Project Overview
Commodities
- Fruits: berries (cranberries)
Practices
- Crop Production: biological inoculants, nutrient cycling
Abstract:
This study, “Effects of Ericoid mycorrhizal fungi (ErMF) on performance of V. macrocarpon under abiotic stresses related to climate change & assessment of ErMF diversity in cultivated and wild cranberry settings,” endeavors not only to encourage sustainable agricultural practices but to expand stress tolerance of cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.), thereby easing challenges faced by growers. Cranberry growers are under increasing pressure from climate effects, which impacts cranberry production through repeated cycles of water and heat stress. These climatic events are well-established and predicted to intensify. Cranberry vines have evolved in a unique bog ecosystem and are highly susceptible to water stress. With the aim to ameliorate the effects of these abiotic stressors and reduce the negative effects on yield and fruit size, growers increase the frequency and quantity of fertilizer and irrigation. However, these practices have raised concern regarding impacts on water quality of the surrounding wetlands with potentially limited benefit on plant performance. Multiple studies conducted in blueberry have shown that inoculation with ErMF have a reductive effect of abiotic stressors, improving plant vigor. ErMF are ubiquitous, with local strains already present and active in agricultural soils, such as the cranberry production system. A comparison of ErMF strains in commercial cranberry farms to those in association in wild cranberry (which grow under more stressful conditions than cultivated), might provide opportunities for selection of strains that could be used for inoculation in commercial production settings, with the potential to provide stress mitigation benefits. In addition, the role of ericoid mycorrhizae in nitrogen (N) uptake in cranberry production is well known. However, the potential role ErMF play in phosphorus (P) uptake is not well understood. Although cranberries are not heavily fertilized with P, contamination from P agricultural runoff poses risk to the quality of surrounding waterways. Inoculation with ErMF may stretch cranberry’s range of tolerance, allowing growers to lessen water and fertilizer usage in response to climate change impacts.
Project objectives:
The objectives of this study are: (1) to evaluate the ErMF biodiversity in commercially cultivated cranberry farms and wild cranberry bogs across Wisconsin; (2) establish the role of ErMF on organic P uptake by cranberry vines; and (3) evaluate if cranberry vines inoculated with ErMF have higher tolerance to water stress.