Cranberry Domestication and Challenges of the Changing
'Climate' Nick Vorsa, Rutgers University Dept. Plant Biology & Pathology
‘Climate’
Physiological Cranberry adaptation – chilling hrs?; heat stress
Disease & Insect Threats Evolving insects pressure Evolving disease pressure
Business/sociological Juice vs. sweetend-dried Sugar Farming efficiency/sustainability
Acid soils pH 3 – 5.5
Highbush
blueberry
V. corymbosum
Tetraploid
2n = 4x = 48
American cranberry
V. macrocarpon
Diploid
2n = 2x = 24
Asexual - stolons
Sexual - seeds
Dispersal
buoyancy
Blueberry
animal
+/-
Cranberry
Water
+
Brix (soluble solids)
Glucose+Fructose
12 – 15%
7 – 10%
7 – 10%`
2 – 7%
main volatiles Linalool
Blueberry flavor
α – terpineol
antiseptic
Acidity
Benzoic Acid
Storage life
Low TA
(0.5 CAE)
0 %
2 - 3 wks
High TA
(2.5 CAE)
~0.1%
3 - 6 months
Proanthocyanidins +/- ++++
Fruit chemistry - Cranberry seed dispersal based on animal or water?
2n = 2x = 24
diakinesis
anaphase I
Cranberry Meiosis in cv. Wilcox
genome 570 Mbp
protandry
S6 Pilgrim line
S8 Ben Lear line
cv. Early Black – 1852 Harwich, MA
Industry still cultivates native cultivars
Early Black 1852 MA Howes 1843 MA Searles 1893 WI McFarlin 1874 MA Lemunyon 1870’s NJ Ben Lear 1907 WI
Flavonoid biosynthetic
pathway
• Anthocyanins
• Flavonols
• Flavan-3-ols
• Proanthocyanidins
Shikimic acid pathway
mg
/g (
FW
)
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
flavo
nols
proan
thocy
anid
ins
anth
ocyan
ins
Trite
rpen
oids
resv
erat
rol
Constituents of cranberry fruit
germplasm
variation
RBC, P type E.coli
- Cranberry extract
RBC, P type E.coli
+ Cranberry extract
Hahn et al. 2002 J. Mol. Biol. 323:845
Urinary tract disease
E. coli
E. Coli tyes type-1 cystitis P-type pyelonephritis
A-type proanthocyanidins
1st breeding and selection cycle – initiated in 1929
USDA with New Jersey and Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Stations
> 10,000 seedlings from 46 crosses
6 Cultivars named
Stevens, Pilgrim, Bergman, Beckwith, Wilcox, Franklin
40 selections
Year
1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000
Acre
ag
e
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
New Jersey
Wisconsin
False Blossom disease
Fruit rot
2000-present cranberry breeding objectives
Desirable horticultural traits Fruit Rot Resistance (warmer climate) Yield Season of ripening Juice vs. sweeten-dried cranberry (SDC) Processing requirements Tacy (fruit anthocyanidins) Round fruit shape Large fruit size Fruit firmness Early/late season ripening
Cranberry Germplasm
V. macrocarpon
Germplasm – genetic resources
Gene pool
genetic resources,
or more precisely the DNA of an organism
and collections of that material
Domesticated germplasm – NJ, MA and WI Native germplasm - DE, NJ, NY, MA, ME, WV, PA, MI, WI, MN > 600 accessions
Canada - NS, NB, PEI, NF
Berry Wt Total Phenolics
Yield TotalP PACs
TA Tacy
Citric Acid Cyan3Gal
Malic Acid Cyan3Glu
Quinic Acid Cyan3Arab
Brix Peon3Gal
Glucose Peon3Glu
Fructose PeonArab
Sucrose
Fruit of germplasm evaluated in 1998 for:
0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 -500
1,000
2,000
3,000
Stevens mAU
min
C-3
-gal
C-3
-glc
C
-3-a
rab
P-3
-gal
P-3
-glc
P
-3-a
rab
RT (min)
Absorb
ance
HPLC @ OSC, Inc.
Breeding cranberry for fruit rot
resistance – The impossible
dream? Nicholi Vorsa
Jennifer Johnson-Cicalese
Resistance to
Fungi causing cranberry fruit rot disease complex
• Coleophoma empetri
• Colletotrichum accutatum
• Colletotrichum cf. gloeosporioides
• Fusicoccum putrefaciens
• Monilinia oxycocci
• Phomopsis vaccinii
• Phyllosticta vaccinii
• Physalospora vaccinii
Oudemans et al. Plant Disease 82:1176-84, 1998
Germplasm Evaluation
0
100
200
300
400
500
1 2 3 4 5
Rot ratings (1=no rot; 5=severe rot)
# o
f p
lots
2003
2004
When fungicides were withheld from our germplasm collection, most accessions were highly susceptible to fruit rot (rating of 5), but a few showed resistance both years.
34 simple sequence repeats (SSR)
NJ
MA
NS
?
Resistant Susceptible
Bog 4 germplasm
Budd’s Blues
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
BB xBB
BB x89-3
BB x86-45
BB x86-46
BB xCum.
Cum. xBB
BB xHoll.
Cum. x89-3
Cum. xHoll.
Pro
gen
y w
ith
eac
h r
atin
g (%
)
Resistant x resistant
1 2 3 4 5Rot ratings, 1=no rot, 5=all rot
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
BB xCQ
BB xDE
BB xMQ
BB x98-76
98-62 xBB
89-3 xMQ
MQ x89-3
DE xCum.
Cum. xDE
Pro
gen
y w
ith
eac
h r
atin
g (%
)
Resistant x susceptible
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
MQ x 98-62
98-62 xMQ
ST x 98-62
98-62 x ST
Pro
gen
y w
ith
eac
h r
atin
g (%
)
Susceptible x susceptible
Res. Clones BB – Budds Blues Holl. – Holliston 89-3
Populations segregating for fruit rot
20 - ½ acre beds 2 – 5 acre beds
ST
ST
ST ST
35
CQ
MQ
B B
P B
B
E
P
EB
B
E
B B
DE
EB - W
2009 12 ac of progeny plots, Marucci Center
3-5 years to establish maturity
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
Mea
n r
ot
rati
ng
of
pro
gen
y
Mean rot rating of parents
A
R2 = 0.79 h2 = 0.81 SE = 0.21
46 crosses 20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Mea
n r
ott
ed f
ruit
of
pro
gen
y (%
)
Mean rotted fruit of parents (%)
B
R² = 0.64 h2 = 0.90 SE = 6.8
25 crosses
Heritability based on mid-parent - offspring
2012 Results - 1 ft2 fruit samples from resistant progeny and susceptible controls, Oct. 2.
Mullica Queen
Sound fruit Partial Rotten
CNJ06-30-31*
CNJ06-27-11 Stevens
Sound Partial Rotten fruit
Added sugar Sugar/acid ratio
acids or sugars
Cranberry TA – 2.5 CE 8-10 mg/g Citric Acid 6-10 mg/g Malic Acid
Citric acid mg/g
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
TA
(C
E)
1.6
1.8
2.0
2.2
2.4
2.6
2.8
1% CA
Acidity in a breeding population
Current cultivars
Scleroracus vaccinii
Blunt-nosed leafhopper
New subgroup 16SrIII-Yphytoplasmas associated with false-blossom diseased cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) plants and with known and potential insect vectors in New Jersey Lee et al. 2014 Eur. J. Plant Pathol.
Figure 2. Phytoplasma-like particles (red arrows) in a leaf midrib phloem cell of the diseased Rhododendron plant (bar = 500 nm).
et al. 2014
Toad bug – first found in NJ in 2013
Pre-bloom Post-bloom Bloom
Eggs (September-October)
Nymphs (end of June-August)
Adults (August-October)
Harvest
Cranberry Toad-bug
• Phylloscelis atra (Dictyopharidae).
Described 1914
• Feeds only on cranberries.
• Single generation a year.
• Overwinters as eggs.
Global warming
Chilling hrs. Union of Concerned Scientists?
Heat Stress
days over 90 °F expected to increase
fruit rot pressure
scald
Days of treatment
0 5 10 15
Pn
(u
mo
l C
O2 m
-2s
-1)
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Demoranville 25 oC
Stevens 25 oC
Demoranville 35 oC
Stevens 35 oC
.
Demoranville® (selected in the 1990’s)
Stevens (selected in the 1940’s)
ST
ST
Dem
Dem
Ph
oto
syn
thes
is
Cranberry cultivar tolerance to heat stress
25 C
35 C
Unpublished data Huang and Xu
City Point, WI
Planted
1st rep – 1999
2nd rep – 2000
Oct 9, 2003
Bandon, OR planted in
March 2009
August 5, 2009
June 15, 2011
June 15, 2011
scf45d0.0scf191a0.9vccj1c1.4scf55c5.5scf34s8.6scf32j13.1scf306f17.1
scf210s33.9scf210w34.2scf21n35.8Ig1296a40.4scf6i40.7
scf275d52.9
scf13a61.1
scf35k66.3NA61968.3
scf43976.8scf200179.4vccj981.6
NA104088.5
scf1655c102.8
ctg259107.9
200
9R
R
Vm1
scf32980.0scf105g4.42ms4d10b4.9
5ms2b1217.1
scf117222.7
scf217730.7
CA855F37.4
scf6955c49.5scf144d49.6SCAR565751.4
SCAR585969.2
NA171377.1
scf24k82.8
ctg60089.1
scf43g107.2scf222a108.1scf26r111.2
Vm2
scf203h0.0
Ig51a9.3
scf303c23.5scf5k24.2NA179229.63ms2g0933.2
scf36l60.9
scf31h69.7
scf137c77.1
6ms4e4b84.3
scf1594100.1scf2s100.6
Vm3
Ig6523b0.02ms2g090.8
CA1413b14.6
CA1413a27.2
scf486031.5
NA800F38.3
scf22m57.9
scf19e68.3
scf351478.5scf2505a80.6
Ig729b86.8
scf1p96.3
Vm4
scf239d0.0
2ms2a0210.4
scf283b28.4scf207d32.0Ig13662a33.4
scf27L48.4
vccj555.8NA82458.1scf112c61.7
ctg65287.1
Ig9279a92.0
scf17d97.1
ctg428102.1scf44a105.0
MF
W1
Vm5
scf37h0.0
scf15b22.7
scf79c27.4
scf621336.6
scf24844.1
CA39R48.8
Vm6
NA1720.0NA800c5.1ctg4806.1
scf1068822.7scf142e23.9scf530428.9SCAR212230.5
scf902555.1
scf2253d67.7
200
7R
R
ctg1300.0scf5111.2scf20g2.8
Vm7
scf28l0.0
scf41c12.0CA32513.8
scf2000b27.4
scf1291636.5
scf300f48.4scf25m50.2
scf14j55.5
CA187F69.2ctg70470.7scf23c71.6vccb376.4Ig15420a82.1
MF
W2
201
0S
FY
Vm8
scf262a0.0
scf11l6.7
scf72c13.8
scf8l21.8
scf258d36.4
Vm9
CA9330.0
vccj38.6
scf9e18.7Ig21768b19.8
CA794F41.5CA42142.4
Vm10
scf15903c0.0CA1413d3.8
scf94a8.2SCAR505111.8
vccj1a0.0vccj1b0.1
scf6341b6.3
scf3072b20.6
scf171f44.0
scf46g50.5scf108b52.2scf30g57.0scf12i57.4
MR
R
Vm11
scf4b0.0scf28823.5scf63555.7Ig28559a7.6vccj1d9.4scf39e10.0
Vm12
genome size of about 570 Mbp SSRs SCARs ESTs
SOLiD mate-paired Illumina Blueberry ESTs
scf203h0.01TC4503091.1SCF105142.4SCF1556373.6SCF468247.6Ig51a9.4SCF15089810.5SCF91515.1SCF16779317.9419834_K6318.3SCF18797919.3scf5k24.6SCF11016828.0SCF19310329.6ct9534530.9SCF12830731.1NA179233.0SCF13801437.7311291_K7037.8SCF430537.91TC33778038.1SCF20888341.3SCF987242.8ct14521743.0ct14786444.3SCF13749444.5SCF34010SCF72379
45.4
409618_K6346.576326_K70SCF34513
46.9
1TC21715852.2SCF9423780734_K70ct145906
55.7
SCF11114560.8SCF11254061.3SCF18487361.7SCF11686463.4SCF8594665.1SCF2522167.8scf31h69.5SCF8924771.8scf137c73.4SCF715573.8SCF2068176.1SCF3674578.96ms4e4b79.61TC43562082.6SCF2594483.9SCF248386.2SCF5671790.7scf2s95.3scf159498.8ct13955399.8
1
scf203h 0.0
Ig51a 9.3
scf303c 23.5scf5k 24.2
NA1792 29.6
3ms2g09 33.2
scf36l 60.9
scf31h 69.7
scf137c 77.2
6ms4e4b 84.2
scf2s 99.3scf1594 100.1
1
418294_K630.0SCF565611.8SCF266972.01TC1763032.1ct1195233.12ms4d10b3.6ct945044.5SCF830368.55ms2b1212.2ct83024SCF162175
12.6
SCF915718.2scf117223.7416328_K6329.4ct11959030.2SCF7222930.6SCF11338931.5CA855F33.5SCF14062833.9SCF4673935.5ct5268236.9SCF653040.6SCF12407543.4scf6955c44.1ct5220444.2SCF2810046.6305731_K6347.9SCF15454149.5SCF3855353.1SCF1584555.6SCF19455259.4SCF9653969.7NA171373.4SCF1635973.7SCF10082074.9SCF7901475.2SCF20497976.0scf24k76.1SCF10106480.2contig60081.8SCF4959883.7SCF4691288.3SCF112888.7SCF10829488.8SCF1108489.0SCF5328295.0SCF14573995.4SCF1836395.7scf26r97.2SCF2956097.3SCF5181098.1SCF7489599.2281884_K7099.7SCF14119100.1
TY
2
scf3298 0.0
scf105g 4.42ms4d10b 4.9
5ms2b12 17.1
scf1172 22.7
scf2177 30.7
CA855F 37.4
scf6955c 49.5scf144d 49.6
SCAR5657 51.4
SCAR5859 69.2
NA1713 77.1
scf24k 82.8
contig600 89.1
scf43g 107.2scf222a 108.1
scf26r 111.2
2
Crimson Queen x Mullica Queen
FUNDING
NJAES USDA-NIFA-SCRI USDA-NIFA-AFRI NIH Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. NJ Blueberry & Cranberry Research Council
Dr. G. Daverdin Yifei Wang R. DeStefano Stephanie Fong K. Destefano Jennifer Johnson-Cicalese Dr. L. Georgi Jim White Dr. J. Polashock Mariusz Tadych S. Vancho Dr. J. Zalapa
Acknowledgements
V. darrowii BNJ01-8 V. macrocarpon