G-FORSCHT 2015

EFFECTS OF ALTERED CULTIVATION CONDITIONS ON PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND FRUIT QUALITY OF RASPBERRY Raspberry is increasingly grown under rain-shelters to protect them from weather inconvenience or in high tunnels to extend the growing season. This study aimed at evaluating the effects of microclimatic changes by tunnel cultivation on raspberry plant performance, inclu- ding photosynthesis, and fruit quality. Therefore, raspberry cv. ‘Glen Ample’ was cultivated under open field conditions and in high tunnels covered with two types of plastic layers: a) a standard polyethylene film with 0 % transparen- cy for UV B radiation and b) a plastic film with 75 % trans- parency for UV B radiation. In general, diurnal photosyn- thetic response curves peaked between 9.00 to 10.00 a.m. and were lowest under the UV B transparent plastic film. Leaf area and fruit size were also negatively affected by this plastic type due to generally higher temperature conditions in tunnels and by reason of the high UV B trans- parency of this particular plastic type. Normally, yield was high but not affected by the treatments. The contents of carbohydrates were highest in leaves of open field grown plants. Vitamin C and the antioxidant capacity of leaves and fruits were influenced by tunnel cultivation. AUTHORS: Dr. Erika Krüger Institut Obstbau erika.krueger@hs-gm.de Anne Zaar Dipl.-LmChem. Institut Obstbau Prof. Dr. Helmut Dietrich Institut Weinanalytik und Getränkeforschung VIRTUAL PLANTS – AN INNOVATIVE TOOL IN APPLIED PLANT SCIENCES In horticulture, applied plant sciences aims at developing highly resource-efficient production systems. For resource use efficiency, plant architecture is a key determinant. Since plant architecture changes with time and adapts to environmental stimuli, accurate predictions of the crop’s performance with respect to changing environments is still an open issue. At the Department of Vegetable Crops, we use modelling approaches and, particularly, virtual plants to facilitate the systematic analysis of the interplaying components of a plant production system. Virtual plants combine models of plant architecture with models of physiological processes, such as photosynthesis. Here, we present research projects, which use virtual plants as key method. Greenhouse crops, such as cucumber and tomato, are used as model crops. Our studies demonstrate the importance of plant architecture in resource use effi- ciency studies. Finally, we highlight the benefits of virtual plants as an innovative tool in applied plant sciences, such as in climate change impact research. AUTHORS: PD Dr. Katrin Kahlen Institut Gemüsebau katrin.kahlen@hs-gm.de Hannah Klostermann M.Sc. Institut Gemüsebau Matthias Olberz M.Sc. Institut Gemüsebau Prof. Dr. Jana Zinkernagel Institut Gemüsebau ABSTRACTS CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS

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