Current Production Research
RESEARCH PROJECT OVERVIEW FOR 2010-11
Hazelnut Breeding - Shawn Mehlenbacher - Budget (OHC portion)
Objectives:
1. Develop new Eastern Filbert Blight resistant hazelnut cultivars. For selections that lack the 'Gasaway' gene, continue to assess the level of relative susceptibility of cultivars and advanced selections. For progenies segregating for the 'Gasaway' gene for immunity, select based on linked DNA markers prior to planting in the field, and greenhouse inoculation to confirm
resistance of selections. Identify and use new sources of resistance and determine percentage of resistant offspring. Use DNA markers for these new resistance sources when feasible.
2. Obtain information on the genetic control of important traits. Many of these forms have value as ornamentals (e.g. contorted growth habit , immunity to EFB, cutleaf, red-yellow leaf
color).
3. Identify the incompatibility alleles in cultivars and selections, take notes on phenology, and recommend the best available combinations of cultivars and compatible pollinizers for new plantings.
Advanced selection, cultivar & rootstock evaluation - Shawn Mehlenbacher / Becky McCluskey
Objectives:
1. Evaluate promising selections and cultivars in four replicated trials (2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009) for yield, nut and kernel characteristics, tree vigor and blooming characteristics.
2. Determine time of female bloom and pollen shed of commercial cultivars and advanced selections from December until bud break. Determine pollen viability of those selections that are most likely to be released as new cultivars or pollinizers within the next 1-2 years.
3. Create relevant publications on newly released cultivars and pollinizers.
4. Determine transition time from existing cultivar to catkin production of grafted scion onto eight-year old EFB-resistant rootstocks currently grafted with 'Clark' scions. (McCluskey / Smith)
Micropropagation of Hazelnut - Barbara Reed - USDA-ARS
Objectives:
1. Initiate and maintain new selections from the Breeding Program. Provide these to commercial laboratories for further propagation as required. Provide a safe long-term storage system for selections until they are named or discarded by Shawn Mehlenbacher.
2. Develop improved culture medium and conditions for hazelnuts. This would be a graduate student (MS) project involving production of clean (bacteria free) cultures, improved medium and improved growing conditions. A graduate student has begun this project.
Management of Eastern Filbert Blight - Jay Pscheidt
Objectives:
1. Continue establishment of field trials designed to evaluate new chemicals for effectiveness against EFB. There are many promising materials that can be tested.
2. Establish field trials designed to evaluate various chemical programs for effectiveness against EFB.
3. Establish a long term fungicide protection program in an Ennis orchard.
4. Evaluate organic treatments for EFB control.
5. Evaluate use of Pentra-Bark to make fungicide applications.
6. Compare weather data sets from years that resulted in low canker development.
7. Investigate how long EFB cankers continue to produce spores once cut from threes and/or chipped.
Efficacy of Eradicant Fungicides on Sporulation of EFB - Pscheidt
Objectives:
1. Develop the methods needed to evaluate materials that might be used to reduce sporulation of EFB stroma.
2. Evaluate the effect of pH on ascospore release from stroma.
3. Evaluate the effect of various solutions of chemicals or biologicals on ascospore release from stroma.
4. Evaluate the effect of timing and rate of materials such as lime sulfur on seasonal maturation and release of ascospores of the EFB pathogen.
A graduate student is now working on this project.
Development of Integrated Filbertworm Pest Management Strategies - Vaughn Walton
Objectives:
1. Refine the online filbertworm emergence model.
2. Evaluate alternative 'soft pesticide' spray regimes.
3. Investigate feasibility of mating disruption for filbertworm control.
Re-sequencing Hazelnut Genomes - Todd Mockler
Objective: To generate high quality reference-guided genome assemblies for seven diverse hazelnut accessions using the Illumina sequencing technology. The resulting sequences will be compared to the reference 'Jefferson' genome assembly already in hand, as well as each other to identify sequence differences between accessions.
Work will be done to use the resulting hazelnut DNA markers to investigate genetic diversity in hazelnut and as tags for disease resistance genes and other traits of interest in the breeding program such as identification of the 'Gasaway' gene for EFB resistance and the S-locus that controls pollen-stigma incompatibility.
