Location: Nat'l Clonal Germplasm Rep - Tree Fruit & Nut Crops & Grapes
2018 Annual Report
Accomplishments
1. Crop germplasm distribution. The germplasm collections were created to be made available to scientists, especially geneticists and breeders who develop new cultivars to address the needs of growers and consumers. Most items were shipped in March 2018 as three to five cuttings per item or accession. Leaves, pollen, and fruit are also sent if requested. ARS scientists and staff in Davis, California, ship to research and education entities when genetic diversity or genetic standards are a requirement. Not all requests can be accommodated. The majority of the shipments, more than 93 percent, were to domestic customers.
2. Pruning of the collections. ARS scientists and staff in Davis, California, regularly prune the plant accessions in the repository as they are planted and spaced very closely. Mechanical hedging is much more efficient than hand pruning and was used on walnuts. The Prunus collection was also hedged to bring the canopy of the trees down so that they can be worked from the ground, making caring for them easier and more manageable. Hedging also reinvigorates the trees, allowing for new growth and increased sunlight and air-flow.
Review Publications
Preece, J.E., Chater, J.M., Merhaut, D.J., Jia, Z. 2018. Pomegranate. HortScience. 53(6):770.
Gasic, K., Preece, J.E., Karp, D. 2018. Register of new fruit and nut cultivars list 49. HortScience. 53(6):748-776.
Knap, T., Aradhya, M.K., Arbeiter, A., Hladnik, M., Bandelj, D. 2018. DNA profiling of figs (Ficus carica L.) from Slovenia and Californian USDA collection revealed the uniqueness of some North Adriatic varieties. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 65:1503-1516. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-018-0634-5.
Migicovsky, Z., Sawler, J., Gardner, K., Aradhya, M.K., Prins, B.H., Schwaninger, H.R., Bustamente, C., Buckler, E.S., Zhong, G., Brown, P., Myles, S. 2017. Patterns of genomic and phenomic diversity in wine and table grapes. Horticulture Research. 4:17035. doi: 10.1038/hortres.2017.35.
Al Rwahnih, M., Adib, R., Stevens, K., Diaz-Lara, A., Trouillas, F.P., Preece, J.E., Kallsen, C., Farrar, K., Golino, D. 2018. Discovery of viruses and virus-like pathogens in pistachio using high-throughput sequencing. Plant Disease. 102(7):1419-1425. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-12-17-1988-RE.
Chater, J.M., Santiago, L.S., Merhaut, D.J., Jia, Z., Mauk, P.A., Preece, J.E. 2018. Orchard establishment, precocity, and eco-physiological traits of several pomegranate cultivars. Scientia Horticulturae. 235:221-227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2018.02.032.
Chater, J.M., Merhaut, D.J., Jia, Z., Arpaia, M., Mauk, P.A., Preece, J.E. 2018. Effects of site and cultivar on consumer acceptance of pomegranate. Journal of Food Science. 83(5):1389-1395. https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.14101.
Chater, J.M., Merhaut, D.J., Jia, Z., Mauk, P.A., Preece, J.E. 2018. Fruit quality traits of ten California-grown pomegranate cultivars harvested over three months. Scientia Horticulturae. 237:11-19.
Gianaspro, A., Mazzeo, A., Giove, L.S., Zito, D., Marcotuli, I., Gallotta, A., Colasuonno, P., Nigro, D., Blanco, A., Aradhya, M.K., Gadaleta, A., Ferrara, G. 2017. Exploiting DNA-based molecular tools to assess genetic diversity in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) selections and cultivars. Fruits. 72(5):292–305. https://doi.org/10.17660/th2017/72.5.5.
Potter, D., Bartosh, H., Dangl, G., Yang, J., Bittman, R., Preece, J.E. 2018. Clarifying the conservation status of northern California black walnut (Juglans hindsii) using microsatellite markers. Madrono. 65(3):131-140. https://doi.org/10.3120/0024-9637-65.3.131.
Chater, J.M., Santiago, L.S., Merhaut, D.J., Preece, J.E., Zhenyu, J. 2018. Diurnal patterns of photosynthesis and water relations for four orchard-grown pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cultivars. Journal of American Pomological Society. 72(3):157-165.
