ARONIA

Fruit diameter measurements obtained using Adobe Photoshop CS4 with Silver Fast 6.0 (Plustek OpticPro A320) set at 300 DPI. Measurements in millimeters.

Average refractometer readings from 3 randomoly selected plants using 10 fruits from each plant. Readings obtained using Atago Pocket Refractometer (PAL-1) at time of peak harvest.

Weight of single fruit. Measurements in grams.

Peak flowering date of field grown plants, average of at least two years.

Average height of 3 year old, field grown plants, in meters.

Average height of 5 year old, field grown plants, in meters.

Average width of 3 year old, field grown plants, in meters.

Average width of 5 year old, field grown plants, in meters.

Ploidy level determined through University of Connecticut (Dr. Mark H. Brand). Base number is n=17; 2n=34; 4n=68. Fresh leaves were harvested and nuclei suspensions were prepared by chopping approximately 50 mg of young leaf tissue with a fresh razor blade in 55 mm plastic Petri dishes containing extraction buffer prepared according to Arumuganathan and Earle (1991). The procedure was modified in accordance with Meng and Finn (1999) by adding 2 g of PVP-10 per 50 ml of extraction buffer and fluorescently staining released nuclei with propidium iodide after filtering, rather than during the chopping process. Relative fluorescence of total DNA (FL2) for each stained nucleus was determined with a Becton-Dickinson FACS Calibur Dual Laser Flow Cytometer (Becton, Dickinson and Co., Franklin Lakes, NJ) located at the Flow Cytometry and Confocal Imaging Facility at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT. The cytometer was equipped with an argon ion laser emitting radiation at 488 nm. For each sample 10,000-20,000 particles were measured. Fluorescent emission data was collected and displayed by BD CellQuestTM software (Becton, Dickinson and Co., Franklin Lakes, NJ) in histograms of nuclei number according to fluorescence intensity, which was proportional to DNA content. The peaks of test samples were compared to peaks derived from control plants containing 2N DNA to determine relative ploidy levels as either diploid, triploid or tetraploid.

Listing of Omernik Level III Ecoregion where germplasm was obtained. Ecoregions determined using Omernik, J.M., 1987, Ecoregions of the conterminous United States (map supplement): Annals of the Association of American Geographers, v. 77, no. 1, p. 118-125, scale 1:7,500,000.

Listing of USDA Cold Hardiness Zone where germplasm was obtained. Cold Hardiness Zones determined using the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2012. Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Observational data collected from woody ornamentals growing at the North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station in Ames, Iowa.

In 2009 and 2010, Aronia accessions were established at the USDA-ARS North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station (NCRPIS), Iowa State University, Ames, IA. Seedlings were started by germinating seeds and then cultivating them in the greenhouse until seedlings were approximately 15-30 cm in height. They were then transplanted by hand in 2009 and 2010 by hand to a field at the NCRPIS farm (42 degrees 00' 40"N, 93 degrees 39' 33"W). Seedlings were grouped by accession in a single row. Plants were spaced 45-cm apart within rows and 550-cm apart between rows in a randomized block design. Observations were taken in 2012 for the following descriptors: date of peak flowering, flower diameter, number of inflorescences per 30.5 cm, fruit color, fruit diameter, date of peak fruit ripening, plant height, and fruit weight.

In 2009 and 2010, Aronia accessions were established at the USDA-ARS North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station (NCRPIS), Iowa State University, Ames, IA. Seedlings were started by germinating seeds and then cultivating them in the greenhouse until seedlings were approximately 15-30 cm in height. They were then transplanted by hand in 2009 and 2010 by hand to a field at the NCRPIS farm (42 degrees 00' 40"N, 93 degrees 39' 33"W). Seedlings were grouped by accession in a single row. Plants were spaced 45-cm apart within rows and 550-cm apart between rows in a randomized block design. Observations were taken in 2013.

In 2009 and 2010, Aronia accessions were established at the USDA-ARS North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station (NCRPIS), Iowa State University, Ames, IA. Seedlings were started by germinating seeds and then cultivating them in the greenhouse until seedlings were approximately 15-30 cm in height. They were then transplanted by hand in 2009 and 2010 by hand to a field at the NCRPIS farm (42 degrees 00' 40"N, 93 degrees 39' 33"W). Seedlings were grouped by accession in a single row. Plants were spaced 45-cm apart within rows and 550-cm apart between rows in a randomized block design. Observations were taken in 2014.

In 2009 and 2010, Aronia accessions were established at the USDA-ARS North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station (NCRPIS), Iowa State University, Ames, IA. Seedlings were started by germinating seeds and then cultivating them in the greenhouse until seedlings were approximately 15-30 cm in height. They were then transplanted by hand in 2009 and 2010 by hand to a field at the NCRPIS farm (42 degrees 00' 40"N, 93 degrees 39' 33"W). Seedlings were grouped by accession in a single row. Plants were spaced 45-cm apart within rows and 550-cm apart between rows in a randomized block design. In 2013, LAI was measured using an AccuPAR Ceptometer (Model LP-80; Decoagon Devices, Inc.; Pullman, WA). Measurements were attained at mid-section of the plot, at ground level, ~10 cm parallel from the row of plants. The AccuPAR Ceptometer probe is 19 cm x 9.5 cm, and contains 8 segmented PAR sensors. Measurements were recorded three times on each side of the plant. The AccuPAR calculated LAI based on the above and below-canopy PAR measurements along with other variables (i.e. zenith angle, fractional beam measurement value, and leaf area distribution parameter). An average LAI was calculated from a total of six measurements.