ASHS 2024 Conference

Using Biochar As a Soil Amendment in Blueberry Production - Zilfina Rubio
Effects of Aged Pine Bark Amendments on Container-Grown Southern Highbush Blueberry Growth and Substrate Properties - Brandan Shur
Ground Covers Shape Canopy Microclimate And Fruit Quality Components In A Blueberry Orchard - Josh VanderWeide
Enhancing Blueberry Production with Photo-Selective Devices - Amit Godara
Modeling Production Curves of Southern Highbush Blueberry for Improved Productivity and Efficient Harvestability - J. Martin Zapien-Macias

Biochar was tested as a possible soil amendment for blueberry production and compared with pine bark, which is commonly used as a soil amendment in blueberry production in the southeastern United States. Three treatments were established in sandy soil: biochar, pine bark (commercial standard), and control (non-amended soil) in which the variety ‘Farthing’ was planted. Soil characteristics were measured two months and 11 months after the incorporation of the amendments. Plant growth, and physiological traits were measured a year after planting. Biochar increased soil pH compared to pine bark and non-amended soil (control). Organic matter (OM) was higher in pine bark amended soil than in biochar. Biochar increased the Ca/Mg ratio 2 months after its incorporation and maintained P availability compared to the control and pine bark treatments. Eleven months after the incorporation of the amendments, the aluminum content was higher in the soil amended with biochar than in the control, whereas the Fe content was higher in the soil amended with pine bark than in the control. Manganese levels were lower in the pine bark-amended soil than in any other treatment. Plant growth and physiological responses were not affected by the incorporation of biochar as a soil amendment. However, plants established on the pine-bark amended soil had lower Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD), stomatal conductance, and maximum fluorescence than blueberry plants established on biochar or non-amended soil.

Blueberry cultivation is rapidly expanding due to a dramatic increase in the consumption of the fruit. Soilless substrates have been viewed as a method to increase the production and geographic availability of this fruit. The identification of optimal and alternative substrates for the growth and development of the plants is needed to further guide a new and growing industry. The purpose of this study was to investigate the suitability of aped pine bark substrates amended with coconut coir or wood fiber substrates produced from Pinus taeda for container production of southern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium sp.). Plant linears of ‘Star’ blueberry were grown in 7.3-L pots filled with substrates consisting of coconut coir, aged pine bark, and hammermilled wood fiber. These were each amended at three rates (0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%). The plants were harvested at 0 days, 70 days, 140 days, and 365 days to assess their growth and development, measuring plant dry weight at each interval. Additionally, the substrate's physical properties, including particle size and air space, were measured during these four periods to determine the degradation and its influence on substrate quality over time. The findings of this study suggest that coconut coir usage can be reduced by using wood fiber or aged pine bark due to the positive effect on early vegetative blueberry growth.

Fruit quality parameters are typically reported by growers and researchers as an average. However, for small fruits such as blueberries, berry-to-berry variability in texture and flavor also impacts the consumer eating experience. The objective of this project was to capture how the uniformity of fruit quality parameters varies by 1) cultivar, 2) berry maturity, and 3) exogenous phytohormone applications. From 2022-2023, analyses were conducted on individual blueberries from multiple studies carried out in commercial fields in Michigan. First, we compared the uniformity of berry mass, diameter, firmness, and total soluble solids (TSS) in six northern highbush blueberry cultivars: “Duke,’ ‘Bluecrop,’ ‘Draper,’ ‘Calypso,’ ‘Elliott,’ and ‘Aurora.’ The uniformity was highest/lowest for berry mass in 'Bluecrop'/'Calypso', firmness in 'Bluecrop’ /‘Aurora,’ and TSS in 'Bluecrop'/'Elliott'. Second, we evaluated how changes in berry maturity due to delayed harvest affected the uniformity of berry mass, diameter, firmness, TSS, pH, total acidity (TA), TSS/TA, and aroma volatile concentrations in: ‘Duke,’ ‘Draper,’ and ‘Calypso’. Delayed harvest did not alter the uniformity of berry mass or TSS, but increased the uniformity of TA and TSS/TA in all three cultivars. The implications of delayed harvest on the uniformity of consumer liking scores will also be discussed. Finally, we tested whether exogenous application of multiple phytohormones impacted the uniformity of berry mass, diameter, firmness, and TSS in ‘Bluecrop’ and ‘Elliott’. Abscisic acid improved the uniformity of berry mass in 'Elliott,' but not firmness or TSS. Meanwhile, jasmonates had a limited effect on the uniformity of fruit quality parameters in 'Bluecrop'. The relative importance of the "average" and "uniformity" of fruit quality parameters will be discussed. We conclude that “uniformity” is an important component of fruit quality in blueberry.

Blueberries rank among the top ten agricultural commodities in Georgia, contributing 2.45% to the state's GDP, with 27,000 acres across the state and a farm gate value of $449.4 million. Blueberry plants are exposed to elevated temperatures and intense solar radiation during the growing season. This research aimed to reduce adverse environmental effects by modifying the spectral distribution of sunlight. Our team examined the application of photoselective devices Opti-Gro and ChromaGro in blueberry production in Georgia. The research experiment was conducted at two locations (Alma and Rebecca, GA) using a randomized complete block design with four treatments: T1 (Opti-Gro), T2 (ChromaGro), T3 (a commercial grow tube), and T4 (control-unprotected plant), each replicated five times. Photoselective devices positively impacted plant height, yield, total soluble solids, anthocyanins, and titratable acidity. Plants under T1 and T2 also resulted in higher net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance. In summary, the use of photoselective devices presents a promising approach to improve blueberry production in Georgia.

Agronomic crops have their yield potential assessed once per growing season at harvest time. In contrast, horticultural crops such as blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) require prolonged harvest periods, spanning 6 to 8 weeks of recurrent mechanical- or hand-picking. Collected data throughout the harvest period offer a comprehensive source of information to estimate production curves (cumulative harvest). These capture the yield dynamics of each cultivar under specific environmental conditions and treatments. For blueberry growers in Florida, desirable production curves should exhibit: 1) accumulation at the beginning of the harvest season (earliness), and 2) reduced harvest periods (concentration). This pattern is advantageous as it could significantly enhance productivity and profitability while simultaneously cutting down labor costs linked to harvest operations. Thus, pinpointing cultivars displaying these beneficial traits is paramount. In this study, we considered the Weibull distribution to model the production curves for each genotype-in-environment combination. Phenotypic and genomic information were combined for model calibration to predict the corresponding parameters of the distribution besides yield performance in a multi-trait framework. To our knowledge, there are no methods in the current literature that address the identification of cultivars that both ripen early and/or are suited for concentrated harvesting. In this study, we employ a novel analytical approach designed to fill this gap, aiming to systematically identify cultivars aligning with these ideal production characteristics.

Seven-year Yield and Fruit Quality Comparison of Four Apple Cultivars Between Tall Spindle and Bi-axis Systems in Western New York - Brian Lawrence
After Avery: Apple Photosynthesis and Evidence of a Changing Environment. A Historical and Technical Evaluation - Curt Rom
The Biological Mechanism Behind Early and Late Apple Sports - Alexander Engelsma
Characterizing Unique Apple Selections for U-Pick Growers in the Midwest Using Descriptive Analysis, Consumer Liking Tests, and Phytochemical Analysis - Lydia Balogh
Selection and Patenting of New, Grower Friendly Apple Trees by the Maryland Tree Architecture Project - Chris Walsh
Effects and Interactions of Water Stress and Rootstock on Physiological Responses and Ambrosia Beetle Colonization of Apple Trees - Melissa Munoz
The Role of Photosynthesis in the Regulation of Early Fruit Growth of Apple - Bayleigh Roussel

Increasing orchard planting density has helped improve grower profits and yields but establishment costs can be high. It is believed that by using bi-axis trees the number of trees required during planting can be reduced while possibly improving yields and fruit quality. To test this possibility, an orchard of four cultivars (‘Brookfield Gala’, ‘Aztec Fuji’, ‘Honeycrisp’, and ‘Ruby Mac’) was established and trained to either Tall Spindle (TS) or Bi-axis (BA) at 1m x 4m spacing. After the third year of growth, all TS trees and half of BA trees were summer hedged, resulting in three systems to compare: 1) TS hedged; 2) BA hedged; and 3) BA non-hedged. Measurements of trunk cross sectional area (TSCA), phenology, yield, and fruit quality were recorded for seven years to calculate cumulative values. At the end of the study, TSCA was larger on TS trees compared to hedged or non-hedged BA trees across cultivars. Biennial bearing was lower with ‘Brookfield Gala’ and ‘Aztec Fuji’ compared to ‘Honeycrisp’ and ‘Ruby Mac’ and trended lower on hedged or non-hedged BA trees than TS trees. The hedged or non-hedged BA trees had higher cumulative yields compared to TS trees across cultivars. Fruit size was reduced on hedged or non-hedged BA trees compared to TS trees, but all three systems had similar fruit color, firmness, and soluble solids on average. After seven years, there was no obvious benefit of using hedged or non-hedged BA systems to improve fruit quality, but higher yield from BA trees over TS trees when planted at the same density, regardless of hedging during the summer, was achieved. We calculated that BA trees could be planted at 15% lower planting density than TS trees to achieve the same yield.

In 1977 Avery published a review of apple leaf photosynthesis (Pn) rates to estimate maximum rates with current technologies and conditions. This presents a recent review of more than 90 published reports of apple photosynthesis from 1978-2022 evaluated the techniques and equipment used, the experimental parameters of CO2, temperature, light, and vapor pressure deficit. The goal of the review was to determine if techniques used reflected changes in global atmospheric [CO2], and if there was evidence of response of apple leaves to changing [CO2] with time. Avery in 1977 estimated mean apple Pn rate to be ca. 14 µgCO2m-2s-1 and a maximum rate of ca. 22 µgCO2m-2s-1. The current review suggests an estimated mean apple Pn rate to be ca. 15.6 µgCO2m-2s-1 , similar to Avery, but a maximum rate of ca. 31-35 µgCO2m-2s-1, higher than Avery. Since 1977, there has been an approximately 26% increase in global CO2. There was no correlation between experimental [CO2] or atmospheric [CO2] and reported Pn, and although reported Pn rates tended to increase with time, there was no significant correlation to time. Experimental[CO2] was reported in 58% of the reports but omitted in others. Experimental parameters of measurement temperature or vapor pressure deficit were commonly not reported.

Somatic mutations in apple commonly develop into viable bud sports for cultivation. When an apple bud sport has a desirable attribute such as improved color, size, shape, flavor, firmness, sweetness, or harvest timing, it has potential to be introduced as a new cultivar that growers utilize, and consumers enjoy. The genetic mutations and related mechanisms associated with early or delayed maturation (respectively resulting in early or late harvest date) in apple sports are not known despite their value to the industry. By acquiring knowledge about these genetic mutations and their respective molecular mechanisms, breeders can identify markers to conduct more informed crosses to select for early or late maturing apple lines. Apple lines with differing developmental rates resulting in differing ‘designed’ harvest windows would optimize the deployment of field laborers for the apple harvest and improve use of cultural practices to influence harvest time. Comparison of physiology-based markers of fruit developmental stages for apple sports with different maturation dates has been done, but, to the author’s knowledge, not on trees for which crop load has been appropriately adjusted to eliminate its effect on developmental rate. In this study, crop load was regulated on 6 different apple cultivars according to tree trunk cross-sectional area. The sports selected were the ‘Gala’ sport ‘Autumn Gala’ also known as ‘Harry Black’, the early maturing ‘Fuji’ sport ‘September Wonder Fuji’, and the early maturing ‘Cripps Pink’ (‘Pink Lady®’) sport ‘Maslin Cripps Pink’. These three sports were compared to their progenitor/standard harvest time cultivar. Apple fruits were measured on each of five trees per cultivar, and volumetric growth rate was analyzed. We found that in each comparison, fruit growth rate of the early variant was significantly greater early in fruit development, roughly coinciding with the expected conclusion of the cell division phase based on phenology. Consequently, a narrower window of genetic events responsible for the early or late harvest timing phenotype has been captured. Our work confines the search for genetic events responsible for the harvest date mutations to the early developmental stages for apple fruit. We propose that harvest date in these apple bud sports is physiologically predetermined from the very early stages of fruit development and very likely not a function of strictly ripening-related processes.

The apple U-Pick market in Ohio lacks diversity in varieties to meet consumer demand outside of those typically available at grocery stores. Apple growers want new cultivars that are suited for growth in the Midwest, ripen across the picking season, and intrigue customers with unique flavors, textures, and traits. These diverse and unique tasting apples exist, but it is difficult to market these apples without a comprehensive understanding of the traits and consumer desirability of these fruits. This project aims to identify and characterize sensory traits in 33 up-and-coming apple selections including commercial, in-development, and wild varieties with novel characteristics suited for local production. Apple selections were chosen in conjunction with apple specialists at The Ohio State University and local apple growers. Consumer perception and apple traits were evaluated through two sets of sensory experiments: consumer hedonic testing and descriptive analysis. Consumer testing was conducted in private sensory booths, where apple slices were provided in a randomized, blinded order to mitigate order effects. One hundred participants rated apples on their appearance, texture, flavor, and overall liking on a 9-pt hedonic liking scale (i.e., dislike extremely to like extremely). Descriptive analysis was conducted by 12 trained panelists who used references as anchors on a 10-pt scale to score important appearance, aroma, flavor, and texture fruit characteristics. Measured characteristics were decided in collaboration with the panel organizer, trained panelists, and included traits of particular interest to growers. The trained panelists rated 26 traits like red color, floral notes, sweetness, and crispness. Anchors were carefully selected to provide precise references along the scale, such as sucrose solutions of varying concentration to calibrate judgements of sweetness. To compare how different factors of the apple related to each other, correlation analyses were run on the datasets. Flavor liking had the strongest positive correlation with overall liking, followed by texture liking, while appearance liking showed a weaker positive correlation. Sweetness exhibited a slight positive correlation with overall liking, whereas sourness showed the opposite. Using mean separation tests, we identified 15 apple selections liked equivalently to Honeycrisp, a top commercial apple. Further phytochemical analysis will enable gaining insights on nutritional quality profile and its relation to consumer preference. Our goal is to provide information on novel apples that will enable apple growers to diversify their offerings, which will also benefit producers and consumers.

The Maryland Tree Architecture Project (MD-TAP) used classical plant breeding methods to create, identify, select and then patent grower-friendly apple trees. The project began in 1991 with the open pollination of 'McIntosh Wijcik' trees set in an isolated 'Gala' block. Elite seedlings resulting from that initial cross then served as male parents in an open-pollination of commercial cultivars well-adapted to the warm, wet, windy, Mid-Atlantic climate. Two scion-dwarfed, apple trees producing good quality fruit and demonstrating a reduced susceptibility to fire blight resulted from this effort. These two selections were patented as 'MD-TAP1' and 'MD-TAP2' in 2023. A replicated field trial was set in 2016 to compare these two scion-dwarfed selections, with their wild-type siblings also from this program. Trees were budded onto 'M.111,' a semi-dwarfing rootstock to assess their growth habit and tree size without the benefit of trellis support or sustained annual pruning. Trees were set at a 2.75 by 4.25 m (9 by 14 ft) spacing and are still manageable. Despite annual pruning, they are similar in height to trees in an adjacent tall-spindle planting budded onto dwarfing rootstocks. The University of Maryland concluded two Materials Transfer Agreements (MTAs) with other universities before the patents were allowed. After patenting, the University began contacting commercial nurseries in the Mid-Atlantic Region for future testing and licensing.

Rapid apple decline (RAD), a phenomenon that causes sudden decline and death of young apple trees in high-density orchards, is a pressing issue. This problem has been associated with abiotic (flood, drought, freeze) and biotic stressors (fungi, bacteria, and insects). Ambrosia beetles (AB) (Xylosandrus spp.) have been linked to stressed trees suffering from RAD. However, the direct association is still not clear. We evaluated the effects and interactions of rootstock (‘B. 9’, ‘M. 7’, and ‘G. 41’) and water stress (flood, drought, control) on physiological responses and AB colonization. Specifically, a greenhouse experiment was performed in spring 2023 on 14-month-old potted ‘MAIA1’ trees. Trees were subjected to water stress for 20 d. Water stress treatments consisted of a saturated pot-in-pot system for flood, water with-held for the duration of the experiment for drought, and irrigation based on soil moisture, maintaining the pots between 0.7 and 1 water fraction volume for control trees. The experiment had a randomized complete block design, was replicated 10 times, and had a factorial treatment structure. Measurements were made every 2 d for soil moisture, fluorometry, and spectrometry data, every 4 d for leaf gas exchange and midday water potential, at 7 and 14 d for ethanol volatiles, and at the termination of the experiment for AB colonization. Under control conditions, ‘G. 41’ trees had higher transpiration, stomatal conductance, and assimilation rates than ‘B. 9’ and ‘M.7’ trees. However, after 4 d of stress, ‘G. 41’ showed a more rapid decline in leaf gas exchange parameters relative to other rootstocks. Drought-stress trees from the three rootstocks declined 4 d faster than flood trees during the first 12 d. However, this decline occurs more abruptly in ‘G. 41’ and ‘M. 7’ trees. From 16 to 20 d, drought and flooded trees have a similar response. Under control conditions, all three rootstocks have similar quantum efficiency values. Conversely, under water stress, ‘G. 41’ and ‘M. 7’ declined faster than ‘B. 9’ trees, with a more severe response to drought for ‘G. 41’ and ‘M. 7’ trees. Chlorophyll index (Ci) showed lower values for flood and drought trees after 10 d for ‘G. 41’ and ‘M. 7’ trees. For ‘B. 9’, this was only true in drought trees. Flooded trees had AB tunnels three times longer than control, and drought trees were the only ones where AB larvae were observed, which was linked to higher ethanol levels.

Photosynthesis is well-known to not only occur in leaves but also other tissues like stems, sepals, and fruits. Fruit photosynthesis has been documented in cucumber, tomatoes, satsuma mandarins, prickly pear, wheat, and apple. Fruit photosynthesis occurs in these instances not only to contribute to carbon assimilation but to support other metabolic processes, the synthesis of metabolites, and seed development. Early fruit growth in apple is regulated by energy-intensive cell division that lasts for approximately five weeks before switching to a phase of predominantly cell expansion-driven growth. Thus, fruit photosynthesis during early fruit development in apple could function to fulfill the resource and energy requirements necessary for the growth and development of fruit tissues. To examine this potential contribution of photosynthesis to apple fruit metabolism, shade bags made of 30%, 65%, and 80% shade cloth were placed on fruitlets at 16 days after full bloom. The effects of fruit shading on fruit tissue plastid ultrastructure, metabolite composition and tissue transcriptomes were analyzed. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we found that plastids in the peel and cortex overall resembled that of photosynthetically active plastids; they contained stromal and granal thylakoids similar to those found in leaves. Spatially, pith plastids displayed unique hypergranal features , with increased granal thylakoids and a significantly reduced presence of stromal thylakoids. When compared to the control, 80% shaded peel plastids contained more plastoglobuli, and 80% shaded pith plastids displayed prolamellar bodies, which are indicative of disassembly. Further, significantly lower chlorophyll a concentration was observed in shaded fruit. Metabolite analyses indicated that sorbitol was significantly greater in shaded fruit than in the control. Transcriptome analyses indicated substantial changes associated with carbohydrate metabolism in the fruit cortex and peel in response to fruit shading. Together, these analyses indicate a significant contribution of fruit photosynthesis to early fruit growth and development in apple.

Evaluating Bacterial Diversity and Pest Control Efficacy of Steam Disinfestation Treatments in the Salinas Valley Spinach and Lettuce Fields - Erika Escalona
Development of Minirhizotron for Nondestructive Rapid Detection of Parasitic Nematodes - Tim Pannkuk
Genome Sequencing of Crapemyrtle Bark Scale for Developing Advanced IPM Strategies - Bin Wu
A New Technique for Visual and Quantitative Assessment of Pesticide Applications to Tree Trunks for Control of Trunk-boring Insects - Amy Fulcher
Factors Affecting Spray Coverage on Red Maple Trunks from an Air-Assisted Sprayer - Amy Fulcher
Rice Hull Use in Container Production; Economics and Efficacy - Shawn Steed
Organic and Synthetic Herbicides for Controlling Liverwort Growth in Containerized Ornamental Production - Manjot Sidhu
Impact of Changing Climate on Weed Control in Ornamental Crop Production: A Potential Research Area - Supti Saha Mou
Development of “EZA”, a New Pesticide Suitable for Organic Production of Horticultural Crops - Merci Uwimbabazi
Impact of Partial Saltwater Agroecosystems on Weed Competition in Watermelon. - Joseph Bazzle

As the threat of climate change intensifies, the need for sustainable and environmentally friendly pest and pathogen control methods in agriculture becomes increasingly urgent. Steam disinfestation, a method once considered outdated and replaced by chemical pesticides, is experiencing a resurgence due to heightened environmental concerns. Despite its historical use, there has been little exploration of scaling up steam disinfestation for field applications in vegetable crops.
This project focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of band steaming as a disinfestation method in lettuce fields in the Salinas Valley. The study is divided into two parts: the first part assesses pest control, while the second part examines the impact of band steaming on the soil microbiome.
Our goal is to validate band steaming as a viable alternative to chemical pesticides through a thorough assessment in agricultural fields. The experiment was conducted during 2023 trials at Hartnell’s USDA research facility in Salinas, CA, using a custom-built steam applicator with a 1,000 kg/hour low-pressure steam generator. Pest control analysis focused on Pythium spp., a soil-borne disease, and weed emergence, with disease assessment carried out through pathogen assays in soil samples. Additionally, we examined the impact of band steaming on the soil microbiome using 16S sequencing, collecting soil samples before, one day after, and 30 days after steam treatment.
Preliminary results show effective weed control and reduced pathogen pressure following steam treatments. Soil microbial analysis indicates that steam treatment influences changes in the soil microbiome, with some recovery in alpha, beta, and functional diversity observed within 30 days. Through a comprehensive assessment of pest control and soil microbial changes, we aim to provide detailed insights into the effectiveness of steam disinfestation and its potential for sustainable agricultural practices.

Plant-parasitic nematodes are a historic problem in a wide range of horticultural and agronomic production conditions. Many horticultural crops can be negatively impacted during production since near-ideal environmental conditions are created for nematode growth and reproduction. Once established in the soil of a nursery, orchard, or greenhouse, there is also potential to spread the plant damaging nematodes via machinery, handheld equipment, soil movement, or footwear. Nematode presence may be detected by root visual symptoms of infected plants, but laboratory nematode assays are a more reliable diagnostic tool – however costly and time consuming. Our team developed a portable handheld infrared thermography-minirhizotron device for rapid, nondestructive detection of the presence or absence of plant parasitic nematodes. This self-contained device, using infrared thermography, processes images using an algorithm. It can be operated by trained personnel to perform on-site rapid diagnosis in a nursery environment. A prototype has been constructed and tested in laboratory setting. It is equipped with wireless communication and network capabilities, allowing remote access and control. The goal is to develop a smart device that can be scaled up and networked for early detection and rapid response to a wide range of soil nematodes of horticultural importance. The algorithm is developed to distinguish between root-knot and cyst nematodes in infected plants.

Crapemyrtle bark scale (CMBS; Acanthococcus lagerstroemiae), an invasive insect pest threatening horticultural industries, has spurred the search for sustainable control methods. Our recent research focused on two key aspects of CMBS behavior: feeding and mating. In feeding, our studies revealed that while nicotine does not affect the phloem salivation process in CMBS, it significantly impairs the insect’s ability to ingest phloem sap, suggesting that nicotine interferes with the precise muscular coordination in the acephalothoracia region of CMBS, thereby offering a potential mechanism for chemical control. By identifying the genes that encode nicotinic receptors, we can pinpoint potential chemical targets to disrupt CMBS feeding behavior. In studying mating behavior, we found that mating is crucial for CMBS reproduction. Solid-phase micro-extraction and GC/MS assays revealed that CMBS release unique volatile compounds at different life stages. By identifying the genes responsible for sex pheromone production and pheromone receptors, our research lays the groundwork for developing pheromone-based traps and mating disruption strategies. Moreover, the discovery of juvenile hormone receptors and their expression at various developmental stages suggests additional opportunities to hinder CMBS growth and reproduction. We are conducting a comprehensive genomic analysis of CMBS using PacBio SMRT, Hi-C, and Illumina genome sequencing. This genomic framework will be used to develop innovative pest control strategies to control CMBS populations while supporting integrated pest management (IPM) techniques and reducing environmental impact.

Water sensitive paper (WSP), a yellow paper that stains blue in the presence of water, can be used to evaluate spray characteristics. While traditionally used as 2x3-inch cards placed in the canopy, we developed a WSP wrap that can be wrapped around a trunk, sprayed, and removed without damaging the trunk to assess spray distribution for control of trunk-boring insects. Trunk wraps are made by adhering a 1x8.5-inch strip of WSP to a 1.75x8.5-inch strip from a printable vinyl sticker sheet. To install, the adhesive is exposed, the wrap is manually wrapped around the trunk, and pressure is applied by gripping the wrapped portion of the trunk. However, the tapered shape, bumpy surface, and small trunk caliper, as well as humidity can cause wraps to unravel during experiments. In preliminary tests, 50% of uncoiled, i.e., flat, 4.25-inch wraps unraveled from 16.5 mm caliper Acer rubrum ‘Franksred’ Red Sunset® red maple trunks. Our objective was to test if pre-coiling wraps prevented unraveling. We tested four treatments with five replications each: 1. 8.5-inch wraps coiled and stored in 2-inch diameter PVC, 2. 8.5-inch uncoiled wraps, 3. 4.25-inch wraps coiled and stored in 0.75-inch PVC, and 4. 4.25-inch wraps coiled in 0.75-inch PVC and stored in 1-inch PVC. After 2 weeks of storage, we installed wraps on 16.5 mm caliper Red Sunset® trunks. After 5-10 minutes, we reapplied pressure to both 8.5-inch wraps and 4.25-inch flat wraps because they unraveled, our standard practice; both 4.25-inch pre-coiled wrap treatments remained tightly wrapped and did not require this step. After an additional 5-10 minutes we assessed whether or not wraps were tightly wrapped around trunks. All wraps within both 4.25-inch pre-coiled wrap treatments remained tightly wrapped around trunks. All 8.5-inch uncoiled wraps unraveled and 40% of 8.5-inch pre-coiled wraps unraveled suggesting a modest benefit to coiling this length and that extra length is not beneficial. Following this experiment, we successfully used pre-coiled 4.25-inch wraps on 16-19 mm caliper maple and 8.5-inch wraps on 46-52 mm caliper oak tree trunks. We observed that repeated wrap installation (approx. ≥5 times) to the same location on the same day sometimes caused minor bark damage. Pre-coiled wraps of the correct length unraveled in the high humidity of day-time field experiments but remained tightly wrapped in evening trials under less humid conditions. To maintain the coil during storage, we protected wraps with paper, then secured them with a rubber band.

Trunk-boring pests are a significant threat to nursery crops. Despite the prominence of air-assisted sprayers, little research has been published about their coverage of tree trunks. We assessed spray characteristics of a Jacto A400/850 sprayer with the objective of determining the lowest spray rate that provided at or near 100% trunk coverage. Water sensitive paper (WSP) was wrapped around the trunks at two heights in an external row and the middle row of a 3-row block of red maples (Acer rubrum) to assess coverage. Assessments included 15 trials with application rates from 65 to 244 GPA at 1.5 and 2.5 mph tractor speeds. Travel Speed: Spraying at 108 GPA and 112 GPA achieved ≥95% coverage when traveling 1.5 mph with windspeeds less than 1.5 mph. Spraying 112 GPA at 1.5 mph provided 96% coverage on wraps at both heights despite a maximum (unsustained) windspeed of 3.9 mph. Increasing the travel speed to 2.5 mph reduced the spray rate to 68 GPA and coverage to 79%. Spraying 244 GPA when traveling 1.5 mph provided 95% coverage. Increasing the travel speed to 2.5 mph decreased the rate to 146 GPA, and yielded coverage of 97%. Spraying 146-224 GPA with 1.0 mph average windspeed or less yielded ≥95% coverage in all four trials. Wind Speed: When traveling 1.5 mph and spraying 108 GPA with an average windspeed of 1.3 mph, 96% coverage was achieved. Coverage was reduced to 88% when the average windspeed increased to 2.5 mph. Stakes: Trees were secured using 1-inch stakes installed 3 inches from the western face of each trunk. The western face of wraps at 9 of 12 locations had coverage equal to or greater than that of the total wrap in three trials with less than 1.3 mph average windspeed. Row: In 10 trials, there was ≤2.5% difference in coverage between external and middle rows. However, in 5 trials the middle row had greater coverage by at least 6%. Spraying 109-112 GPA can provide near complete trunk coverage under low wind speeds. Higher spray rates can overcome high wind and travel speed, but are undesirable given the potential for drift and waste. Neither presence of a stake nor middle row position equates to worse coverage. Trees in the middle row may benefit from being equidistant from the sprayer as it travels down both driveways. These results provide a framework for future trunk coverage tests utilizing variable-rate technology.

Weed control in woody ornamental container production is one of the most expensive inputs in production. Preemergent herbicides, mulches and hand labor are all methods of delaying, impeding, or removing weeds that will negatively impact the growth and aesthetics of the produced container plant. One method gaining popularity in Central Florida to reduce weed competition is the use of rice hulls (RH) as a mulch. Effective mulches will reduce the amount of weed competition plants face. Rice hulls are a byproduct from the rice industry and deemed a disposed waste. RH are applied by hand in a layer of about 0.5 to 1 inch deep and dry out in a relatively quick manner. Growers anticipate that RH reduce the costs of weed competition and hand labor from weeding operations. This research investigated the economic cost of RH and benefit of RH mulch in terms of weed growth reduction.

Liverwort (Marchantia polymorpha L.) is a nonvascular, chlorophyll-containing, primitive, spore-bearing bryophyte. It is one of the major weed problems in container nurseries and greenhouse operations as it competes with the ornamental plant for resources within the container. Application of herbicides is a major component of any weed control program in ornamental production systems. There are limited herbicides labeled for liverwort control in greenhouse container production. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of various organic and synthetic herbicides on controlling liverwort growth. The herbicides were applied to nursery containers filled with standard substrate and amended with controlled release fertilizer for assessing the post-emergent liverwort control. Organic products namely Avenger, Scythe and WeedPharm were applied at 1X and 2X rates. Synthetic herbicides – Glyphosate, 2,4-D and Indaziflam were applied at 1X, 2X and 3X rates. Control set without any herbicide application was included as well. Percent of substrate surface covered by liverwort thalli was visually estimated bi-weekly until 16 weeks after first treatment. Fresh biomass of the thalli in each pot were also recorded at the end of the experiment. The experiment had six replications per treatment, and they were arranged in a randomized complete block design. For both the synthetic and organic herbicides, there was significant interaction between the type and rate of herbicide applied. The herbicide treatments were significantly different amongst each other and from the control. Out of various organic herbicides applied, all the herbicide treatments were able to limit liverwort coverage under 30% as compared to control (98%). WeedPharm and Scythe application at 2X and Avenger application at 1X rates recorded minimum liverwort fresh biomass. In the synthetic herbicide treatments, Indaziflam at 2X and 3X rates had minimal liverwort coverage and fresh biomass at the end of the experiment. Hence, these organic and synthetic herbicides can be a promising component for an integrated liverwort control program in containerized ornamental production.

The ornamental crop industry is a billion-dollar industry in the United States. Controlling weeds is a big challenge, as they can compete with ornamentals for soil, nutrients, water, light, and space by affecting the desired quality of ornamental crops like leaf and flower quality and color as well as proper growth. Weeds can also harbor insects, pests, diseases, and pathogens resulting in further reduction of market value. Due to greater genetic diversity and physiological plasticity, weeds are more likely to be able to adapt to a changing environment or climate. Increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) level can cause fertilization effect in C3 plants resulting in higher growth rates. Conversely, C4 plants are less likely to exhibit increased growth responses to elevated CO2 levels, as carbon dioxide fixation becomes saturated for them at around 360 ppm. So, ornamentals could gain a competitive advantage over many of the major weed species under elevated CO2, as many of the world’s ornamental crop species are C3 plants and many of the major weed species are C4 plants. But in reality, the scenario is different because other factors such as changes in herbicide efficacy and the ability of weed species to out compete ornamental species may come into play and limit this advantage. Plants that are grown in CO2-enriched environments often develop high concentrations of starch in leaves and greater total leaf area and biomass which can cause a dilution effect on herbicides. Additionally, C3 plants have been shown to have decreased stomatal conductance and increased leaf thickness in elevated CO2 which may also limit foliar uptake of herbicides. Environmental factors such as temperature, precipitation and relative humidity influence the efficacy of herbicides. There are studies that have reported decreased herbicide efficacy for control of annual and perennial weeds in elevated CO2 environments in agronomic crops. But limited information is available on how change in climate can affect herbicide efficacies in ornamental production. Hence, the objectives of this research proposal are: Evaluating increased temperature and CO2 levels on growth and reproduction of two different types of container-grown ornamentals; Determining effects of temperature and CO2 rise on preemergence herbicide performances for controlling C3 and C4 weed species; Determining effects of temperature and CO2 rise on postemergence herbicide performances for controlling C3 and C4 weed species; Assessing adaptive features of weed species with the change in environmental factors.

Production of economically important horticultural crops in the world, especially in developing countries, is faced with major challenges, including pests, and diseases. As a result, producers rely heavily on excessive use of synthetic pesticides, which often leads to negative impact to the environment, human health, and pesticide resistance. There is a need to develop environmentally friendly products to manage pests and diseases to increase crop yield, quality, and nutrition. Research was conducted in Rwanda to develop “EZA”, a new pesticide acting as an insect repellent, made of essential oils from local invasive plants such as Lantana camara, Tagetes minuta, and wastes of chili pepper and garlic. EZA was tested on tomatoes and mangoes under field conditions to manage several insect pests, including armyworms, fruit flies, thrips, and diseases such as tomato late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans. Results showed that EZA was effective in controlling insect pests, providing control of thrips and tomato late blight at the rate of 90% on 5 tomato plants where applied. Furthermore, tomato yield was increased by 40%. Information from this study demonstrates that EZA could significantly benefit horticultural crop producers, especially smallholder farmers in developing countries such as Rwanda, to effectively manage insect pests and diseases and the increase of crop yield.

The issue of soil salinity as a major cause of poor soil health and crop yield loss has been of growing concern as climate change contributes to its effects. The objective of this research was to study the impact of increasingly saline soils on the relationship between grafted watermelons and yellow nutsedge, one of the major weeds in watermelon plasticulture. The seedless watermelon cultivar Melody was grown in a field after being grafted onto the C. maxima hybrid Carnivor and the C. amarus cultivar Carolina Strongback in addition to both a self-grafted and ungrafted control. The field was divided into four rows, which were irrigated with 0, 10%, 20%, and 30% dilutions of sea water for the duration of the experiment. A weed count was performed after one month and three months of irrigation. This demonstrated that salt had a significant effect on the total weed count at high concentrations, however the weeds demonstrated a much greater resistance to salt treatment than the watermelons in this trial. Based on this data, it is possible that salt intrusion events can contribute to increased weed related yield loss in watermelon crops.

A Glimpse of The Future of Citrus in Florida – The Millennium Block - Flavia Tabay Zambon
Lessons from Evaluating New Varieties for the Indian River Grapefruit Industry - Flavia Tabay Zambon
Florida Citrus Rootstock Selection 5th Edition: Artificial Intelligence Enhanced Mobile Application for Growers - Andres GonzalezNeira
Australian Microcitrus-Derived Hybrids: Field Performance in Florida Under HLB Endemic Conditions - Matthew Mattia
The Citrus Genome Database: A Resource for Citrus Research and Crop Improvement - Jodi Humann
Comparative Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Studies Provide Insights into Early Tolerance Response of Citrus to CLas Infection - Zimmy Wang
Exploring Leaf Nutrients and Fruit Quality Attributes Relationship in Fresh Market Citrus Using Artificial Neural Networks and Linear Regression Models - Shankar Shrestha

For the past two decades, Florida citrus production has undergone a 75% reduction due to Huanglongbing (HLB), a disease caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus and vectored by the Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP, Diaphorina citri). To combat this threat, breeding programs have been developing new varieties, seeking those tolerant to HLB while possessing other desirable traits and providing a long-term solution for the citrus industry. The Indian River Research and Education Center is leading this effort by planting new scion and rootstock varieties in four independent trials at the Millennium Block in 2019. One trial consists of 18 grapefruit-pummelo hybrid scions grafted onto three rootstock varieties, totaling 54 combinations (Trial 1). The other three trials are rootstock trials, where ‘Ray Ruby’ grapefruit (Trial 2), ‘Glenn Navel’ sweet orange (Trial 3), and ‘UF-950’ mandarin (Trial 4) varieties are grafted onto 32 rootstocks. The Millennium Block is home to 5,500 trees. Complete data for the 2023/24 season was collected, evaluating fruit yield, weight, size, and juice quality across all trials except for the mandarins, which have yet to set and keep a harvestable crop. Fruits were categorized into “good fruit” (based on shape, size, and maturity) and “bad fruit” (including visually HLB-affected fruit and off-bloom fruit). One of the 18 scions in Trial 1, a grapefruit-orange hybrid with golden flesh and high juice content called ‘Triumph,’ was discovered through a fortuitous mistake, yielding over 19,000 lb/ac of “good fruit” when grafted onto X-639, and had a Brix of 8.18. ’Triumph’ exhibits visual tolerance to HLB, with minimal to no affected fruit and no leaf symptoms. Of the red flesh grapefruit, ‘UF-914’ grafted onto ‘US-942’ and ‘X-639’ yielded close to 12,000 lb/ac of “good fruit” each, with juice Brix between 8-9. The traditional ‘Ray Ruby’ grapefruit has produced more boxes per acre grafted onto UFR-15 (close to 8,000 lb/ac) than US-942 and Sour Orange. Meanwhile, ‘Glenn Navel’ sweet orange yields more boxes when grafted onto US-942 (approximately 3,800 lb/ac), UFR-17, and Kuharske. The rootstock trials reveal that grapefruit and sweet orange scions require distinct rootstock characteristics to achieve the best yields. Data gathered by these trials are essential for growers to make informed decisions about which varieties to plant compared to the available conventional scions.

Citrus greening is one of the deadliest bacterial diseases in citrus production. Caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) and vectored by the Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP, Diaphorina citri), the disease has devastated Florida’s citrus industry, reducing production by over 75% during the last twenty years. The Indian River Region, known for its premier grapefruit production, has suffered an intense decline in yield and acreage. Growers in the region have been fighting the pathogen and its insect vector, however, a long-term solution is required for sustainable grapefruit production. As no HLB resistance is known in commercially available cultivars, the University of Florida Breeding Program has bred new grapefruit hybrids with potential HLB tolerance. Plants developed through the program need to be field-tested. This study was initiated to evaluate new fresh grapefruit scion and rootstock breeding materials for HLB-tolerant. In collaboration with twelve growers across the state, a large trial was planted between 2020 and 2022 with 40 plots, each with forty-two scion/rootstock combinations totaling 12,000 trees. Among other tree growth data collected, fruit yield and quality were measured this season between October 2023 and March 2024. Results confirm that 'Jackson' grapefruit has some HLB tolerance, possibly due to its vigorous nature. However, its high fruit drop and inconsistent fruit set are persistent grower concerns. Among the newly developed grapefruit hybrids, 'UF N40-16-11-7' grafted onto SuperSour #1 and UFR-5, and the pummelo hybrid 'UF KW-50-1' grafted onto X-639 had low HLB disease indexes, equivalent to ‘Jackson’. On trees fruiting for the first time, the pummelo hybrid ‘UF KW-1-50’ grafted onto SuperSour #1 had the highest yield, mainly due to the pummelo heritage, followed by red grapefruit ‘UF N40-16-11-7’ also grafted onto SuperSour #1 and ‘Rio Red’ onto US-942. With tree ages ranging from 2 to 4 years, further data collection is needed to determine sustained yield and fruit quality. These results can help determine which combinations are most HLB-tolerant and best for planting in the Indian River Region.

Florida citrus production has declined by 81% in total tonnage since 2020, mainly due to the deadly citrus greening caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), a fastidious, phloem-limited, unculturable, gram-negative, α-proteobacterium vectored by the Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP). Over $1.5 billion in funds have been mobilized since 2006 to overcome this disease. As an innate immune response, the infected plant deposits callose and p-protein in the phloem sieve pore, decreasing the flow of photoassimilates, leading to a rapid decline and, eventually, a plant collapse. The high cost of production has economically devastated Florida citrus growers. Using HLB tolerant rootstocks is one alternative to mitigate CLas effects, and the growers depend on the University to provide the most up-to-date recommendations. To address this, we have developed a convenient mobile application that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to assist growers in making the best rootstock selection for their groves based on horticultural traits, abiotic tolerances, and specific disease/pest incidences. The Florida Citrus Rootstock Guide Expert System 5th Edition is planned to be released by 2025 and is based on the information released in the previous editions. In addition to the release of the mobile application on all major platforms, an interactive web-based rootstock table has been updated with recent field data and newly released rootstocks. Historical and unavailable rootstocks are excluded from the selection list, increasing the incidence rate for a well-suited rootstock selection. Users can download, send, and retrieve rootstock reports on their mobile devices. The app’s design was generated from grower/user surveys to be as user-friendly as possible. The expert system is built on the ES-Builder Web application, McGoo Software, and is developed utilizing Google’s Dart programming language. The University of Florida is committed to establishing an AI-based university. The app's scalability will allow it to fully integrate into future AI projects to combat epidemics like citrus greening.

At the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, the breeding program used native Australian citrus species (C. australasica, C. australis, C. garrawayi, and C. inodora), collectively referred to as Microcitrus, and cultivated Citrus. Commencing in 1998, this program aimed to introduce desirable Microcitrus traits into cultivated citrus, resulting in hybrids with pedigrees ranging from 12.5% to 100% Microcitrus. Previous studies suggest that specific Microcitrus accessions may exhibit resistance to huanglongbing (HLB), a disease associated with Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas). To assess this resistance, we conducted tests on these Microcitrus-derived seedlings in a Florida field site where HLB and its vector, the Asian Citrus Psyllid (Diaphorina citri; ACP), are prevalent. Seeds were received in August 2015 and grown into field-ready seedling trees at the USHRL greenhouse. In August 2018, these trees were planted in a randomized layout at the Fort Pierce USDA grove, comprising 53 Microcitrus-derived populations alongside grafted Clementine and Hamlin standards. During 2020 and 2021, a subset of these plants underwent 24 assessments for ACP colonization, focusing on periods of abundant citrus flush and active D. citri presence. Data collected included observations of eggs, nymphs, and 5th instars, indicating D. citri's ability to complete development on the plant. Statistical analysis assessed variations in egg and nymph abundances concerning scion and date, revealing differing nymph counts across dates and scion types, with Hamlin and Arrufatina X 09Q048 displaying the highest nymph counts. Additionally, all trees were evaluated for CLas levels in October 2021 and no significant differences were found. The study encompassed seedling development, field planting, and standard citrus production practices, with minimal pesticide usage to determine the tolerance of Australian-derived hybrids to HLB.

The Citrus Genome Database (CGD, www.citrusgenomedb.org) is a crop community database tailored for citrus researchers and breeders. CGD includes the Breeding Information Management System (BIMS) for both private breeding program management and publicly available phenotype and genotype data. Genetic data include genetic markers, maps, QTL, and GWAS curated from published and integrated with associated data in the database. The data is accessible via several search interfaces. Genetic maps can be viewed through the MapViewer tool, that also visualizes gene and genome data where available. CGD has over 40 genomes of Citrus and other genera in the Rutaceae family. For plant genomes, additional functional annotation and synteny analyses are conducted and made available to search. The genomes can be viewed in JBrowse, sequences searched using BLAST, genome synteny viewed with Synteny Viewer, and metabolic pathways for representative genomes can be viewed and users can overlay -omics data in CitrusCyc. Expression data associated with genes or mRNA of genomes in CGD are also available to view in the Expression Heatmap tool and on the feature page for the corresponding gene/mRNA. Ten bacterial genomes from Ca. Liberibacter and Liberibacter species are also available to search in the database, view in JBrowse, and search the sequences using BLAST. Researchers can also prepare and submit published data to the database using Excel based templates.

Citrus Huanglongbing (HLB, or citrus greening disease) has caused over 90% production losses since it was first reported in Florida in 2005. The unknown pathogenicity of the causative pathogen CLas hinders the development of sustainable disease management. Thus, understanding citrus host response to CLas, particularly at initial infection stage, is important for early disease detection and effective long-term HLB management. In this study, transcriptomic and metabolomic studies were conducted in a 2-day-post-inoculation (dpi) window, between HLB-tolerant LB8-9 Sugar Belle ® mandarin-like hybrid (SB; Citrus reticulata) and HLB- sensitive Valencia sweet orange (VAL; C. sinensis). CLas inoculation treatments included two controls no asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and CLas-negative ACP, plus CLas-positive ACP. Data were collevted at four time points: 2-, 12-, 24-, and 48-hour-post-inoculation (hpi). The results reveal that SB indicates immediate transcriptomic-level response from 2 hpi, compared with the delayed response in VAL from 24 hpi. The initial CLas-responsive differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in SB are related to plant defense response to Gram-negative bacterium, kinase activity and protein-kinase derived complex. DEGs that are categorized in plant defense response to Gram-negative bacterium are mostly associated with the pectinesterase inhibitors (PEIs) family which primarily alters the localized pH of the cell wall and strengthens cell wall integrity. On metabolomic level, SB shows rapid and high flavonoid content accumulation that reduces CLas-triggered stress and counteracts the initial infection. In VAL, the low flavonoid content accumulation removes reactive oxygen species (ROS) less efficiently which leads to more stress and cell death. Further investigation and validation on the proposed pathway are needed to confirm the early stage transcriptomic and metabolomic response of citrus tolerance response to CLas infection.

The market value of fresh citrus fruit is greatly influenced by the internal and external fruit qualities, such as peel color, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acid (TA), and fruit size. Abundance or deficiency of mineral nutrients in citrus trees are among the most important key factors that affect fruit qualities. Various regression models using leaf nutrient parameters and quality indices have been suggested, but their accuracy and generalization performance in estimating fruit quality remain insufficient. In this research, we used both artificial neural network models (ANN) and a multiple linear regression model to explore the effects of leaf nutrient concentration on citrus fruit quality. For ANN models, we applied two transfer functions and five different training functions to establish the model with best prediction accuracy using TensorFlow framework through Python software. The models were evaluated using statistical performance evaluation criteria including the coefficient of determination (R2), root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and mean absolute relative error (MARE). Sensitivity analysis of the prediction models was conducted to discern the significant contribution of leaf mineral nutrients to the respective fruit quality parameters. The response surface analysis determined the optimal range of these mineral elements, which is critical for guiding precision fertilization in fresh market citrus fruit for improving fruit quality. Comprehensive results will be presented during the conference. Keywords: artificial neural network, fruit quality, citrus, mineral nutrients, sensitivity analysis

With soil health and regenerative agriculture continuing to gain interest, the Hort Industry Professional Interest group invites you to join our session exploring the research behind soil health and how soil health is impacting horticulture today. This session will have speakers from across various horticultural disciplines discussing their research and the implications for soil quality, horticultural productivity, regenerative agriculture and environmental sustainability.

Coordinator(s)

• Holly Little, Acadian Plant Health, Technology, Walnut Grove, Ca, United States

Moderator(s)

• Derek Woolard, Valent Biosciences, United States

Speaker/Participant(s)

• Justin Moss, Oklahoma State, United States
  Urban Soil Health and Small Farm Soil Health (15 mins)
• Noa Lincoln, UH Mānoa, Hilo, Hawaii, United States
  Long Term Effects of Mono-Crop Conversion to Diversified Agroforestry (15 mins)
• Amjad Ahmad, University of Hawai'i, United States
  Organic Farming and Soil Health (15 mins)