Plant science driven by Galilee challenges
USING MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
TECHNOLOGIES FOR OVERCOMING
FERTILITY AND QUALITY
CONSTRAINS IN DECIDUOUS TREE
PLANTATIONS IN NORTHERN ISRAEL
Developing a young local scientific
leadership that will support and advance
agriculture in the Galilee
ICA charitable foundation
MIGAL – Galilee Technological center
Northern agriculture R&D
1) Pollination and fertilization, means for improving yields
and fruit quality
Gal Sapir, Ph.D. from 10.08 (Kibbutz Kfar Giladi)
Fertilization in plums. Joined Migal.
Amir Raz, Ph.D. student (Kibbutz Lavi)
Fertilization in apricots
Annat Zosovich, Ph.D. student (Kibbutz Iftach)
Fertilization in pears
Principal investigators: Dr. Raffi Stern, plant physiology
Prof. Martin Goldway, plant molecular genetics
•The Galilee is the major supplier of plum pears and apricots
•Far below their biological potential.
Our goal: Higher yields with
better quality fruits.
Our approach:
•Apples, pears, plums, apricot
do not self pollinate
•Efficiency of cross pollination
depends on genetic compatibility
•We are studying the mechanism
of fertilization
P2
P1
P3
Molecular markers
Topred
S9
S28
Smoothee
S2
S3
Jonathan
S7
S9
Granny Smith
S3
S10
Royal Gala
S2
S5
603 bp 310 bp -
72 bp -
Genetic compatibility between cultivars
25
20
Field experiments 15
10
18.43
5
6.74
0
W(fk)
FR(bh)
Results:
•Identification of cultivars which are better pollinators
•As a result yields are higher and the fruit quality is better
2)Understanding ripening for prolonging fruit storage
Danny Gamrasny, Ph.D. student (Kibbutz Shamir)
Post harvest storage of pears
Danny Lishansky, M.Sc. student (Moshav Almagor)
Post harvest storage of Mango
Principal investigators Prof. Ruth Ben Arie, fruit post harvest
Prof. Martin Goldway, plant molecular genetics
Our goal:
To find the conditions for prolonging storage
Our approach:
•To study fruit ripening applying high throughput molecular genetics
•To investigate the storage condition with new kinds of
ripening inhibitors
Results:
•Novel genes controlling the ripening process were identified
•Conditions and treatments for prolonging the storage of both pears and
mango were identified
3) Pomegranate fruit:
An analytical platform for food functionality.
Elinor Shwartz, M.Sc. Student (Kibbutz Dafna)
Inhibition of the proliferation of prostate cancer
Ira Glazer, M.Sc. Student (Kiryat Shmona)
Detection of bio-active compound that reduced
arthrosclerosis
Revital Tzulker, M.Sc. Student (Kiryat Shmona)
Compounds with antioxidant activity,
Principal investigators: Prof. Rachel Amir, plant metabolomics
Dr. Yigal Bar Ilan, analytical chemistry
• Pomegranate contain bioactive compounds.
• The Upper Galilee will produce, with in two years, a quarter
of the total Israeli pomegranate yield.
Our goals:
To elucidate their bioactive compounds (antioxidant and
anti-cancer) in different pomegranate varieties.
Our approach:
A molecular comparative analysis of pomegranate varieties
Identify and determine there bioactive compounds
Results:
So far, 4 compounds that reduced bloodpressure, cholesterol accumulation and
arthrosclerosis.
OH
OH
O
O
O
O
HO
OH
Our vision:
To produce new highly specialized pomegranate orchards with
cultivars that produce bioactive compounds for the medical and
cosmetic industry.
13 Scientific publications in well known international
journals and bulletins with acknowledgments to ICA
Stern, R.A., Sapir, G., Shafir, S. and Goldway, M. (2007). The Appropriate Management of Honey Bee Colonies for Pollination of
Rosaceae Fruit Trees in Warm Climates. Middle Eastern and Russian Journal of Plant Science and Biotechnology 1(1): 13-19
Sapir, G ., Goldway, M., Shafir, S. and Stern, R.A. (2007). Multiple introduction of honeybee colonies increases cross-pollination, fruitset and yield of ‘Black-Diamond’ Japanese plum (Prunus salicina L.). Journal of Horticultural Sciences and Biotechnology. 82:
590-6
Sapir, G ., Stern, R.A., Shafir, S. and Goldway, M. (2007) SFBs of Japanese plum (Prunus salicina Lindl.): Cloning seven alleles and
determining their linkage to the S-RNase gene. HortScience.
Sapir, G., Stern, R.A., Shafir, S. and Goldway, M. (2008). S-RNase based S-genotyping of Japanese plum (Prunus salicina Lindl.) and its
implication on the assortment of cultivar-couples in the orchard. Scientia horticulturae (In press)
Sapir, G., Stern, R.A., Shafir, S. and Goldway, M. (2008). Full Compatibility is Superior to Semi-Compatibility for Fruit Set in Japanese
Plum (Prunus salicina Lindl.) Cultivars. Scientia horticulturae, 116:394-398
Goldway, M., Zisovich, A., Raz, A. and. Stern, A.R. (2008). Understanding the gametophytic self-incompatibility system and its impact
on European pear (Pyrus communis L.) cultivation. Acta Hort. (In press)
Zisovich, A., Stern, A.R. and Goldway, M. (2008). The Gametophytic Self Incompatibility system, its impact on pear (Pyrus communis
L.) cultivation and the utilization of the wild Syrian pear (Pyrus syriaca) as a "universal pollinator". Israel J. of plant science (In
press)
Raz, A., A. Stern, A.R., Bercovich, D., and Goldway, M. (2008) SFB-based S-haplotyping of apricot (Prunus armeniaca) with DHPLC.
Plant breeding. (In press).
Goldway, M, Takasaki-Yasuda, T., Sanzol, J., Mariana Mota, M., Zisovich, A., Stern, A.R. and Sansavini, S. (2008) Renumbering the SRNase alleles of European pears (Pyrus communis L.) and cloning the S109 RNase allele Scientia horticulturae (in press)
Sapir, G. Goldway, M., Shafir, S. and Stern R.A. (2008) Multiple introduction of honeybee colonies increases cross-pollination, fruit-set
and yield of ‘Black-Diamond’ Japanese plum (Prunus salicina L.). the Journal of Horticultural Sciences and Biotechnology (In
press)
Martin Goldway, Gal Sapir, and Raphael A. Stern (2007) Molecular Basis and Horticultural Application of the Gametophytic Selfincompatibility System in Rosaceous Tree FruitsPlant Breeding Ed: J. Janeck. Vol. 28, chapter 7:215-237
Tzulker R, Glazer I, Bar-Ilan I, Holland D, Aviram M, Amir R. (2007) Antioxidant activity, polyphenol content and related compounds
in different fruit juices and homogenates prepared from 29 different pomegranate accessions. J. Agri. Food Chem. 55: 9559-9570.
Shwartz E, Glazer I, Bar-Ya’akov I, Matityahu I, Bar-Ilan I, Holland D, Amir R. (2008) Changes in chemical constituents during the
maturation and ripening of two commercially important pomegranate cultivars. Food Chem (in press).
Thank you ICA