ASHS Press Releases

New blueberry crops may enhance Georgia’s economy

Southern highbush blueberry. Click here for more information.

TIFTON, GA — Southern highbush blueberries are emerging as an important fruit crop in Georgia, but experienced farmers say the fruit can be a challenge to grow. To determine if the blueberry shows true promise as a profitable crop, researchers at the University of Georgia recently studied the economics of these tiny berries.

Esendugue Greg Fonsah, Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Georgia, undertook a research project designed to determine the profitability of the blueberry industry in Georgia by estimating total costs of cultivating southern highbush blueberries. He explained that, although there are several methods of profit determination, the “risk-rated” method was adopted for his study.

According to Fonsah, “Southern highbush blueberries are a rapidly emerging crop with a bright future in Georgia. These berries ripen during a lucrative market window in April and May, but blueberries, like other fruit crops, are subject to price and yield fluctuation. These volatilities depend on several factors, including the cultivar produced and product sold (i.e., fresh or frozen), locality, aggregate productivity, targeted market, and timing. As a result, profit margin is very difficult to determine.”

Fonsah and his team studied the costs of growing the highbush blueberries over a four-year period. The first year of the study, establishment and maintenance cost of growing the crop in Georgia was approximately $9585.55 per acre. After the fourth year, which was considered to be the first year of actual full production, the cost was estimated at $13,547.35 per acre. The compounded and recaptured establishment annual costs were $2176.43 per acre, and the risk-rated expected returns over total costs 66% of the time were $5452.65 per acre. Fonsah remarked, “In conclusion, our research showed that the chance that farmers will show a profit from the highbush blueberry crop is 92%.”

Dr. Fonsah commented that “the results of our study show that the blueberry industry is viable and worth farmers’ investment. From our research results, we can inform growers that their return on investment will be positive. Also, our study explained agricultural practices necessary to grow good-quality blueberries. The impact is already visible as growers are expanding their acreage. This increase in acreage plus experience will boost production and value. The viability of the blueberry industry will have a spill-over effect to the agricultural economy, in that growers will need to buy more materials and machines. This will translate into the creation of jobs in our area.”

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The complete study and abstract are available on the ASHS HortTechnology electronic journal web site: http://horttech.ashspublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/17/4/571/

Founded in 1903, the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) is the largest organization dedicated to advancing all facets of horticultural research, education and application. More information at: http://ashs.org

This press release is also available on EurekAlert!

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Esendugue Greg Fonsah, Gerard Krewer, Kerry Harrison, and Michael Bruorton
Risk-rated Economic Return Analysis for Southern Highbush Blueberries in Soil in Georgia
HortTechnology 2007 17: 571-579. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

High-tech harvester cuts labor costs, maintains quality of Southern blueberry crops

A bowl of berries is a treat for the eye as well as a delight for the palate. But these tasty little morsels happen to be quite tricky to grow,… Click here for more information.

KEARNEYSVILLE, WV — To meet increasing consumer demands for healthy, high-quality fruit, commercial growers in the United States are ramping up production of blueberries. Domestic production of this tiny antioxidant-packed “super food” has increased in seven Southeastern states, accounting for almost one-third of the U.S. acreage of two of the most popular types of blueberries.

Looking for ways to maintain blueberry quality while keeping production costs low, researchers at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) turned to the “V45″. A mechanical harvester originally developed in 1994 to process blueberries in Michigan, the “V45″ was named for its “V” shaped, 45-degree-angled cutting tool. The V45 features an innovative cane-dividing and positioning system and cushioned surfaces for catching delicate berries. The once-experimental machine was proven to be effective as a commercial harvester for northern highbush blueberries in Michigan, but until recently had not been widely used by growers of southern blueberry cultivars.

Dr. Fumiomi Takeda, Research Horticulturalist and Lead Scientist at the USDA Agricultural Research Service, and a team of researchers published their findings of the V45 study in the January 2008 issue of HortTechnology. The study was performed in Georgia to evaluate harvest efficiency and fruit quality of the V45 harvester on specially pruned rabbiteye and southern highbush blueberry crops. Takeda noted that northern and southern highbush blueberries are most often grown for the fresh fruit market and are almost exclusively hand-harvested. Highbush berries are of higher quality and have a longer shelf life than rabbiteye blueberries, which are often machine-harvested in June and July.

According to the report, harvesting highbush blueberries is labor-intensive, requiring up to 520 hours of labor per acre. With labor costs projected to rise while fruit prices are expected to drop as the blueberry industry expands in areas of the southeast U.S. and California, researchers are looking for ways to develop mechanized harvesting system for southern highbush and rabbiteye blueberries that retains the fruit’s fresh-market quality.

To study the effects of mechanical pruning techniques on fruit yield, blueberry bushes were pruned to remove 30% to 50% of the canopy and open the middle, resulting in V-shaped plants of rabbiteye and southern highbush blueberries. Researchers discovered that yields of winter-pruned ‘Brightwell’ rabbiteye blueberry were lower compared with unpruned plants during both years, but winter-pruned ‘Powderblue’ rabbiteye blueberry plants produced as much as unpruned plants in 2005. In ‘FL 86-19’ southern highbush blueberry, plants that were summer-pruned in June produced as much as unpruned plants the following year, but plants that were winter-pruned in February had lower yields than unpruned plants the same year.

To reduce labor requirements and the cost of harvesting fruit produced for processing, effective power pruning and hedging equipment and mechanical harvesting systems are critical. Takeda explained the significance of the research, stating: “We found that V45 has the potential to mechanically harvest some rabbiteye cultivars while maintaining quality approaching that of hand-harvested fruit. Improved V45 mechanical harvesting system for blueberries in Georgia can help to reduce cost of harvesting and relieve potential labor shortage because of stricter immigration laws.”

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The complete study and abstract are available on the ASHS HortTechnology electronic journal web site: http://horttech.ashspublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/18/1/130

Founded in 1903, the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) is the largest organization dedicated to advancing all facets of horticultural research, education and application. More information at: http://ashs.org

This press release is also available on EurekAlert!

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Fumiomi Takeda, Gerard Krewer, Elvin L. Andrews, Benjamin Mullinix, Jr, and Donald L. Peterson
Assessment of the V45 Blueberry Harvester on Rabbiteye Blueberry and Southern Highbush Blueberry Pruned to V-Shaped Canopy
HortTechnology 2008 18: 130-138. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Teen helps design classroom DNA experiments using common food dyes

Andrew N. Trigiano, a middle school student, completing an electrophoresis experiment with food dyes. Click here for more information.

KNOXVILLE, TN — Agarose gel electrophoresis” Most teenagers wouldn’t have a clue what this scientific term means, but middle school student Andrew Trigiano knows the protocol inside and out. When Andrew was 12, his father Robert Trigiano, a professor at the University of Tennessee, was looking for an interesting science project for his son. Setting out to compare differences in popular brands of Easter egg dyes, Trigiano’s project soon grew into a full-blown scientific study and set of replicable classroom experiments.

One of the most frequently used tools in biochemistry and biotechnology, agarose gel electrophoresis is a common forensic technique often used in genetic or DNA fingerprinting. The procedure is achieved by moving negatively charged nucleic acid molecules through a gelatinous substance known as agarose by using an electric field.

Andrew, in collaboration with his father and other researchers, completed the study, which is published in the January 2008 issue the American Society of Horticultural Science’s journal HortTechnology. The youngest author ever to publish in an ASHS journal, Andrew was only 12 when he began the research project and 14 when the study was published.

The resulting experiments were developed for use in middle and high school classrooms or for teachers and undergraduate students who have limited hands-on experience with this technique. As Dr. Trigiano explained, “one experiment, electrophoresis of common food dyes, was designed for secondary and undergraduate students but can be used as an inexpensive means for introducing the main concepts of electrophoresis to anyone. Popular brands of food dyes (red, blue, yellow, and green) purchased at local markets are mixed into a 60% glycerol/water solution and are separated on 1% agarose gels. Mixed colors are separated into primary colors (e.g., green into blue and yellow) and some apparently single dyes often have extra “surprise” components.”

Explaining another experiment from the study, Trigiano continued: “The second laboratory exercise requires more extensive equipment and a more advanced set of skills, but the exercise has been completed successfully by middle school-level through graduate-level students and teachers. In this exercise, the internally transcribed spacer region of the ribosomal subunit for a fungus, plant, and insect are amplified and separated electrophoretically on agarose gels. A simple crime is solved using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA fingerprinting.”

The experiments outlined in the study provide students with hands-on practice assembling master mixes for PCR, using pipettes, and performing the various steps involved in PCR amplification. Instructions for both exercises are formatted in easy-to-follow procedure boxes, and a downloadable presentation is available on the web. The cost of supplies is about one dollar per student, making these exercises relatively inexpensive to conduct.

Dr. Trigiano hopes the experiments will be a vehicle to introduce electrophoresis to students of all ages. “The experiments are fun, engaging and inexpensive compared to most commercially available kits. The downloadable PowerPoint presentation also helps explain the process visually. The techniques are easily understood and completed by students of all ages with a minimum of equipment and other resources.”

Trigiano attributes his son Andrew for much of the research study’s success. “Andrew did most of the PowerPoint presentation, the dye figures in the article, much of the experimentation with the dyes and helped develop the dye-based forensic exercise.” From the results, it’s clear that this teenager has science in his DNA.

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The complete study and abstract are available on the ASHS HortTechnology electronic journal web site: http://horttech.ashspublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/18/1/177

Founded in 1903, the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) is the largest organization dedicated to advancing all facets of horticultural research, education and application. More information at ashs.org

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Press release also available on EurekAlert! - View release

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Two Simple and Inexpensive Laboratory Exercises for Teaching Agarose Gel Electrophoresis and DNA Fingerprinting
R.N. Trigiano, B.H. Ownley, A.N. Trigiano, J. Coley, K.D. Gwinn, and J.K. Moulton
HortTechnology 2008 18: 177-188. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

University extension services perceived as more credible, but need to become more convenient

 

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Press release also available at: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-05/asfh-otb050708.php