Genotype-specific effects of ericoid mycorrhizae on floral traits and reproduction in Vaccinium corymbosum

American Journal of Botany is published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the Botanical Society of America. Premise: Most plants interact with mycorrhizal fungi and animal pollinators simultaneously. Yet, whether mycorrhizae affect traits important to pollination remains poorly understood and may depend on the match between host and fungal genotypes. Here, we examined how ericoid mycorrhizal fungi affected flowering phenology, floral traits, and reproductive success, among eight genotypes of highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum (Ericaceae). We asked three overarching questions: (1) Do genotypes differ in response to inoculation? (2) How does inoculation affect floral and flowering traits? (3) Are inoculated plants more attractive to pollinators and less pollen limited than non-inoculated plants of the same genotype?. Methods: To examine these questions, we experimentally inoculated plants with ericoid mycorrhizal fungi, grew the plants in the field, and measured flowering and floral traits over 2 years. In year 2, we conducted a hand-pollination experiment to test whether plants differed in pollen limitation. Results: Inoculated plants had significantly higher levels of colonization for some genotypes, and there were significant floral trait changes in inoculated plants for some genotypes as well. On average, inoculated plants produced significantly larger floral displays, more fruits per inflorescence, and heavier fruits with lower sugar content, than non-inoculated, control plants. Hand pollination enhanced the production of fruits, and fruit mass, for non-inoculated plants but not for those that were inoculated. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that inoculation with ericoid mycorrhizal fungi enhanced flowering and altered investment in reproduction in genotype-specific ways. These findings underscore the importance of examining belowground symbionts and genotype-specific responses in their hosts to fully understand the drivers of aboveground interactions

Production of blueberry wine and volatile characterization of young and bottle-aging beverages

The aim of this study was the production of blueberry wine and the characterization of the volatile compounds of fermented and aging in bottle products. Multivariate data analysis indicated similarity of volatile compounds released when fermentations were conducted at laboratoryscale and midscale, with the exception of one replicate creating a distinctive group characterized by low concentrations of acetaldehyde, methanol, 1hexanol, and ethyl hexanoate, and the production of polyalcohols such as 2,3butanediols. This experiment was the only one where no adjustments of YAN were performed. Some of the major volatile compounds (acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate, 2methyl1butanol, 3methyl1butanol, and 2phenylethanol) were found above their perception thresholds. Esters and terpenic compounds were the groups of volatiles expressed the most in blueberry wines, followed by volatile fatty acids, alcohols, and norisoprenoids (3hydroxy7,8dihydroionone, 3oxoionol, and 3hydroxy7,8dihydroionol). The wines that experienced bottleaging are characterized by high concentrations of ethyl esters, diethyl succinate, ethyl lactate, and diethyl malonate. The results contribute for deeper knowledge of the technological procedure, analytical characteristics, and volatile compounds of blueberry wines, reinforcing the interest in this beverage and opening perspectives for further studies on the production of new blueberrybased products with differential characteristics that value its nutraceutical and functional properties.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), Grant/Award Number: FCT/UID/Multi/04046/2013 and UID/ BIO/04469/2013; ERFD through POCI COMPETE 2020, Grant/Award Number: BI/ PTDC/AGR-TEC/3315/2014_2016; ERFD, INTERACT project, Grant/Award Number: no. NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000017; ERFD, INNOVINE&WINE, Grant/Award Number: NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000038; European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Grant/Award Number: NORTE 2020; FCT, COMPETE 2020, Grant/Award Number: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684; FCT, BioTecNorte operation, Grant/Award Number: NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio