Does enhanced nutrient availability increase volatile emissions in cranberry?

Nutrient availability impacts plant indirect defenses, such as emissions of herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) that attract natural enemies of herbivores. However, the effects are variable depending on the cropping system, and emissions may increase, decrease, or be not affected by nutrient availability. Here, we evaluated the effects of different fertilizer regimes, which varied nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) availability, on HIPV emissions in cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait. Plants included six cranberry varieties that were subjected to four different fertilizer regimes and either noninduced or induced with methyl jasmonate (MeJA), an elicitor of HIPVs, in a 6 × 4 × 2 factorial design. Results show that enhanced NPK fertilizer applications increased total HIPV emissions in MeJA-treated cranberries, regardless of variety. This effect was due to an increase in plant fresh weight. Although the ecological effects of increased HIPV emissions need to be investigated, these findings may have implications for natural enemy manipulation in agro-ecosystems.

The impact of cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) and cranberry products on each component of the metabolic syndrome: a review

BACKGROUND: Some studies have shown that cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) has beneficial effects on the components of the metabolic syndrome (MetS), a condition characterized by a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors suchas central obesity, hypertension, impaired glucose homeostasis, elevated triglycerides, and decreased HDL cholesterol levels. Cranberry is very rich in polyphenols, which may significantly reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Main body of the ABSTRACT: Nutritional intervention studies have indicated that the intake of cranberries and cranberry products may have the following impact on metabolic health: (1) attenuate markers of obesity such as body weight, body mass index, and waist circumference; (2) reduce systolic and diastolic pressures; (3) decrease plasma concentrations of triglycerides and oxidized LDL-cholesterol, as well as increase HDL cholesterol; and (4) promote glucose homeostasis. In addition, nutritional intervention with cranberries could confer antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and the ability to reduce biomarkers of atherosclerosis associated with the MetS, such as homocysteine. Short CONCLUSION: Although there has been promising results, particularly related to lipid profile and blood pressure, further research is needed to support the recommendation of cranberry intake as a nutritional intervention for the treatment of MetS

Tracing the history of plant traits under domestication in cranberries: potential consequences on anti-herbivore defences.

The process of selecting certain desirable traits for plant breeding may compromise other potentially important traits, such as defences against pests; however, specific phenotypic changes occurring over the course of domestication are unknown for most domesticated plants. Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) offers a unique opportunity to study such changes: its domestication occurred recently, and we have access to the wild ancestors and intermediate varieties used in past crosses. In order to investigate whether breeding for increased yield and fruit quality traits may indirectly affect anti-herbivore defences, the chemical defences have been examined of five related cranberry varieties that span the history of domestication against a common folivore, the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar). Direct defences were assessed by measuring the performance of gypsy moth caterpillars and levels of phenolic compounds in leaves, and indirect defences by assaying induced leaf volatile emissions. Our results suggest that breeding in cranberry has compromised plant defences: caterpillars performed best on the derived NJS98-23 (the highest-yielding variety) and its parent Ben Lear. Moreover, NJS98-23 showed reduced induction of volatile sesquiterpenes, and had lower concentrations of the defence-related hormone cis-jasmonic acid (JA) than ancestral varieties. However, induced direct defences were not obviously affected by breeding, as exogenous JA applications reduced caterpillar growth and increased the amounts of phenolics independent of variety. Our results suggest that compromised chemical defences in high-yielding cranberry varieties may lead to greater herbivore damage which, in turn, may require more intensive pesticide control measures. This finding should inform the direction of future breeding programmes.

Improved cryopreservation by diluted vitrification solution with supercooling-facilitating flavonol glycoside.

The effect of kaempferol-7-O-glucoside (KF7G), one of the supercooling-facilitating flavonol glycosides which was originally found in deep supercooling xylem parenchyma cells of the katsura tree and was found to exhibit the highest level of supercooling-facilitating activity among reported substances, was examined for successful cryopreservation by vitrification procedures, with the aim of determining the possibility of using diluted vitrification solution (VS) to reduce cryoprotectant toxicity and also to inhibit nucleation at practical cooling and rewarming by the effect of supplemental KF7G. Examination was performed using shoot apices of cranberry and plant vitrification solution 2 (PVS2) with dilution. Vitrification procedures using the original concentration (100%) of PVS2 caused serious injury during treatment with PVS2 and resulted in no regrowth after cooling and rewarming (cryopreservation). Dilution of the concentration of PVS2 to 75% or 50% (with the same proportions of constituents) significantly reduced injury by PVS2 treatment, but regrowth was poor after cryopreservation. It is thought that dilution of PVS2 reduced injury by cryoprotectant toxicity, but such dilution caused nucleation during cooling and/or rewarming, resulting in poor survival. On the other hand, addition of 0.5mg/ml (0.05% w/v) KF7G to the diluted PVS2 resulted in significantly (p<0.05) higher regrowth rates after cryopreservation. It is thought that addition of supercooling-facilitating KF7G induced vitrification even in diluted PVS2 probably due to inhibition of ice nucleation during cooling and rewarming and consequently resulted in higher regrowth. The results of the present study indicate the possibility that concentrations of routinely used VSs can be reduced by adding supercooling-facilitating KF7G, by which more successful cryopreservation might be achieved for a wide variety of biological materials.

Tiny berry big punch: health benefits of the cranberry

We all know that fruits and vegetables are good for you. In fact, its been shown that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of cancers and other chronic diseases. But cranberries are not your average fruit. Since 1984, many studies have indicated that cranberries have a number of health benefits, the foremost being the "anti-adhesion" effect on certain bacteria.

Cloning, expression, and biological activity of recombinant alpha-cinnamomin: toxicity to cranberry and other plant species.

Elicitins produced by the pathogenic fungi Phytophthora are known to exhibit The elicitin cinnamomin is of nonspecific toxicity to different solanaceous plant species. particular interest for its potential role in the hypersensitive-like cell death and in the biological response of cranberry plants to the fungal pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi. In order to understand the biochemical steps of the Phytophthora root rot disease in cranberry, we investigated the alpha-cinnamomin-induced plant responses. Toxicity of alpha-cinnamomin, which shows a high degree of sequence homology to the alpha-elicitin group, was tested on Vaccinum macrocarpon, Nicotiana tabacum, Capsicum annuum, Lycopersicon esculentum, Lactuca sativa, and Phaseolus vulgaris plants. Gene corresponding to alpha-cinnamomin gene fused with maltose binding protein gene, was cloned into a pMALTEV expression vector, which was transformed into E. coli cells. Cells containing alpha-cinnamomin clones were cultured and extracted protein was purified on a maltose binding protein affinity column. Biological activity of alpha-cinnamomin fusion protein was examined on propagated plants and cuttings. In cranberry plants treated with cinnamomin necrotic hypersensitive-like response in the proximal areas of the leaf lamina of lower plant leaves was observed after 48-72 hr of incubation. Limited leaf necrosis observed days after application of low amounts of recombinant cinnamomin directly on the leaves of other plants indicates that the recombinant protein might be functioning as a toxin, capable of inducing aging accompanied by plant cell death.