ASHS 2024 Conference

Will Increasing the Potassium to Nitrogen Ratio Benefit Hydroponic Strawberry Production? - Jonathan Ries
Impact of Diurnal Chilling on Vegetative and Floral Development of Strawberry (Fragaria x annanassa) cvs. ‘Albion’, ‘Chandler’, ‘Monterey’, ‘Sensation’ Tray Plants in a Controlled Environment - Michael Palmer
Utilizing Controlled Environment Agriculture to Enhance the Yield and Flavor of Strawberries - Nicholas Cooley
Impact Of Elevated CO2 And Two Daily Light Integrals on the Production Efficiency of Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa ‘Monterey’) Daughter Plants - Samson Humphrey
Unraveling Strawberry Stock Plant Architecture, Morphology, and Tips’ Spatial Distribution under Three Photoperiods to Facilitate Future Propagation System Design: A Comparative Study on Monterey as a Long-day Cultivar - Moein Moosavi
Stratified Wood Substrates for Optimizing Growth of Greenhouse-Grown Strawberries and Blueberries - Brandan Shur
Effect of Light Intensity on Strawberry Runner Tips Propagated Indoors - Lian Duron
Characterizing the Growth, Morphology, Productivity, and Fruit Quality of Twenty-five Strawberry Cultivars in Vertical Farm Environment - Yiyun Lin

Strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa) are increasingly being grown in hydroponic systems, where effective nutrient management is critical for optimizing crop production and yield. Among essential mineral nutrients, potassium is a key nutrient that affect fruit quality in many fruiting crops. This study investigated how potassium to nitrogen (K:N) ratios regulate strawberry growth and development in a deep-water culture hydroponic system. We hypothesized that increasing the K:N ratios would enhance vegetative growth, fruit yield, and fruit quality. Bare-root plants of strawberry ‘Monterey’ and ‘San Andreas’ were grown indoor under a 23 °C air temperature and an 18-h photoperiod with an extended photosynthetic photon flux density of 350 µmol∙m–2∙s–1. The N level was kept constant at 77 ppm, while the study tested K:N ratios ranging from 1.5:1 to 4:5:1. Three weeks after nutrient treatments, strawberry plants showed similar crown number, crown diameter, leaf number, leaf area, and shoot dry mass regardless of K:N ratios in both cultivars. Increasing K:N from 1.5:1 to 4.5:1 linearly increased the root dry mass of Monterey’ but not in ‘San Andreas’. During the fruit production, K:N ratios did not affect the total number of fruits or total fresh mass of fruits. However, there was a linear decrease in the diameter, length, and fresh mass of individual fruits with increasing K:N ratio from 1.5:1 to 4.5:1 in both 'Monterey' and 'San Andreas'. Additionally, increasing K:N ratio from 1.5:1 to 4.5:1 slightly increased total soluble solids in ‘San Andreas’, but led to a greater increase in titratable acidity compared to the increase in total soluble solids in both ‘Monterey’ and ‘San Andreas’. These results suggest that increasing K:N ratios from 1.5:1 to 4.5:1 has little beneficial effect on overall plant growth, fruit yield and fruit quality for hydroponic strawberry production in deep-water culture systems.

In US open field nurseries, strawberry transplants for fruit production accumulate diurnal chilling hours (hours between -2 and 7°C) in the field prior to harvest and receive supplemental chilling as bare root plants in a cooler before being transplanted into a fruit production system. In nurseries in Northwestern Europe, tray plants are placed outside after rooting to accumulate diurnal chill hours and are moved into the cooler with leaves and substrate for supplemental chilling before being transplanted. The optimal amount of chilling varies among cultivars but is thought to contribute to a proper balance of vegetative vigor and floral development leading to best fruiting after transplanting into the production system. Climate change, labor cost and related issues cause problems in both nurseries and production. Therefore more and more growers and start-up companies venture into controlled environment production systems. Due to high cost, these systems require transplants that are optimally conditioned for early flowering. We evaluated the impact of diurnal chilling on vegetative and floral development of 250 cc strawberry tray plants in a controlled environment. 28 day old ‘Albion’, ‘Chandler’, ‘Monterey’, and ‘Sensation’ rooted daughter plants were moved into growth chambers where they received 0 (15°C 24 hours), 100 (4°C, 16°C), 250 (4°C, 19°C), or 450 (4°C, 24°C) chill hours over a six week period. Within each treatment, the same amount of chill hours were applied each day for the six week period. Among treatments, the non-chill temperature increased as the number of chill hours increased to ensure the same daily average temperature of 15°C. Chambers were fixed at 50% RH, 450 ppm CO2, 130-40 µmol m-2 s-1 for all treatments and a 12 hour photoperiod for ‘Chandler’ and ‘Sensation’ and a 16 hour photoperiod for ‘Albion’ and ‘Monterey’. After the treatment, all plants were dissected under the microscope to determine the number and development of floral meristems (flower mapping). Our results show that the plants in the 100 and 250 hour treatments produced more floral meristems and branch crowns than the 0 and 450 hour treatments across all cultivars. Additionally, in ‘Albion’ and ‘Monterey’, the plants of the 100 and 250 hour treatments had greater fresh mass and higher crown diameter than the plants in the 0 and 450 hour treatments. Finally, all cultivars except ‘Sensation’ had more flowers on plants in the 100 and 250 hour treatments than those of the 0 and 450 hour treatments.

Presentation: Oral ASHS 2024 Keywords: CEA, greenhouse, Fragaria ×ananassa, temperature Utilizing Controlled Environment Agriculture to Enhance the Yield and Flavor of Strawberries Nicholas Cooley, Joshua Vanderweide, and Roberto Lopez In the U.S., strawberries (Fragaria ×ananassa) are the most popular berry fruit with a value of $2.8B. In 2022, strawberries experienced 12% growth in annual sales, with the majority of field production occurring in California and Florida. To meet consumer demand for flavorful, fresh, local, and year-round fresh strawberries, the industry is expanding controlled environment (CE) production of day-neutral (everbearing) cultivars in greenhouses and indoor farms. Within CEs, growers can potentially meet these demands through the manipulation of environmental parameters such as temperature, light, vapor pressure deficit, and carbon dioxide concentration. Despite the recent growth, CE growers are reporting low profitability. This imbalance of production and profitability stems from high energy costs, supra-optimal greenhouse temperatures during parts of the year, and low yield from the industry standard cultivar ‘Albion’. For producers to be considered profitable, they must reach an approximate annual yield of 15 kg∙m–2, which equates to a weekly yield of around 0.3 kg∙m–2. The objectives of our research are to 1) quantify the yield of other day-neutral cultivars in greenhouses; 2) determine how day and night temperature influence yield and fruit quality parameters; and 3) develop a model to predict the cardinal temperatures of each cultivar. Three cultivars, ‘Albion’, ‘Cabrillo’, and ‘Monterey’ were grown at day/ night temperatures (12 h/ 12 h) of 15/7, 18/10, 21/13, 24/16 or 27/19 °C, under a 16-h photoperiod, and a target DLI of 15 mol·m–2·d–1. Fruits were harvested three times weekly and at harvest, berry weight, diameter, color, shape, distortion, brix content, and flavor-related volatile organic concentrations were recorded. After 12 weeks of harvest, the highest average weekly yield was 0.17, 0.19, and 0.24 kg∙m–2 for ‘Albion’, ‘Cabrillo’ ‘Monterey’ at 18/10, 24/16, and 24/16 C, respectively. While the highest combined overall yield for all three cultivars was at 24/16 °C, the highest average berry weight differed. At day and night temperatures of 18/10, 18/10, and 15/7 °C, ‘Albion’, ‘Cabrillo’, and ‘Monterey had the highest average berry weights, respectively. Our results collectively indicate there are higher yielding day-neutral cultivars than the industry standard ‘Albion’.

Abstract: Strawberry nurseries face many challenges, and are considering controlled environment propagation as an alternative to conventional open-field propagation. Limiting factors to economic feasibility include stock plant yield (number of daughters produced per stock plant). From published research we know that increasing CO2 concentration and light intensity increases strawberry photosynthetic rate, however there has been no research on the effects of these treatments on the total stock plant yield of daughters. Our hypothesis is that higher light intensity and CO2 concentrations will improve plant growth and lead to greater total daughter plant production. The objective of this experiment is to increase stock plant yield by increasing CO2 concentration (500, 850, and 1200 μmol mol-1) and light intensity (DLI 14.4 and 28.8 mol m-2 d-1). Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch., ‘Monterey’) stock plants were transplanted into three controlled environment growth chambers, under combinations of CO2 and DLI treatments in a split plot design under 26°C, 65% relative humidity, and a 16-hour photoperiod. The stock plants were grown under treatment conditions for 70 days, and newly-formed daughters were logged every day. At the end of the experiment the stock plants and their daughter plants were harvested, and each daughter plant was evaluated based on its size (number of leaves, leaf area, and fresh/dry mass). Increasing CO2 concentration linearly increased stock plant yield, leading to 23.96% more daughter plants per mother plant from the 500 to the 1200 μmol mol-1 treatment. Plants under higher light intensity (500 μmol m-2 s-1) had 38% higher stock plant yield than those under 250 μmol m-2 s-1. These data support our hypothesis that increasing CO2 concentration and light intensity increase the total yield of daughter plants produced per stock plant. By optimizing CO2 concentration and light intensity, strawberry nurseries may be able to grow more daughter plants more efficiently in controlled environment nurseries than in the conventional open-field system.

The US strawberry industry needs healthy, high-quality transplants every year for fruit production. Following the challenges in open-field nurseries, research is focused on controlled-environment agriculture as a potential alternative to not only increase strawberry tip yield but also to produce healthier, virus-free transplants (rooted tips). Growing stock plants indoors where the runners grow vertically downward increases the yield and quality of tips, however, there is a lack of information on the general architecture of plants especially the spatial distribution of daughter plants and also the leaf area index (LAI) distribution of the daughter plants’ canopy in the growing space. This information is vital for future system design as it determines the distance between the shelves and the potential need for intracanopy lighting. Furthermore, besides temperature, photoperiod strongly affects the trade-off between runner Vs. flower production. Yet, there is also a lack of information on how photoperiod will change the yield, quality, and architecture of stock plants in CEA, specifically on long-day cultivars. Here, we examined 12, 16, and 20 h photoperiods with the same DLI of 26 mol m-2 d-1 on ‘Monterey’ as a long-day cultivar with two replications in time. The chamber environment was maintained at a high temperature of 26 °C, ambient CO2, and 65% relative humidity. The plant density was 9 plant m-2. Following 64 days of growth, parameters related to yield, architecture, and quality were recorded. Results showed that even under relatively high temperatures, with shortening the photoperiod, a linear increase in the number of tips was observed, increasing from ~36.3 to ~44.3 (18%) with the same DLI. Regardless of the photoperiod, the highest proportion of tips (30.8%) were harvested on the runners from 40 – 80 cm distance from the mother plant, though the highest LAI (53.2%) was recorded on the tips from 0 – 40 cm, causing a sudden drop (92.8%) in the light intensity after 40 cm where most of the tips are growing. This information shows the need for intracanopy lighting under 40 cm depth from the mother plants. Around 98% of the tips were harvested from 0 – 160 cm, showing the needed space for the growth of runners (i.e., the distance between the shelves). Several morphology and photosynthetic parameters were also recorded. The information from this study will be used as a base for a follow-up experiment comparing top versus intracanopy lighting.

As the demand for locally grown produce, particularly fresh fruits like blueberries and strawberries, continues to surge, the imperative for year-round production becomes increasingly evident. While these fruits are globally recognized for their extended-season production potential in controlled environments, the intricate environmental factors crucial for improved production and profitability remain partially understood, including the impact of soilless substrates. Amid growing concerns about the availability of internationally sourced substrates, such as coconut coir, this study explores an alternative approach to reduce reliance on such components, particularly in the cultivation of two small fruits rapidly integrated into controlled environments. Substrate stratification, involving the vertical layering of substrates within a single container, has shown promise in nursery and greenhouse settings, enhancing resource efficiency in terms of water and fertilizer inputs. However, no research has assessed the application of stratified substrates for fruit crops with the specific aim of reducing coir inputs in greenhouse production. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate whether stratifying coir over low-cost, hammer-milled processed tree fiber could effectively decrease coir usage, dependency, and associated costs within the controlled environment fruit production industry. 'Albion' strawberries and 'Star' blueberries were cultivated in five substrate treatments, ranging from 100% coir to various stratified layers beneath coir, including 25%, 50%, and 75% coir compositions, as well as a 100% processed tree fiber treatment. Results suggest that employing substrate stratification enhanced plant growth for both fruit crops, indicating its potential utility in optimizing controlled environment fruit production while reducing reliance on costly substrate materials like coir. Further analysis will elucidate the full implications of this innovative approach on production efficiency and profitability.

Indoor propagation systems that use sole-source lighting in controlled environments can facilitate year-round production of disease-free, uniform strawberry liners. However, optimal conditions to propagate strawberry runner tips indoors are unknown. Runner tips of ‘Albion’ and ‘Fronteras’ strawberries were propagated indoors for 28 d under four photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) treatments: 75, 150, 225, or 300 ± 5 μmol·m–2·s–1 provided for 24 h·d–1 by white light-emitting diode fixtures. Runner tips were also propagated in a shaded greenhouse under mist. After propagation, plants were moved to a common greenhouse compartment and grown for 7 weeks to evaluate carryover effects on fruit yield (‘Albion’) or daughter-plant production (‘Fronteras’). Treatment responses were similar for both cultivars, except that shoot dry mass (DM) of ‘Fronteras’ followed a quadratic response with increasing PPFD, which peaked at 225 μmol·m–2·s–1. In contrast, shoot DM of ‘Albion’ linearly increased with increasing PPFD. Root DM of both cultivars also followed an increasing response with PPFD. However, there were no treatment differences in the number of shoots produced per plant or the length of the longest root. Interestingly, plants propagated under ≥150 μmol·m–2·s–1 had several dead shoots (up to 20%), likely attributed to plant stress. After the carryover phase, ‘Albion’ propagated under 225 or 300 μmol·m–2·s–1 were statistically different and produced the lowest fruit fresh mass compared to those grown in the greenhouse, whereas values were similar among plants propagated in the greenhouse or indoors under 75 or 150 μmol·m–2·s–1. No treatment differences were measured in the number of daughter plants produced by ‘Fronteras’. These findings suggest that although higher PPFD indoors promoted rooting and growth, plants propagated in the greenhouse were likely better adjusted to the dynamic greenhouse environment, which enabled them to reach the same growth and development of indoor-propagated plants at the end of the carryover phase.

As the interest in strawberry production in controlled environment agriculture is ascending, the demand for cultivars that yield premium-quality fruit is rising. To identify strawberry suitable for vertical farm production, 25 strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) cultivars were selected for premium flavor from USDA National Clonal Germplasm Repository. Fruit productivity and quality traits, plant vegetative phenotypes, and photosynthetic rates were evaluated using strawberries grown in a walk-in growth chamber where photoperiod altered between short day and long day to promote flowering and fruit production. Our results show that strawberry ‘Mara des Bois’ produced the earliest harvest, and ‘Hood’ had the highest maximum productivity coefficient. The largest fruit was produced by ‘Chandler’, and the reddest fruit was produced by ‘Marshall’. Among the 25 cultivars, 11 exhibited fruit Brix levels above 0.9, and 3 had a fruit Brix:TA ratio of 1.0. Ongoing fruit flavor analysis aims to identify unique flavor compounds within these strawberries. Correlations linked time to first harvest and maximum productivity coefficient with canopy area, shoot height, and photosynthetic rate per plant, revealing the intricate sink-source dynamics in strawberry plants. Interestingly, no correlation was found between maximum productivity coefficient and any fruit quality trait, challenging the commonly held belief in the constant competition between crop productivity and quality. The information of strawberry growth and production in vertical farm environment provided in this study can assist indoor growers in cultivar selection and potentially contribute to future strawberry breeding programs.

Improved postharvest storage is a major target for vegetable-crop production. Nutritional contents and flavor are traits highly affected from harvesting to final consumption. Several reports have demonstrated that these traits are strong driving factors impacting consumers’ decisions and preferences when purchasing food. Therefore, these are economically important traits related to strong commercialization potential and improved market value. Assessing the potential variation in post-harvest shelf life among vegetable crops will be critical to identify parental lines that can be used in breeding programs to improve these traits and their effect on the quality of produce. Additionally, investigating the genetic mechanisms underlying post-harvest shelf life in horticultural crops is critical. This will result in the development of molecular breeding tools associated with improving shelf life, which will accelerate breeding. This interest group seeks to provide case studies from experts worldwide who have worked on breeding for nutritional contents, flavor, and post-harvest shelf life in vegetables.

Coordinator(s)

• Carlos Avila, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Weslaco, TX, United States

Moderator(s)

• Dennis Nicuh Lozada, New Mexico State University, Plant and Environmental Sciences, Las Cruces, NM, United States
• Devi Kandel, Langston University, United States

Speaker/Participant(s)

• Carmit Ziv, Institute of Postharvest and Food Science, ARO, Volcani Institute, Israel
  Breeding for improved postharvest quality of peppers during cold storage (15 mins)
  Summary: Dr. Ziv's research program studies postharvest disease control of fruity vegetables by developing environment-friendly treatments to control postharvest fungal rot, understanding resistance mechanisms of phytopathogenic fungi to cold storage, uncovering the role of lipids in determining the interactions between fruits and pathogenic fungi during storage.
• Carlos Avila, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Weslaco, TX, United States
  Lack of locule gel increases post-harvest shelf-life and quality in tomato (15 mins)
  Summary: Dr. Avila's research program is focused on the development of tomato and spinach cultivars adapted to Texas conditions. Research work includes the characterization of plant a/biotic stress and vegetable quality trait regulation using molecular, physiological, and biochemical approaches to develop applied strategies to improve breeding efficiency and ultimately crop resistance and quality. Current efforts include the development of firm long shelf-life tomato cultivars with improved flavor and nutritional content.
• Bhimu Patil, Texas A&M University, Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center, College Station, Texas, United States
  Post-harvest shelf life and nutritional quality in horticultural crops (15 mins)
  Summary: Dr. Patil has been actively involved in both research and educational activities related to global level ‘Foods for Health’. His research, in collaboration with trans-disciplinary scientists, related to bioactive-derived assays led to isolation and characterization of certain bioactive compounds in citrus and turmeric and other vegetables. His research is also focused on pre and postharvest effects on bioactive compounds in citrus, onion and recently his work is focused on other vegetables and fruits.
• Alexander Goldshmidt, Institute of Plant Sciences, ARO, Volcani Institute, Israel
  Exploring the Role of CLASS-II KNOX mediated Ripening Pathways for the Discovery of Novel Genetic Approaches to Extend Fruit Shelf Life (15 mins)
  Summary: Dr. Goldshmidt research is focused on investigation of the genetic factors and networks controlling development of the pericarp tissues in fruits of Solanaceae crops tomato and pepper. His lab seek to use their research to develop novel genetic solutions and tools to extend fruit's shelf life and improve its consumer attractiveness and nutritional values.
• Isabel Ortega-Salazar, UC Davis, United States
  Control of fruit ripening, improvement of fruit quality, and fruit-pathogen interactions. (15 mins)
  Summary: Dr. Blanco-Ulate's research program integrate systems biology approaches with biochemical and physiological analyses to study fruit development and quality traits, and to establish a novel framework for the early detection and efficient management of fruit diseases.

Mechanization Reduces Pruning and Harvest Labor Time in the Cider Apple Orchard - Carol Miles
Testing Agronomic Strategies to Reduce Biennial Bearing in Apples - Thiago Campbell
Identifying Local Apple Germplasm for Use of Hard Ciders in North Dakota - Wenhao Dai
The Fruitlet Size Distribution Model As A Thinning Decision Aid For Precision Crop Load Management Of Apple - Laura Hillmann
Deciphering the Proline-Mediated Flowering Delay Mechanism in Peach through Physiological and Metabolic Analyses - Hyunsuk Shin
Genetic Architecture of Important Traits for Prunus Crop Improvement - Michael Itam
Taste Acidity and Other Important Fruit Characteristics of New Peach Varieties Compared with Concurrent Varieties During 2022 and 2023 - Hemant Gohil
Role of Silicon in Peach Water Stress Tolerance - Noah Willsea

Biennial bearing in tree fruit can be problematic, and these patterns are not unique to tree fruit and occur in natural species. Masting, or the abundant production of seeds in some years, can also be observed in natural tree species. Despite extensive research, biennial bearing still affects commercial orchard production. Biennial bearing cycles are costly, with inconsistent yields and fruit quality occurring yearly. Crop load management is one commonly used management strategy to control biennial beating. However, trees can continue a biennial cycle the year following adequate crop thinning. We evaluated six different agronomic strategies to combat biennial bearing in apple trees; two for low-cropping trees (“off” year) and four for high-cropping trees (“on” year). In 2023, ‘Honeycrisp’ trees on B.9, G.41, G.890, and M.9-T337 rootstocks in their high-cropping year were root pruned, girdled, sprayed with ethephon, or fertilized with nitrogen (ammonium nitrate) in the fall, along with untreated control. Trees in their low-cropping year (2023) were defoliated and sprayed with gibberellic acid (GA 3 ) and untreated control. Due to the limited availability of low-cropping trees in 2023, only ‘Honeycrisp’ trees on B.9 and M.9-T337 rootstocks were used. All treatments were applied two to three weeks after full bloom except for nitrogen fertilization, which was applied in late August. Crop load, vegetative growth, and fruit quality were measured for treated trees and controls. Carryover effects of treatments were calculated to quantify the reduction/amelioration of biennial bearing incidence. In low-cropped trees, GA 3 had significantly higher return bloom from controls and defoliated trees. In high-cropped trees, no treatment had a significant effect on return bloom compared to controls. Vegetative growth was not affected by any treatment. Effective agronomic strategies for managing biennial bearing can be inconsistent and need to be further investigated for their impacts.

Hard cider is one of the fastest growing specialty beverages in the United States with an average annual retail sales of about $500 million in recent years. Cider apples refer to those that are specifically used for hard ciders (alcoholic) with unique traits, such as high acid, high tannin, and high total soluble solid that help ferment superior-quality hard ciders. In traditional hard cider production countries, hard ciders are made from cider-specific cultivars; however, hard ciders in the US are usually made from apples that were bred for fresh apple market because of inadequate fruit availability of cider-specific cultivars. In this study, apple germplasm grown at the NDSU Horticulture Research Farm near Amenia, ND (USDA hardiness zone 3-4a) was evaluated for the suitability of quality hard ciders. Specifically, four biochemical traits, total soluble solids (TSS), pH, titratable acidity (TA), and total phenolic compounds (TPC) that are the general attributes to the quality of hard ciders, were analyzed. Preliminary results showed that the average TSS was 15.75o Brix with the highest TSS reached 21.2o Brix. The fruit of some lines were very sour and tart indicating the high level of acidity and phenolics, which showed the great potential for quality hard cider production. The titratable acidity (malic acid) and total phenolic compounds in the apple juice of selected lines are being quantified. This research could identify local cider apple germplasm and provide apple growers and cider makers with the information on cultivar selections for quality hard cider production in ND and the surrounding region.

Fruit quality of apple is heavily influenced by crop load management practices. During the developmental window between bloom and 15mm fruitlet diameter, the general commercial practice is to apply chemical thinners to reduce the initial crop load based on the cultivar and market. However, thinning success varies from year to year, depending on bloom density, thinner selection and dose, climatic factors, tree health and cultivar. Precision crop load models such as the pollen tube growth model, the MaluSim model, and the fruit growth rate model have improved thinning success; however, labor-intensive measures has hindered broad adoption of the latter model which effectively predicts fruit set following thinner application. To improve grower adoption, we developed an alternative, time-efficient fruit set prediction model. The model has been tested on multiple cultivars over a three-year period at four distinct apple production regions throughout the United States. Abscission probabilities and fruit set predictions are based on the distribution of fruitlet mass and confirmed by actual measures of fruit set. The model starts at 6 mm fruitlet diameter and accounts for all thinners up to this time. A prediction is returned in ~8 days to inform repeat thinner applications while fruitlets are still highly sensitive to thinners. A user-guide, digital balance that automatically exports fruit mass to a laptop/tablet, and a macro-enabled Excel spreadsheet file have been developed and are available to growers to increase the precision around crop load management.

Freezing temperatures can harm peaches in late spring with advanced flowering due to climate change and consequently reduce their yield. Flowering delay is a prominent strategy employed to avoid such spring frost damage. Our previous study demonstrated that treatment with 5% sodium alginate 100 mM CaCl 2 (5AG) can delay the blooming, potentially avoiding frost damage. To elucidate the precise mechanism of flowering delay induced by 5AG in peaches, this study systematically and experimentally analyzed the changes of amino acid profiles in control and 5AG-treated peach plants at different day intervals (0, 1, 2, 11, 21, 25, and 28 DAT). Our findings revealed that the levels of arginine (Arg), glutamate (Glu), and proline (Pro) differed significantly between control and 5AG- treated peach shoots throughout the phenological development of flower buds. Furthermore, Arg and Glu amino acids, are involved in the Pro pathway. Computational metabolomics analyses identified the Pro metabolism related genes and their attributes, gene ontology, gene synteny and gene organizations, which represent diverse biological function of these genes, including flowering responses. In addition, qRT-PCR analysis results revealed that elevated expression of P5CS and P5CR genes, involved in Pro metabolism, led to increased Pro content in control plants. Conversely, 5AG treatment downregulated these genes, resulting in lower proline content. This result suggests that 5AG treatment may restrain gene expression related to Pro accumulation, thereby controlling Pro biosynthesis. In addition, our findings unveiled a direct connection between Pro content reduction and delayed flowering. Taken together, these results provide strong evidence that 5AG treatment significantly delays flowering by controlling Pro metabolisms in Prunus persica.

Numerous QTL and GWAS studies have been conducted on various species of Prunus, but there is limited knowledge on the overall genetic architecture regulating fruit quality traits among these species. As part of a 2022-funded SCRI- project to advance database resources for specialty crop research, efforts are directed towards collecting and curating all types of big data in the Genome Database for Rosaceae (www.rosaceae.org). We conducted an extensive literature review on over 120 QTL and GWAS studies on Prunus traits to extend the existing data in GDR. We aligned the traits to the peach genome to compare important traits in various Prunus species. The consensus map showing QTL hotspots will be accessible using various tools in GDR. Implications of the newly created resources and tools in GDR for breeding will be discussed.

Three new peach varieties and ‘Felicia’ ‘Evelynn’ and ‘Anna Rose’ were recently released from the Rutgers University tree fruit breeding program. These varieties are concurrent with some of the standard peach varieties. The comparison of taste acidity and other important fruit characteristics could help growers choose in case of planting these varieties or replacing the standard varieties during the same harvest window. Fruit characteristics such as flesh color, crop load, shape, skin color, fuzz, attractiveness, stone characteristics (free, semi-free, or cling), flesh color, bacterial spot, on fruits and leaves, taste acidity, juice total soluble solids (TSS) concentration (°Brix), and total titratable acidity (TTA) (%) were measured. Here we compare these varieties to highlight the differences and challenges amongst these varieties on their path to full consumer appreciation. Results indicate that average TSS and firmness were higher in ‘Felicia’ (12.9 brix; 12.4 lb) and ‘Evelynn’ (11.9 brix; 10.9 lbs.) compared to ‘Redhaven’ (11.1 brix; 8.14 lbs.). Also; average TSS and firmness were higher in ‘Anna Rose’ (14.4 brix; 13.68 lbs.) compared to ‘Klondike’ (12.0 brix; 11.3 lbs.) and ‘White Lady’ (10.9 brix; 9.64 lbs.). In summary, new yellow-fleshed peach varieties ‘Felicia’ and ‘Evelynn’ have great potential to replace the old standard variety, ‘Redhaven’. Similarly, the new white-fleshed peach variety ‘Anna Rose’ has great potential to replace old standard varieties ‘White Lady’ and ‘Klondike’.

Water stress in young fruit trees can reduce tree growth and impair future crop productivity. Silicon (Si) has shown a positive effect in mechanisms related to water relations, specifically water uptake and transport, as well as physiological and anatomical changes in leaves of annual plants. These findings suggest that Si could induce adaptive changes that could help trees cope with water deficit. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the role of Si on water status, sap flow, and gas exchange of young peach trees under water deficit. Two-year-old ‘Julyprince’ peach trees grown under controlled conditions received either 100% (well-watered trees) or 50% (stressed trees) of their crop evapotranspiration needs three times a week. Once trees in the two treatments displayed a difference in water status, Si was applied weekly by foliar spray (0 or 20 mg L-1). The combination of these two factors resulted into a completely randomized factorial design with four treatments. Results showed an interaction between irrigation regime and Si application. Si increased sap flow in well-watered trees and reduced that of stressed trees, although this effect was more significant the day after irrigation. Furthermore, Si significantly improved the water status of trees under water deficit but did not influence that of well-watered trees. These results seem to indicate that the role of Si in improving tolerance to water deficit is temporary and dependent on the tree water status.

While fresh-eating, dessert apples dominate the apple market of Washington State, the over 30-fold national increase in volumetric cider production over the past 15 years indicates there is growing demand for specialty cider apples, or apple cultivars with positive cider-making attributes such as high polyphenol content. In a commercial cider orchard, the labor costs associated with thinning, pruning, and harvest comprise a majority of the annual variable production costs once the orchard is in full production; thus, reducing the labor time to perform these tasks has the potential to increase the appeal and profitability of growing cider apples. Further, when cider apples are pressed into juice soon after harvest, cosmetic damage and bruising of the fruit during harvest has minimal impact on juice quality, indicating a strong potential for harvest mechanization. This study separately examines mechanical hedging and mechanized over-the-row harvest (using a modified Oxbo-Korvan 930 harvester) in a multi-cultivar cider apple orchard. Mechanical hedging both sides of the orchard row occurred at a rate of 2.1-3.5 seconds per meter across 5 years. Across 16 cultivars and 3 years, mechanical harvest occurred at a rate of 2.7-3.1 seconds per meter, and the average capture efficiency was 82% with no significant differences between cultivars. Based on these results, a combination of mechanical pruning and harvest could significantly lower labor time, and thus the total production costs, associated with growing cider apples.

This workshop is to introduce the coordinated network of non-biased plant trials that has been successfully established to assess plant growth and aesthetic quality under deficit irrigation in six locations with different climate and soil types. The standard evaluation method will be highlighted to allow the audience to gain a behind-the-scenes look at the success and challenges of managing a multi-year and multi-state field project titled ‘Climate Ready Landscape Plants’. The evaluation methods employed in this project could potentially be utilized for selecting climate-resilient plants in other regions of the United States and beyond.

During their presentations, participants will be invited to: 1) Learn about the process of building cooperator and stakeholder engagement for a regional multistate project. 2) Practice using an Excel-based Irrigation Log to apply deficit irrigation using reference evapotranspiration published by local weather stations. 3) Practice evaluating selected landscape plants (pictures and/or live plants purchased from Home Depot in Honolulu) using the Rubric for Plant Aesthetic Ratings developed by the UC Landscape Plant Irrigation Trials™ team. 4) Learn the standard methods for collecting plant physiology data of selected landscape plants across multiple locations and understand the project results regarding stomatal conductance, which was collected using LI-600 Porometer/Fluorometer, LI-6800 Photosynthesis System, and/or CIRAS-3/4 Portable Photosynthesis System, etc. Ventors such as LI-COR Biosciences and PP Systems will be invited to demonstrate their equipment for plant physiological measurements (e.g. stomatal conductance) during the session. 5) Learn the standard methods for collecting plant growth and visual quality data across six locations and understand the challenges and results of common taxa tested in six diverse geographic locations. 6) Learn step-by-step how to conduct open houses and invite professionals to help evaluate plants in the field trials, as well as how to collect and use the data.

Following their presentations, the six speakers along with other team members including Dr. Lloyd Nackley, Dr. Ryan Contreras, Dr. Shital Poudyal, and Dr. Youping Sun, will be invited to join a 30-min panel discussion session to further share the success and challenges of managing a multi-year and multi-state field project. They will delve into the opportunities and challenges currently facing the Green Industry. This discussion aims to foster future collaboration for expanding current research and Extension efforts. The goal is to promote the production and utilization of low-water-use plants within the green industry and among the gardening public, especially in the context of a changing climate.

Western U.S. nursery stock, bedding, annual, and perennial plant sales exceeded $2.9 billion in 2017, with nursery stock sales from this region alone accounting for 37.6% of total U.S. sales (Agricultural Statistics, 2017). However, climate change and increased urban water demand threaten the future of the Green Industry. The Western U.S. is expected to endure extreme droughts escalating in severity due to climate change, less predictable precipitation patterns, and decreased soil moisture (Cayan et al., 2010). Urban water supplies will be further stressed by population growth. The populations of Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah increased by 1.7% or more from 2017 to 2018 (United States Census Bureau, 2018). To address these challenges, growers must supply low-water-use plants and the landscape industry must utilize them to facilitate water conservation by reducing landscape irrigation requirements. In response to this need, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Specialty Crop Multi-State Program funded a project titled ‘Climate Ready Landscape Plants’ in 2020 to the University of California, Davis. With the funding, trial methods developed in California have been expanded to four additional western states: Arizona, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. A coordinated network of non-biased plant trials has been established to assess plant growth and aesthetic quality under three irrigation frequencies. Low-water-use plants were identified in 2022 and 2023 and will be recommended for production and utilization. The information developed will be provided to the green industry to aid in sustainable decision-making, marketing, and business support. The evaluation methods employed in this project could potentially be utilized for selecting climate-resilient plants in other regions of the United States and beyond.

Agricultural Statistics 2017. 2017. United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service. https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Ag_Statistics/2017/Complete%20Ag%20Stats%202017.pdf Cayan, D.R., Das, T., Pierce, D.W., Barnett, T.P., Tyree, M., and Gershunov, A. 2010. Future dryness in the southwest US and the hydrology of the early 21st century drought. Proceedings of the Natl. Acad. of Sci. 107 (50), 21271-21276. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0912391107 United States Census Bureau. 2018. Nevada and Idaho are the nation’s fastest growing states. United States Department of Commerce. https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2018/estimates-national-state.html

Coordinator(s)

• Youping Sun, Utah State University, Department of Plants, Soils & Climate, Logan, Utah, United States

Moderator(s)

• Lloyd Nackley, North Willamette Research and Extension Center Oregon State University, Aurora, OR, United States

Speaker/Participant(s)

• Lorence Oki, Building Cooperator and Stakeholder Engagement for a Regional Multistate Project 
• Jared Sisneroz, Coordinating a Standard Irrigation Protocol across Six Diverse Plant Trial Locations 
• Karrie Reid, Introducing the Criteria for Plant Aesthetic Ratings
• Soo-Hyung Kim, Coordinated Assessment of Physiological and Morphological Traits of Landscape Plants across Multiple Locations in the Western United States
• Ursula Schuch, Assessing Plant Growth and Visual Quality - Challenges and Results of Common Taxa Tested in Six Diverse Geographic Locations
• Natalie Levy, A Step-by-Step Guide for Organizing a Successful Open House Event

Carbohydrate Synthesis and Freeze Tolerance of Clonal-type Bermudagrasses as Affected by Mowing Heights During Cold Acclimation and Deacclimation Process - Mingying Xiang
Understanding Photoperiod Effects on Seek and Seedling Quality in Soybean Speed Breeding- Christiane da Silva
Identifying the Optimal Range of pH Management for Hydroponic Leafy Vegetables - Yujin Park
Enhancing Iron Bioavailability in Hydroponic Leafy Greens by Iron Chelators - Asmita Nagila
Effects of Mycorrhiza and Ciochar Interactions on Geraniums - Teal Hendrickson
Exploring Different Nutrient Solution Quantities to Optimize Quantity and Quality in Hydroponic Production - Puja Subedi
How Does Supplementing Dissolved Oxygen Impact Hydroponic Strawberry Production? - Jonathan Ries
Exploring Different EC Levels to Optimize Quantity and Quality in Hydroponic Production - Puja Subedi

Bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) is a prominent warm-season turfgrass extensively utilized across golf courses, athletic fields, home lawns, and recreational areas due to its excellent heat tolerance, good traffic tolerance, and strong recuperative potential. Despite its strengths, winter survivability in colder climates remains a concern. Research has revealed variations in freeze tolerance across bermudagrass cultivars, yet there's a gap in understanding the underlying physiological mechanisms and the impact of cold acclimation and deacclimation processes. Additionally, the influence of mowing height on carbohydrate synthesis and freeze tolerance has been reported. To address these gaps, a study utilizing turfgrass plugs from different acclimation stages was conducted in a freeze chamber. The objective of this study was to examine freeze tolerance and carbohydrate synthesis in four clonal-type bermudagrass varieties ('Tifway’, ‘Tahoma 31’, ‘Astro’, and ‘TifTuf’) under mowing heights of 0.5” and 1.5” across various cold acclimation and deacclimation stages. The plugs were subjected to soil temperatures ranging from -5°C to -12°C, with survival assessed after three weeks to determine the lethal temperature (LT50) for each condition. Rhizome carbohydrate levels at each stage were determined. The correlation between rhizome carbohydrate level and freeze tolerance was determined. The data from this study is currently being analyzed.

Soybean is a short-day plant, which means that days must be shorter than a critical value to induce flowering. Manipulating the photoperiod regime is a well-known way to shorten plant cycles in speeding breeding programs. However, the impact of the photoperiod on the quality of the produced seeds is not well understood. Here, we investigate how photoperiod affected the seed and seedling quality in soybean plants, grown in a controlled environment. Soybean (Glycine max) plants (var. S16-14801C and CZ7570LL) were grown in growth chambers with controlled temperature (27 ± 0.5˚C), CO2 (475 ± 15 µmol mol-1), humidity (70 ± 5.0%), and light (300 ± 5 µmol m-2 s-1 at table; 20% blue,10% green, 70% red). One week after germination, seedlings were exposed to different photoperiod regimes: i) 10 h (0 w at 18 h), ii) two weeks at 18 h and then 10 h (2 w at 18 h), iii) four weeks at 18 h and then 10 h (4 w at 18 h); iv) six weeks at 18 h and then 10 h (6 w at 18 h). The plants were grown in the described treatments until the R8 stage (95% brown pods), without changing the light fixture height (industry standard practice). A sample of seeds was harvested and analyzed regarding quality while other samples were placed to germinate in seed germination paper to evaluate germination rate and seedling growth for 10 days. Similar results were found for both varieties; plants of all treatments presented different heights, in which plants at 0 w at 18 h were shorter (50 cm) and 6 w at 18 h taller (180 cm). Treatments did not affect the moisture or weight of 100 seeds. Conversely, germination and seedling survival were 30% lower in seeds from plants 0 w at 18 h than in other treatments. Similar results were found for the root (13% lower in 0 w at 18 h) and shoot length (19% lower in 0 w at 18 h) of seedlings. However, the dry weight of seedlings was similar among treatments. Manipulating the photoperiod can speed up the plant cycle and is a good alternative for speed-breading programs. However, extreme photoperiods and low daily light integral can produce seeds and seedlings with lower quality that can influence the production of plants of the next generation.

In hydroponics, the pH of the nutrient solution influences the solubility and availability of essential nutrients. The optimal pH for plant nutrient uptake in many crop species is around 6.0. However, the impacts of precise pH management on plant nutrient uptake, crop yield, and the optimal pH range remain less clear. In this study, we investigated the effects of pH management range on plant nutrient uptake and the growth of hydroponic leafy vegetables. Within an indoor vertical farm, we grew lettuce (Lactuca sativa) 'Rex,' kale (Brassica oleracea var. sabellica) 'Red Russian,' and arugula (Eruca sativa) 'Astro' using deep water culture hydroponics at the air temperature of 22 °C under a photosynthetic photon flux density of 200 μmol∙m−2∙s−1 with a 24-h photoperiod. The experiment included six pH treatments: pH 6, 6±0.5, 6±1.0, 6±1.5, 6±2.0, and without pH control. Compared to managing pH at 6, maintaining pH within 6±1.0 had generally similar impacts on leaf number, leaf area, SPAD index, shoot and root fresh mass, and shoot and root dry mass in all three crops. However, when compared to managing pH at 6, maintaining pH at 6±1.5 or greater reduced leaf area (by 32-47% in lettuce, by 30-41% in kale, or by 56-65% in arugula) and shoot fresh mass (by 33-54% in lettuce, by 37-45% in kale, or by 48-64% in arugula). Furthermore, in comparison to managing pH at 6, maintaining pH at 6±1.5 or greater also decreased leaf number in lettuce by 3-5 leaves and in arugula by 13-15 leaves but increased the root fresh mass of lettuce by 26-43%. Our results suggest that maintaining pH within 6±1.0 can be effective in promoting optimal nutrient uptake and overall plant development in the context of hydroponic cultivation.

Iron is an essential micronutrient for the growth and development of both plants and humans, as it plays vital roles in processes such as protein synthesis, respiration and DNA replication. Leafy greens, vital dietary sources of iron, can be cultivated with increased bioavailable iron through hydroponics by customizing nutrient solutions. Conventionally, iron chelates like EDTA and DTPA, are used in hydroponics, but challenges persist in iron acquisition due to their pH dependency as well as quick oxidation to ferric ion which is harder to uptake by plants. Good sources of chelates that respond well to high pH values, like EDDHA, are often more expensive. Studies suggest that iron complexed with humic substances exhibits higher efficiency, though confirmation in large-scale hydroponic systems is still needed. Fulvic acids are water-soluble humic substances with lower molecular weights that hold promise as alternatives or supplements to synthetic chelates, enhancing iron uptake and stress tolerance. Hydroponic systems, such as Deep-Water Culture (DWC) or Nutrient Film Technique (NFT), impact plant growth and nutrient uptake differently based on temperature, EC, and pH. This research compared the effects of various iron chelators on lettuce and kale cultivation in DWC and NFT systems. Results indicate significant yield loss in iron-deficient kale, while iron-chelated solutions enhanced yields. The addition of fulvic acid to EDTA-chelated solutions notably improved kale yield in DWC compared to no iron and EDTA-only solutions. Leafy greens showed higher chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm ratio) and chlorophyll content in DWC compared to NFT. The results showed species-specific and system-specific responses. Notably, iron-chelated plants exhibit higher iron content correlating with increased shoot weight and chlorophyll content. The effect of fulvic acids and synthetic chelates might be synergistic, with both providing different advantages that can be complementary in hydroponic solutions. This study highlights the importance of iron management in hydroponics and the way forward for iron fortification techniques.

Biochar has long been proposed to be a substitute for peat in soilless mixes for greenhouse growing. Low levels of biochar have been shown to increase disease resistance, increase nutrient supply and uptake, and immobilize phytotoxic substances. Due to its high porosity and pH, biochar has the potential to provide an ideal habitat for mycorrhizal fungi to partner with plant roots. This study examined how various mycorrhiza sources interacted with different biochar rates to effect geraniums (Pelargonium x hortorum L. ‘Maverick Red’). Four different mycorrhizal sources were used in addition to a control containing no mycorrhiza: two commercial sources, MycoBloom and BioAg Vam-Endo, spores extracted from agricultural soils, and spores extracted from prairie soil, with four biochar rates implemented: 0, 15, 30, and 45%. Media with biochar incorporated remained saturated for longer periods after irrigation than pots filled with straight BM-7 peat-media. Prairie soil combined with 15% biochar-BM7 media formed buds and began to flower before all other treatments. Results suggest that biochar and mycorrhiza may pair well to improve potted plant growing.

Nutrient solutions play a crucial role in determining crop yield and quality, with optimized quantities offering sustainability benefits. However, there is a lack of comprehensive research regarding the optimal nutrient application quantity for various leafy green vegetables in recirculating hydroponic cultivation. To address this research gap, we proposed a project on different nutrient application quantities using the nutrient film technique (NFT) hydroponic system in a greenhouse with three replications during the fall (air temp: 24.22°C, RH: 31.2%), winter (air temp: 15.5 °C, RH: 73.3%) and early spring (air temp: 13.7 °C, RH: 72.4% ). The project focused on exploring different nutrient solution quantities of Low (76 liters), Medium (114 liters), and High (151 liters) nutrient regimens for six different leafy green vegetable species and cultivars common in Kansas including red butter lettuce (Lectuca sativa), green butter lettuce (Lectuca sativa), arugula (Eruca sativa), kale (Brassica oleracea), red malabar spinach (Basella alba), and basil (Ocimum basilicum). Our results showed that green butter lettuce and basil remained unaffected by the treatments throughout the study. Additionally, plant height, leaf count, and SPAD value for all species remained consistent across treatments and seasons. However, during the fall, the shoot fresh weight of red butter lettuce and kale increased by 7.11% and 21.1%, respectively, in the high-nutrient regimen. Moreover, the dry shoot weight of kale increased by 18.7% in the high-nutrient regimen, while the dry shoot weight of the red malabar spinach increased by 10.3% in the low-nutrient regimen. In contrast, during winter, the shoot fresh weight of red butter lettuce increased by 18.9% and 25.0%, respectively, in medium nutrient regimens compared to low and high nutrient regimens. Similarly, the shoot fresh weight of red malabar spinach increased by 15.3% and 25.0%, respectively, in low-nutrient regimens compared to medium and high-nutrient regimens. During early spring, the shoot fresh weight of red butter lettuce increased by 17.9-18.0% and that of arugula increased by 17.8% in the high-nutrient regimen, compared to low and medium nutrient regimens. In summary, the high-nutrient regimen benefited red butter lettuce and kale in fall and arugula in early spring. Conversely, during winter, the medium nutrient regimen benefited red butter lettuce, while the low nutrient regimen benefited red malabar spinach. The results from this experiment identified the optimal nutrient application quantity which helps to reduce nutrient waste for vital leafy vegetables in Kansas for different seasons and offers valuable production guidelines for local growers.

Oxygen is crucial for the growth and nutrient uptake of plant roots, especially in crops like strawberries that demand high levels of oxygen in their root zones. However, in hydroponic systems, the nutrient solution is often inadequately oxygenated. In this study, we examined the effects of supplementing dissolved oxygen (DO) into the nutrient solution on the growth of strawberry plants. Inside an indoor vertical farm, bare-root plants of strawberry ‘Albion’ and ‘Eversweet’ were grown using deep water culture hydroponics under a controlled environment of 23 °C air temperature and an 18-h photoperiod, with an extended photosynthetic photon flux density of 350 µmol∙m –2 ∙s –1 . The DO concentration of the nutrient solution was maintained at control levels (no adjustment) or supplemented using an air pump or an oxygen concentrator. The average DO concentrations in the control condition was 70%, while supplementing the nutrient solution with an air pump or an oxygen concentrator increased the average DO concentration to 85% and 100%, respectively. Supplementing with DO had minimal to no effect on the days to root of strawberry bare root plants in both cultivars. Four weeks after the DO treatments, root length, crown diameter, leaf area, and fresh mass of shoot and root were also similar in both cultivars regardless of DO concentration. The effects of supplementing DO on flowering and fruit production will also be presented.

Efficient nutrient management is the key to successful hydroponic production. However, there is a lack of comprehensive research regarding the optimal electrical conductivity (EC) levels for various leafy green vegetables in recirculating hydroponic cultivation. To address this research gap, we experimented with different EC levels using the nutrient film technique (NFT) hydroponic system in a greenhouse with three replications during the fall (air temp: 24.22°C, RH: 31.2%) winter (air temp: 15.5 °C, RH: 73.3%) and early spring (air temp: 13.7 °C, RH: 72.4%). The experiment was conducted using three different EC levels (1.2, 1.8, and 2.4 mS/cm) for six different leafy green vegetables kale (Brassica oleracea) ‘Winter bor F1’ and ‘Toscano’, swiss chard (Beta vulgaris), basil (Ocimum basilicum) ‘Prospera® Compact DMR (PL4)’ and ‘large leaf’ and red malabar spinach (Basella alba). Our results showed that, during the fall, the shoot fresh weight of the ‘Winter bor F1’ increased by 13.1 % in EC 2.4 compared to EC 1.2 and that of Swiss chard increased by 8.3-20.6% in EC 2.4 compared to EC 1.2 and 1.8 while that of ‘Prospera® Compact DMR (PL4)’ basil increased by 13.1-13.9 % in EC 1.8 compared to EC 1.2 and 2.4. In contrast during the winter, the shoot fresh weight of ‘Toscano’ kale, ‘Winter bor F1’ kale, and ‘large leaf’ basil increased by 11.2-17.8%, 18.9-20.8%, and 13.2-14.7%, respectively in EC 2.4 compared to EC 1.2 and 1.8, while that of ‘Prospera® Compact DMR (PL4)’ basil increased by 19.2 % in EC 1.2 compared to the EC 2.4. However, during the early spring, only the shoot fresh weight of ‘Winter bor F1’ kale in EC 1.8 was increased by 10.0 % compared to EC 1.2, while the plant height and fresh shoot weight of large leaf basil was increased slightly by 3.1-5.6% in EC 2.4 compared to EC 1.2. In summary, this experience suggested that ’Winter bor F1’ kale performed best in EC 2.4 during the fall and winter seasons but grew best in EC 1.8 during the early spring. In addition, the 2.4 mS/cm proved the optimal EC level for Swiss chard during the fall, ‘Toscano’ kale during the winter, and ‘large leaf’ basil during the spring. The results from this experiment identify optimal EC levels of vital leafy vegetables in Kansas for different seasons, aiding Kansas growers in reducing nutrient waste and enhancing leafy vegetable production.

Competition participants must bring your poster pdf on a thumb drive or the physical poster to your assigned room. You will be lined up to present to the judges in order of arrival. You will enter the room one at a time.

Students will be given 5 minutes to make a presentation to the judges, followed by a 2 minute period of questions and answers.

This competition is open to graduate students that have a poster presentation scheduled during the ASHS conference AND have also signed up to participate in this competition (Note: This is separate of the assigned time to present your abstract during the conference program).

Please note that if you do not also present your poster during the regularly scheduled Poster session, you will be disqualified from the Poster Competition.