The length of field growing season in the temperate and subtropical regions of the United States including Virginia, does not allow ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizomes to mature naturally. As a result, saving rhizomes as seeds is often impossible and the supply of seed ginger rhizomes (seeds) has been mostly from Hawaii. To mitigate this challenge, Cooperative Extension at Virginia State University attempted to produce ginger seeds hydroponically in a greenhouse for two years. In 2022/23, cultivar Chinese Ginger (4-6 buds/rhizome) was presprouted in the greenhouse using 1-gallon pots filled with soilless media in January and transplanted into 20-gallon fabric containers filled with soilless media or pine bark on May 6 or 17, 2023. Plants were fertigated on weekdays with a nutrient stock solution containing 6 oz 4-18-38 plus micros, 3 oz magnesium sulfate and 8 oz calcium nitrate per gallon. Seed harvests took place from January 15 to March 18, 2024. The yield was significantly higher with soilless media (12.7 lb./plant) than with pine bark (11.1 lb./plant) although the marketable yield was not statistically different. Plants in soilless media were difficult to harvest (heavy and wet soil, tangled roots). Marketable yield was the highest for plants harvested from 240-269 days after transplanting (DAT), followed by 270-289 DAT. Harvests after 290 DAT had 37-53% culls. The overall yield was not different in terms of transplanting dates, but May 6 transplanting had significantly less marketable rhizomes compared to May 14 transplanting. The first-year results favored using pine bark and harvesting 260-290 DAT. In 2023/24, ‘Blue Ring’ and ‘Yellow Ginger’ were added. Pre-sprouting started in March and transplanting occurred in late May 2023 with only pine bark as the media type. Fertigation and irrigation were discontinued in mid-December to allow media to dry. The yield of ‘Chinese Ginger’ raged from 11.3 lb./plant in early November 2023 to 13.7 lb./plant in late February 2024, indicating possible early harvests and curing if storage space is available, which would avoid heating greenhouse in deep winter. ‘Chinese Ginger’ had the highest yield (13.8 lb./plant), followed by ‘Yellow Ginger’ (12.5 lb./plant) and ‘Blue Ring’ (9.7 lb./plant). All three cultivars had 10-20% culls due to rotting (disease) and scarring. Our results proved the feasibility of ginger seed production in local greenhouses and the great yield with a hydroponic system. We will refine the system and test the quality of seeds in field and high tunnels in 2024.
The monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs) Vincristine and Vinblastine are medicinally important anti-tumor chemotherapy drugs derived from Catharanthus roseus metabolites, but the production of these alkaloids is difficult due to low levels in plant tissue and cost-prohibitive extraction methods. Cultivation of C. roseus in controlled environment systems could allow for increased production of desirable metabolites. There currently is a lack of knowledge concerning hydroponic and controlled environment production of C. roseus for alkaloid production. In two separate experiments, C. roseus was grown in deep water culture hydroponics (DWC) to determine its suitability for hydroponic cultivation and the effect of applying the plant hormones jasmonic and salicylic acids on MIA levels. In experiment 1, two cultivars, ‘Sunstorm Mix’ and ‘Cora Mix’, were cultivated under greenhouse conditions in DWC with two substrates, rockwool (Grodan AO 36/40) or 75% peat: 25% coir ( Jiffy Preforma *HP* DJ) and two fertilizer solution concentrations [150 or 300 mg/L N using a 15N-2.2P-12.4K water-soluble fertilizer (Jack’s Professional® LX 15-5-15 Cal-Mag LX)]. Shoot and root fresh and dry weight (SFW, SDW, RFW, RDW), leaf chlorophyll (CCI) and anthocyanin content (ACI), and total alkaloids (TA) were analyzed. The most favorable combination for many plant growth parameters measured was ‘Sunstorm Mix’ with Jiffy at 150 mg/L N, showing higher SFW, SDW, RFW, and RDW compared to other combinations. In experiment 2, ‘Sunstorm Apricot’ was cultivated under greenhouse conditions in DWC with the same75% peat: 25% coir using a modified Sonneveld solution at 150 mg/L N. Jasmonic and salicylic acids were applied at three rates and at two time points [34 and 41 days after transplant (DAT)]. Two sets of leaf samples were collected at 6,12,18 and 24 hours after application (HAA) and analyzed for the MIAs Vincristine and Vinblastine. Plants were destructively harvested 47 DAT for measurement of growth parameters FSW, FRW, DSW, and DRW. Together, these experiments assisted in improving the crop production for alkaloid use in healthcare and other applications.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is esteemed for its diverse uses in flavoring beverages, enhancing cuisines and offering medicinal benefits such as aromatherapy and home remedies. Yet, its global production struggles to meet demand due to persistent seed-piece and soil-borne diseases (SSDs) caused by fungi, bacteria, oomycetes and nematodes. Lack of genetic diversity because of vegetative propagation exacerbates the situation. This study explored the efficacy of hot water treatment (HWT, 47°C for 30 minutes or 52°C for 10 minutes), Trichoderma-based biocontrol products (BPs, RootShield®, RootShield®Plus) and chitosan (1 or 5g/L in 1% HCl) alone or in combination with each other using ‘Chinese’ variety grown in a 10-lber grow-bags in a high tunnel. Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. zingiberi) was inoculated (2 X 103 conidial suspension/ml) prior to and after HWT, BPs and / or Chitosan. Results showed significantly higher mortality when seed-pieces were treated and then inoculated with pathogen before planting than vice versa. In one of the experiments, ginger plants grew significantly taller when treated chitosan (5g/L) when compared with non-treated control. Dipping seed-pieces in BPs also showed significantly higher growth and yield compared to only HWT or the non-treated control. The research contributes components that can be added towards developing integrated preventative and curative measures to mitigate SSDs. Recently, leaf spot caused by Curvularia sp. and postharvest infections by Pythium sp. and Penicillium sp. are under investigation. Scouting research plots in high tunnels and a grower’s greenhouse also revealed arthropod damages by grasshoppers, caterpillars, mites and sucking insects in protected systems.
Phytochemicals from the genus, Fagonia, have potential beneficial effects on human health. Fagonia indica is a Pakistani traditional herbal medicine thought to be useful for the prevention and treatment of breast cancer Acid-hydrolyzed extracts of Fagonia indica have bioactivity on breast cancer MCF-7 cells in vitro. Horticultural production of Fagonia indica is largely undeveloped. Seeds planted without special treatment show poor emergence and come up slowly over many weeks. Seed treatments with vernalization, scarification, gibberellic acid soaking and their interactions were tested. Seed were treated and planted into mulch. Less than 1 percent of untreated seed emerged within 3 weeks of planting. Both seed scarification and gibberellic acid greatly enhanced emergence. Vernalization had a small effect on total emergence but did increase seedling emergence during the first two weeks following planting, Scarification and gibberellic acid could be refined by making variations in these practices.
Apigenin, an anticancer secondary metabolite, is produced in fruits, vegetables, and herbs, and has been used to prevent patient resistance to cancer treatments. Petroselinum crispum (parsley) is one of the highest natural producers of apigenin. Three parsley cultivars, ‘Darki’, ‘Giant of Italy’, and ‘Wega’, were trialed in an indoor vertical hydroponic system to determine biomass production and apigenin accumulation. The cultivar ‘Giant of Italy’ was selected as the superior cultivar with 0.16 mg apigenin accumulated in each plant and significantly higher biomass than the other cultivars. A viable strategy for increasing secondary metabolite production in plants is through polyploid induction. Although polyploid induction has not previously been used to increase apigenin, it has been used to increase production of other secondary metabolites including quercetin and kaempferol. ‘Giant of Italy’, which has been reported as 2n = 2x = 22, was induced to form tetraploid tissue by treating seeds with an antimitotic agent. Seed germination decreased with increasing treatment concentration and the surviving seeds were grown to maturity in a greenhouse. New leaf tissue was harvested for analysis, and tetraploid cells were confirmed using flow cytometry. Polyploid induction of ‘Giant of Italy’ in this study suggests potential for elevated apigenin production.
California yerba santa (Eriodictyon californicum) is a chaparral shrub of western California and south western Oregon. Its leaves are rich sources of natural flavonoids. Leaves collected from wild stands in general contain the flavonoids homoeriodictyol, eriodictyol, hesperetin, and smaller amounts of other flavonoids. These flavonoids are of possible medical value and are subjects of intensive medical research. California yerba santa leaves containing substantial amounts of the flavonoid sterubin would be of special interest due to sterubin’s potential activity against the enzymatic and inflammatory pathways leading to Alzheimer’s disease in humans as discovered by the Salk Institute of La Jolla, California. We collected leaf samples from SW Oregon through California over the range of plant distribution. Not all areas were sampled. Total flavonoid content in excess of 10 percent of leaf dry weight were common. Leaves with sterubin content were relatively rare. Sterubin content of several samples exceeded 5 percent of leaf dry weight.
Sabadilla (Schoenocaulon officinale), a perennial geophytic species with various medicinal properties and historical uses as a natural insecticide or “green pesticide”, has been used by human cultures in the Americas for >2,000 years. Its history parallels the domestication of pyrethrum (Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium) in Europe with similar green pesticidal properties, although the active ingredients differ. Alkaloids extracted from sabadilla seeds have been used to control many insect pests also killed by pyrethrum as well as additional insect pests. With the renewed consumer interest in botanically derived products and the growth of organic chemical industries, S. officinale has re-emerged as a viable source for insect management. To meet market demands, rapid crop domestication must occur. However, sabadilla is an herbaceous perennial geophyte (tunicate bulbs) with an extended juvenility period of at least 64 wks and little is known about the phenotypic and genetic structure of wild populations, alkaloid content variation, and flowering times from seed. Current production is limited to wild-harvested seed (open-pollinated) in Venezuela which is threatening native populations. The purpose of this study was to assess phenotypic and genotypic structure of wild sabadilla populations and seed lots; species comparison with S. texanum were also performed. Through introduction of wild-sourced composite seed into a modern breeding and cropping system, phenotypic traits (rate of seed germination, growth rates, factors of flowering, timing of seed maturity, seed yield, and alkaloid content) were assessed in multiple locations. Genotypic analyses (GBS; DArTseqLD) were used to identify low density SNPs and determine genetic structure within and among wild species populations. Seed lots from varying locations in Venezuela showed distinct SNP arrays with little overlap. SNP-trait association of seed germination weeks was an unexpected, rather tight linkage. Both species are genetically distinct from each other. Phenotypic and genotypic data will be integrated with a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify SNP-trait associations and aid in marker-assisted selection.
