一种地区性的浆果和挑剔的水果
Huckleberries are the northwest’s ultimate summer fruit and the signature ingredient in an array of delightful treats.
有越橘派, 哈克贝利冰淇淋, 《哈克贝利·费恩糖浆, 越橘果酱, 果冻和太妃糖, 《哈克贝利·费恩酒, 还有越橘煎饼, huckleberry muffins and huckleberries by the handful…
周围一片喧闹, hand-picked huckleberries one wonders why the delightful berries aren’t cultivated to provide huckleberry fanatics with the festive fruit year-round.
输入 365滚球官网硕士生纳什·穆基, who was introduced to the regional fare when he joined a U of I research team that explores barriers to huckleberry propagation.
It’s just an iconic fruit… that is really important to people. 纳什·穆基，昆虫学研究生
“Huckleberries grow well in the wild, but they’re hard to domesticate,” said Muckey an 昆虫学 student who spent part of last summer at several sites in north Idaho catching insects to learn which bugs the huckleberry bush relies on for pollination. “It’s just an iconic fruit in this region that is really important to people.”
Not only does the demand for the wild fruit keep growing, but the number of wild plants seems to be decreasing. 研究ers want to learn why huckleberry is difficult to cultivate and draw a bead on why the plant is becoming less populous.
Muckey, 谁获得了生态学的本科学位, will spend the next couple of years under the tutelage of 史蒂芬·库克教授, identifying what makes huckleberries grow better in the wild than in a greenhouse.
“The overall goal of this project is to identify which species of wild bees are important pollinators of huckleberry and to determine if we can improve pollination by applying certain soil amendments,库克说。. “随着我们的前进, we will be investigating things like change in nectar quality or floral color which may be influenced by what is in the soil.”
The research seeks to unlock secrets that could help with huckleberry domestication and commercial production.
“在项目的第一年, we’ll collect and identify pollinating insects that are active in wild stands of huckleberry at multiple elevations,穆基说. “We also want to determine and compare the overall composition of the surrounding insect community.”
在第一个野外季节之后, Muckey, who caught insects around wild huckleberry bushes at eight sites in north Idaho with nets and traps, said bumblebees are a common pollinator of the plant.
“Populations of native bees are presumed to be the most important group of huckleberry pollinators,库克说。.
Muckey’s research will identify the exact species of bees.
在阳光下的粘网传粉者, windless days during the hours of peak activity usually between late morning and early evening. Specimens were placed into small plastic vials labeled with site, 日期, 他们被抓的植物种类, 并被送回实验室进行鉴定. Two more field seasons will likely shed more light on which pollinators huckleberries attract the most.
A lower number of huckleberry may be attributed to denser forest canopies that have reduced sunlight reaching the forest floor, 他说. One reason that the changing light conditions may impact fruit production is that they may lower the ability of pollinators to locate and use flowers.
The ’23 growing season was unusual in that huckleberry bushes in the study areas bloomed, were pollinated and produced berries a lot sooner than usual, Muckey说. Plants that normally produce berries in July were already laden with unripe berries by the end of June.
“它们是一种挑剔的植物，”穆基说. “很容易受到天气状况的影响.”
如果条件支持开花, 越橘会早早开花, 或者他们可以等到赛季的晚些时候.
“很难预测，”他说.
The project has two more field seasons and next year’s field work includes planting treated huckleberry alongside wild bushes. 研究人员将测量增长, 包括花和叶, and compare pollinator visitation rates and fruit production of planted huckleberry with wild plants, 基于, 在某种程度上, 对土壤.
“在项目的第三年, we will continue to measure and compare leaf chemistry and floral color between planted and wild plants as well as among soil treatments,穆基说.
烹饪 anticipates the research may contribute to domestication of the fruiting plant, 但要现实一点.
“There’s something in these forests that is just conducive to growing huckleberries,” 他说.
烹饪, 一个越橘爱好者——“它们很好吃,” 他说 — understands the importance of huckleberry to the region.
“It’s just a culturally important fruit native to the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Because it has not been domesticated for production purposes, the economic contribution of huckleberry comes from wild fruit and the demand for the fruit continues to increase while the supply has been decreasing,库克说。.
