Project : USDA ARS

ARS Home » Northeast Area » Kearneysville, West Virginia » Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory » Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection » Research » Research Project #436410

Research Project: Integrated Production and Automation Systems for Temperate Fruit Crops

Location: Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection

2025 Annual Report

Objectives
Objective 1: Develop improved monitoring and/or management strategies for invasive and persistent native pests in orchard, small fruit, and/or controlled environment agroecosystems. [NP305, C1, PS1B&1D] Sub-objective 1.A. Identify and/or understand the impact of specific biological stimuli on behavior and ecology of invasive and persistent native arthropod pests. Sub-objective 1.B. Utilize behavioral, ecological and biological knowledge of invasive and persistent native arthropod pests to develop improved monitoring and management tools, and technology. Objective 2: Analyze key whole tree and rootstock-scion interactions; and develop and integrate new plant phenotyping systems to assist in the evaluation of key traits in orchard agroecosystems. [NP305, C1, PS1B&1D] Sub-objective 2.A. Generate new knowledge of apple rootstock-scion interactions based on manipulation of the deep rooting 1 (DRO1) gene. Sub-objective 2.B. Develop new knowledge for potential variety releases and optimized production practices for novel ‘Supersweet’ nectarine selections. Sub-objective 2.C. Develop computer vision and/or robotic plant phenotyping systems for shape analysis for use by plant breeders, physiologists, and horticulturists. Objective 3: Develop improved horticultural practices to improve fruit quality, nutrient and water use efficiency, growth habits, harvest, and/or yield in orchard, small fruit, and/or controlled environment agroecosystems. [NP305, C1, PS1B&1D] Sub-objective 3.A. Develop new knowledge and use of shorter ultraviolet irradiation (~220 nm) on growth and development of strawberry plants. Sub-objective 3.B. Use knowledge of adventitious root initiation and subsequent shoot growth on Rubus species to develop improved management tools and technologies for production of primocane-fruiting blackberry and their reproductive development. Sub-objective 3.C. Understand the impact of catching surface design on mechanical blueberry harvester on fruit quality and develop improved fruit catching design. Sub-objective 3.D. Create methods to compute tree architecture and apply pruning protocols to fruit tree models. Objective 4: Develop new alternative management systems for pests and diseases in orchard, small fruit, and controlled environment agroecosystems that control pests and diseases during production and after harvest. [NP305, C1, PS1B&1D] Sub-Objective 4.A. Control of strawberry diseases and arthropods using UV-C/dark period/antagonist treatment and its effect on organoleptic, chemical, and microbial quality of the fruit. Sub-Objective 4.B. Control of postharvest brown rot of stone fruits. Objective 5: Analyze rapid apple decline disease etiology and develop small scale or scale neutral technologies for managing tree fruit diseases to enhance the economic and ecological sustainability of small farm orchard production. [NP305, C1, PS1B] Objective 6: Generate new knowledge of soil-plant interactions on small farm orchards in new production areas and develop new tools and technologies for enhancing marginal soils with sustainable inputs. [NP305, C1, PS1B]

Approach
The goal of our multi-disciplinary project is to enable growers to increase both ecological sustainability and economic competitiveness in modern fruit production systems. Entomological, computer engineering, horticultural and post-harvest plant pathology disciplines, and expertise will be integrated within this project to accomplish proposed objectives and generate new knowledge, technology, and tools. Objective 1 will utilize laboratory, semi-field and field-based behavioral and chemical ecology techniques to study invasive and persistent native pests, and result in monitoring tools and management strategies for invasive and persistent native pests of orchard and small fruit agroecosystems including brown marmorated stink bug, spotted lanterfly, spotted wing drosophila, and apple maggot fly. Objective 2 will include greenhouse and field-based horticultural studies of ‘Supersweet’ nectarine selections and transgenic apple rootstock overexpressing deep rooting gene (DRO1), and development of a simple computer vision and/or robotic system for plant phenotyping. New knowledge generated will provide optimized production practices for ‘Supersweet’ nectarines, new knowledge of whole tree physiology and rootstock-scion interactions enabling growers to customize fruit tree orchards based on production region, and plant phenotyping technology enabling optimal identification of superior cultivars, clones, rootstocks, and rootstock/scion combinations for improved crop quality. Objective 3 will include greenhouse and field studies aimed at improving advanced machine harvesting technology for fresh market blueberry, alternative systems for the management of primocane-fruiting blackberries that can be used to improve and increase yield from late summer to early winter, and new knowledge on plant response to short wavelength light irradiation to enable earlier harvest times; and studies aimed at establishing orchard technology. Objective 4 will include studies of alternative methods for controlling pre- and post-harvest brown rot fruit decays with heat and GRAS materials, and of UV-C irradiation technology with specific dark period and microbial antagonists against pre- and post-harvest diseases and arthropod pests.

Progress Report
For Obj. 1, we have begun to evaluate the impact of wild populations of the invasive spotted lanternfly feeding on wine grapes. We have found that if left unmanaged, both berry weight and cluster weight are significantly lower than vines managed using a visual count threshold (150 nymphs or 80 adults/vine). We also have begun exploring alternate tools for tracking spotted lanternfly presence using ants as samplers, i.e., ants feed on spotted lanternfly honeydew and then ants are analyzed to detect spotted lanternfly DNA. We will be using this technique in the ARS-funded Areawide Pest Management project. For Obj. 2, we have identified a few lines of nectarine from the high-sugar populations with commercially desirable fruit properties whilst having high total soluble solids content (Brix) based on 2-year data. We will continue field data collection of all individuals of the targeted germplasms to account for the variations associated with weather conditions between the years and to evaluate the sizing potential and other fruit quality traits. Sample processing of collected tissue for analyzing chemical composition of the high-sugar phenotype is also underway. For Obj. 3, we have begun studies with cherry to determine if ultraviolet-C (UV-C) is an effective means to manage post-harvest diseases and the invasive spotted wing drosophila including looking at impacts on the egg stage in both diet media and fruit under experimental laboratory conditions. For Obj. 4, differentially expressed genes were identified in ‘Chandler’ strawberry leaves and fruits in response to UV-C/dark treatment. UV-C/dark and far UV treatments were shown to reduce Colletotrichum species on detached strawberry leaves. Work was completed on UV-C/dark treatment on arthropod pests in growth chambers. We are continuing to evaluate UV-C/dark and far UV treatments for control of pests and insects. For Obj. 5, Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and high-throughput sequencing was used to identify viruses found in declining apple trees and asymptomatic controls. Mixed virus infections were prevalent in both declining and asymptomatic trees. We are continuing to survey the diversity of apple viruses found in the Mid-Atlantic region. Studies evaluating methylobacteria’s efficacy to control fire blight were completed. Methylobacteria treatments did not significantly decrease fire blight disease. Quantitative RT-PCR was used to investigate tree responses to methylobacteria in flowers and leaves. Methylobacteria treatments did induce defense responses in apple which may be beneficial for protection against other plant pathogens. For Obj. 6, studies were conducted using the novel threshold maintenance water management technique for observation of plant physiological response to drought; success of distinct survival strategies depend upon the severity of drought. We continue to study the underlying origins and mechanisms of these strategies. Improvement of data-driven irrigation volume estimation involved fine tuning of existing algorithm logic and improvement of implementation hardware for meeting computational prerequisites of developed machine learning strategies. Present algorithms reliably automate irrigation events for threshold settings with high precision considering hysteretic response curves; accuracy improvement is ongoing and anticipated to be commensurate with machine learning strategy integration. An openly accessible script was written for generation of soil water retention curves (volume/energy-potential) via approximation of Van Genuchten hydraulic parameters from minimal inputs of sand, silt, and clay soil particle fractions, i.e., texture.

Accomplishments
1. Spotted lanternfly, an invasive planthopper in the United States. Spotted lanternfly, an invasive planthopper in the U.S., was reported to have a broad host range in Asia which included many important temperate fruit crops. In the U.S., ARS researchers in Kearneysville, West Virginia, conducted laboratory and field studies to determine what specialty crops were at high risk to damage from spotted lanternfly feeding. Both apple and peach were found to be at low risk, providing critical information to tree fruit growers worried about potential impacts as spotted lanternfly continues to spread. Conversely, wine grapes have been documented to be a highly favored host plant, supporting survivorship and development of spotted lanternfly. If left unmanaged, their feeding results in significant reductions in berry and cluster weight after a single year, highlighting the need for effective management of this invasive species.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection: Kearneysville, WV