Project details
Status: Current
At a glance
- Extreme heat events are affecting traditional cool climate strawberry production regions impacting strawberry fruit quality.
- This study looks at how strawberry ripening under heat stress differs from ripening under normal conditions.
- The research will highlight strategies that could mitigate the impact of high temperature events on strawberry fruit quality and identify target genes for breeding heat tolerant cool climate strawberry cultivars.
About the project
Strawberry (Fragaria spp.) is an important horticultural crop worldwide and a model system for understanding non-climactic fruit ripening. Strawberry varieties grown in Tasmania have been bred to thrive in cool climates. However, even Tasmania experiences hot summers and these higher temperatures can have detrimental effects on fruit ripening and resulting fruit quality. The factors controlling the impact of high temperatures on strawberry fruit ripening are not well understood, so adaptive management practices have not yet been developed.
In this study we will investigate how ripening under heat stress is different to ripening under normal conditions by examining changes in plant hormones, proteins, metabolites, and gene activity that occur during ripening in hot conditions.
Local heat susceptible and tolerant varieties of Tasmania, along with newly bred lines from the Australian Strawberry Breeding Program (ASBP) will be used for this project. The results will be further validated using DNA amplification and sequencing (qPCR) and gene silencing techniques (VIGS).
Industry outcomes
This research will provide following outcomes for the strawberry industry
- Improved understanding of the strawberry ripening process
- Intervention strategies for managing strawberries experiencing high temperature events in cool climates
- Target genes for breeding heat tolerant cool climate strawberry varieties
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For more information contact:
Dr Nathan Tivendale | nathan.tivendale@utas.edu.au
Acknowledgements:
‘Sustainably growing horticulture value in cool climate Australia’ (AS20004) is funded through Frontiers developed by Hort Innovation, with coinvestment from the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Simplot, Premium Fresh, Bejo, Potatoes New Zealand, The Scottish Society of Plant Research Botanical Resources Australia, South Pacific Seeds and contributions from the Australian Government and contributions from the Australian Government.