Potato dormancy is a major obstacle in post-harvest evaluations for the certification of seed. Objectives of this study were to evaluate the efficacy of several treatments to break dormancy and induce sprouting soon after harvest for Russet Burbank, Clearwater Russet, and Umatilla Russet. Treatments included: (a) control held at 18.3 C, (b) cold-stratification held at 4.4 C for two weeks, (c) temperature fluctuation held at 4....

Handling potatoes at harvest and throughout transloading operations can result in two main impact injuries: blackspot and shatter bruises. The objective of this study was to examine the development of blackspot and shatter bruises over a 24 to 48-h period as influenced by cultivar, impact height and holding temperature with the intent to identify whether more rapid, on-farm bruise evaluations could be used to facilitate change...

Capsicum annuum is a globally important crop with rich genetic diversity that underpins breeding for productivity and disease resistance. In this study, we assessed 485 accessions representing a diverse Capsicum germplasm set, predominantly Capsicum annuum with a limited representation of related wild species using agro-morphological traits and simple sequence repeat markers to explore diversity, structure, and trait variation...

Potato virus Y (PVY) is an important pathogen in seed potato production that may cause seed lots to be downgraded or rejected for certification. A study was conducted to determine if mother seed tuber size influences the prevalence of PVY within a seed sample during evaluations of seed-borne infection in a grow-out. The trial was conducted using Russet Norkotah (two growing seasons) and Umatilla Russet (one growing season). Se...

Handling potatoes individually or collectively in packages can create opportunities for potatoes to develop quality defects including blackspot and shatter bruise. Three trials were conducted to examine how handling packaged potatoes can influence the risk for physical damage including shatter and blackspot bruise. An impact recording device was used to record peak acceleration (max g-force) in common fresh market packaging op...

Nanomaterials (NMs) are nanoscale materials of different shapes that are made of a variety of materials such as carbon, silicon, and transition metals. Wastewater treatment plants and nano-enabled consumer products have been identified as major sources of nanomaterials in the environment. Findings from many research studies revealed nanomaterials to be toxic to non-targeted species. Despite presenting an ecological risk to the...

Ocean research and conservation are still largely exclusive fields, with ongoing issues of racial, gender, class, and geographic underrepresentation. To improve accessibility and retention within these fields, we need to create equitable, just, and welcoming study and work environments. It is therefore crucial to listen to the voices of students and early career ocean professionals (ECOP). We conducted an online survey on the...