Research Centers

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/13

The Department of Research Centers was created in 1994. The Department represents the faculty and staff that conduct research and outreach programs at 7 off-campus research centers.

Central Agricultural Research Center

Eastern Agricultural Research Center

Northern Agricultural Research Center

Northwestern Agricultural Research Center

Southern Agricultural Research Center

Western Agricultural Research Center

Western Triangle Ag Research Center

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Fresh haskap berry postharvest quality characteristics and storage life
(Canadian Science Publishing, 2021-11) Leisso, Rachel S.; Jarrett, Bridgid; Richter, Rebecca; Miller, Zachariah J.
Haskap (Lonicera caerulea L.) is a relatively new berry crop in North America, and little research exists regarding its postharvest storage characteristics or storage life. Postharvest changes in berry quality, and principal factors limiting storage life at 1.1 °C and 95% relative humidity, were evaluated up to 14 days for three cultivars in 2019 and up to 28 days for six cultivars in 2020. Containerized berries were periodically assessed for soluble solids content (SSC), skin rupture force (SRF) (both 2019 and 2020) and flesh firmness, titratable acidity (TA), and Brix/acid ratio (B/A) (2020 only). External appearance was also evaluated both years, revealing berry shrivel as the primary factor negatively impacting visual appeal, followed distantly by low incidence of spoilage later in storage. All cultivars exhibited relatively constant postharvest SSC and decreasing SRF, flesh firmness, and TA (resulting in increasing B/A ratio). Postharvest quality differed slightly between years; relative SRF was consistent among cultivars while SSC was not. Some cultivars had a portion of shriveled berries at harvest, pointing to a need for cultivar-specific harvest indices. Mean days to slight shrivel for individual berries varied among cultivars evaluated, ranging from 7.5–21.9 d postharvest, with mean weight loss ranging from 1.2%–1.6% at this stage. Combined with group marketability estimates — set at a threshold of 10% severely shriveled berries — we estimate a storage life of 7–10 d for fresh haskaps. Additional research is needed to delineate maturation physiology and optimize harvest timing.
Haskap Preharvest Fruit Drop and Stop-drop Treatment Testing
(American Society for Horticultural Science, 2021-12) Leisso, Rachel S.; Jarrett, Bridgid; Miller, Zachariah J.
Haskap (Lonicera caerulea), also known as honeyberry, is a relatively new fruit crop in North America. To date, most academic activity and research in North America involving haskap has focused on cultivar development and health benefits, with relatively few field experiments providing information to guide field planning and harvest management for the recently released cultivars. In 2020, we documented preharvest fruit drop (PHFD) rates for 15 haskap cultivars planted in a randomized block design at our research center in western Montana with the aim of preliminarily determining whether certain cultivars may be prone to this phenomenon. Additionally, we evaluated two plant growth regulators (PGRs) to reduce PHFD in two cultivars previously observed to have high rates of PHFD. Results suggest cultivar-specific variations in PHFD near berry maturation. Because haskap harvest indices are not well-defined and may be cultivar-specific, we share our 1-year study results as preliminary information and as a call for further research. Cultivars Aurora, Boreal Blizzard, Borealis, Indigo Gem, Kapu, and Tana all had PHFD rates less than 12% of yield, where yield is the weight of berries lost to PHFD plus marketable yield and marketable yield is fruit remaining on the shrub at harvest. Cultivars Chito, Kawai, and Taka had the highest rates of PHFD, although marketable yields were still relatively high, especially for Kawai. We note that ease of fruit detachment is an important consideration in mechanical harvest, and this characteristic could be advantageous if managed appropriately. The PGRs evaluated (1-napthaleneacetic acid and aminoethoxyvinylglycine) did not influence PHFD rates; however, our study was limited by the sample size and by the lack of information regarding haskap abscission physiology. In summary, the haskap cultivars evaluated exhibited variable PHFD rates in the year of the study, and further research is needed to understand haskap fruit maturation, harvest indices, and abscission.