative management strategies to alleviate biotic stresses. Evaluate new formulations with molluscicidal activity and develop products with extended residual activity for mollusc control. Develop hydroponic growing systems that will reduce surface and ground water contamination. Determine whether nutrient utilization and distribution in plants occur when nutrients are available only to a portion of the root system. If this growing system does not support optimum plant performance then attempt to model the nutrient uptake by strawberry plants in the conventional hydroponic system. Determine the flowering response of blackberry plants exposed to a range of light periods and temperatures, Determine endogenous plant growth regulator levels and their relationships to flower bud development in blackberry plants. Identify production factors that may limit the sustainability of soilless strawberry propagation techniques. Complete work on soilless propagation techniques for production of strawberry transplants. Complete work on the use of particle film technology products to make blackberry bud and cane less vulnerable to damage by sub-freezing temperatures. Year 3 (FY 2006) Release economic analysis of a hydroponic system for winter strawberry production in eastern United States under protected cultivation. Complete work on the performance of greenhouse-produced transplants in annual plasticulture systems, characterize the loss of vitality in cold stored propagation material and analyze tissue carbohydrate and mineral nutrient status. Complete field studies on mollusc control Determine whether the raspberry crown borer insect can be controlled by particle film technology products applied as soil mulch. Conduct a feasibility study to determine the prices and yield required for an economically viable blackberry production systems in New England region Year 4 (FY 2007) Complete field studies to determine the potential of expanding blackberry production to colder regions, conduct an economic sensitivity analysis to determine the combinations of prices and yields necessary for profitable blackberry operation in New England. Determine the extent of raspberry crown borer control achieved by soil mulch consisting of particle film materials. Describe the mode of action for disrupting the lifecycle of raspberry crown borer insect. Conduct modeling studies of nutrient uptake by strawberry plant and develop a hydroponic strawberry culture with indefinite recirculation of the nutrient, identify factors for optimizing zero-discharge hydroponic production system for strawberries. Complete work to determine the effect of environmental variables on blackberry growth using the Richard's function and Pearson's method. 4.What were the most significant accomplishments this past year? A. Single most significant accomplishment during FY 2004. A novel weed control strategy was developed for small fruit systems. The number of registered herbicides for small fruit production continues to decline in number and alternative, more environmentally friendly weed control measures are needed for small fruit crops especially during the first two months following crop establishment. A three-year field study evaluated the potential of hydrophobic and oil-based mulches as alternatives to the conventional herbicide treatment to suppress weeds and their effect on subsequent blackberry growth and yield and demonstrated that post-plant application of hydrophobic kaolin mulch provided excellent weed control during establishment year and had no adverse effect on blackberry transplant mortality, growth in second and third year, or fruit yield. This research has identified the use of hydrophobic kaolin clay particle as an environmentally safe new weed management technique that mitigates scarcity of synthetic chemicals for small fruit crops as well as other horticultural crops and improves the economic viability of small fruit production. B. Other significant accomplishment(s): None C: Significant activities that support special target populations. A presentation was made at the Georgia Blueberry Conference in January 2004, to an audience that consisted of 100 small-acreage farmers. The talk dealt with cultural techniques for improving fruit quality and machine harvestability of blackberries and blueberries. D. Progress Report: Cooperators at the University of New Hampshire (CRIS 1931-21000-012-02N) and the University of Maine (CRIS 1931-21000-012-01N) have installed the rotating cross-arm trellis system in Durham, NH, and Monmouth, ME, respectively, and are evaluating the adaptability of four blackberry cultivars to this unique trellis system. These studies will determine the benefits of positioning the canes close to the ground by using the rotating cross-arm apparatus and covering the plants with insulating materials. Evaluations of strawberries produced in the field and those produced a greenhouse hydroponic system was conducted by cooperators at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CRIS 1931-21000-012-03N). The study found that greenhouse produced strawberries were sweeter and less tart than store-purchased fruits. Store-purchased fruits were firmer and possessed brighter fruit surface color, but the taste testers preferred greenhouse-produced strawberries. Cooperators at the University of Missouri (CRIS 1931-21000-012-04S) treated Apache and Navaho blackberries were treated with particle film materials, whitewash paint, and water sprays in late winter. The results suggested both particle film and whitewash sprays provide some degree of winter protection. 5.Describe the major accomplishments over the life of the project, including their predicted or actual impact. This is a new project which was approved and certified in November 2003. A novel weed control strategy was developed for small fruit systems. The number of registered herbicides for small fruit production continues to decline in number and alternative, more environmentally friendly weed control measures are needed for small fruit crops especially during the first two months following crop establishment. A three-year field studies evaluated the potential of hydrophobic and oil-based mulches as alternatives to the conventional herbicide treatment to suppress weeds and their effect on subsequent blackberry growth and yield and demonstrated that post-plant application of hydrophobic kaolin mulch provided excellent weed control during establishment year and had no adverse effect on blackberry transplant mortality, growth in second and third year, or fruit yield. This research has identified the use of hydrophobic kaolin clay particle as an environmentally safe new weed management technique that mitigates scarcity of synthetic chemicals for small fruit crops as well as other horticultural crops and improves the economic viability of small fruit production. This pertains to the 14-month (Fy 2004)milestone in the approved project plan and addresses goal 2.1.6.2 of the National Program Action Plan. 6.What science and/or technologies have been transferred and to whom? When is the science and/or technology likely to become available to the end-user (industry, farmer, other scientists)? What are the constraints, if known, to the adoption and durability of the technology products? We provided scientific information and technical specifications on soilless strawberry production systems to over 60 growers and more than 20 scientists, resulting in new farmers in KY, MA, MI, IA, ID, CA, PA, OH, SC, and WA, who grow strawberries in hydroponic systems. The strawberry nursery industry in the mid-Atlantic coast region may resist the adoption of greenhouse soilless strawberry propagation technique unless the anthracnose disease can be effectively controlled with fungicides in soilless culture. Trellis system and cane training techniques that we have developed will enable blackberry production in regions with cold winters such as the New England and have been used by blackberry growers in California to minimize sun-burn and heat damage. 7.List your most important publications in the popular press and presentations to organizations and articles written about your work. None. Review Publications Takeda, F. 2004. Summary of usda plasticulture research at the wye research and education center. Advances in Strawberry Research. P. 1-3. Takeda, F., Hokanson, S.C., Enns, B.J., Perkins Veazie, P.M., Swartz, H. 2004. Plugging date and cold storage affect strawberry transplant production and performance in annual plasticulture. Hortscience. 39(4): 829. 2004 Krewer, G., Jacobs, J., Takeda, F., Mullinex, B. 2004. Dormex increases blackberry yield. Hortscience. 39:662; 2004 Takeda, F., Hokanson, S.C. 2003. Strawberry fruit and plug plant production in the greenhouse. Acta Horticulturae. 626:283-285. TAKEDA, F., GLENN, D.M., TWORKOSKI, T. SOIL AMENDMENT WITH HYDROPHOBIC KAOLIN PARTICLES REDUCE WEEDS. HORTSCIENCE. 2003. 38:659