Penelope Perkins

North Carolina State University | NCSU · Department of Horticultural Science

Obesity is a costly and ongoing health complication in the United States and globally. Bioactive-rich foods, especially those providing polyphenols, represent an emerging and attractive strategy to address this issue. Berry-derived anthocyanins and their metabolites are of particular interest for their bioactive effects, including weight maintenanc...

The global production and consumption of blueberry (Vaccinium spp.), a specialty crop known for its abundant bioactive and antioxidant compounds, has more than doubled over the last decade. To hold this momentum, plant breeders have begun to use quantitative genetics and molecular breeding to guide their decisions and select new cultivars that are...

Understanding consumers’ preferences for fruit quality attributes is key to informing breeding efforts, meeting consumer preferences, and promoting increased market demand. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of fruit quality traits and hedonic sensory evaluation on consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for a selection of fresh north...

In recent years, purple carrots have received interest as a natural source of anthocyanins for applications as a colorant in the food industry. Anthocyanin pigments extracted from purple carrot offer advantages over extraction from other fruit and vegetable sources due to the high concentration in certain genotypes and low or no off-flavors. In add...

This study concludes that the genotype, ripening methods (natural vs. exogenous ethylene application), and carotenoid bioaccessible content should be considered when setting a nutrition goal for vitamin A biofortification in banana-breeding programs.

Pineapple originates from tropical regions in South America and is therefore significantly impacted by cold stress. Periodic cold events in the equatorial regions where pineapple is grown may induce early flowering, also known as precocious flowering, resulting in monetary losses due to small fruit size and the need to make multiple passes for harv...

Apple ( Malus × domestica L. Borkh.) growers need tools to predict the efficacy of chemical thinners that are applied to induce fruitlet abscission to aid in crop load management decisions. Recently, reflectance spectroscopy-based models to predict fruitlet abscission rates were developed. Using spectroscopy, persisting fruitlets had lower reflecta...

Papain (aka C1A) family proteases, including bromelain enzymes, are widespread across the plant kingdom and play critical regulatory functions in protein turnover during development. The proteolytic activity exhibited by papain family proteases has led to their increased usage for a wide range of cosmetic, therapeutic, and medicinal purposes. Brome...

Pineapple originates from tropical regions in South America and is therefore significantly impacted by cold stress. Periodic cold events in the equatorial regions where pineapple is grown may induce early flowering, also known as precocious flowering, resulting in monetary losses due to small fruit size and the need to make multiple passes for harv...

Eastern redbud, Cercis canadensis L., is a popular ornamental tree in the U.S. and has flower colors of purple-type, red-type, and white-type. Most redbuds cultivars have purple-type flowers. Red-types and white-types are much less common. These unusual flower colors have become an important trait for incorporation into novel redbud cultivars. East...

Carbohydrates play a key role in apple fruit growth and development. Carbohydrates are needed for cell division/expansion, regulate fruitlet abscission, and influence fruit maturation and quality. Current methods to quantify fruit carbohydrates are labor intensive and expensive. We quantified carbohydrates throughout a growing season in two cultiva...

Grafting high yielding tomato cultivars (Solanum lycopersicum L.) onto vigorous rootstocks can increase marketable yields, but questions remain regarding optimal cultural and growing conditions such as pinching and plant spacing. This study addressed some of the dynamics between grafted plants and cultural practices. Two scions, ‘Tasti-Lee’ (TL) an...

U.S. black raspberry (BR) production is currently limited by narrowly adapted, elite germplasm. An improved understanding of genetic control and the stability of pomological traits will inform the development of improved BR germplasm and cultivars. To this end, the analysis of a multiple-environment trial of a BR mapping population derived from a c...

Lycopene content in tomato fruit is largely under genetic control and varies greatly among genotypes. Continued improvement of lycopene content in elite varieties with conventional breeding has become challenging, in part because little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms in high-lycopene tomatoes (HLYs). We collected 42 HLYs with di...

Grafting watermelon scions to interspecific squash hybrids has been found to increase fruit firmness. Triploid (seedless) watermelon are prone to hollow heart (HH), an internal fruit disorder characterized by a crack in the placental tissue expanding to a cavity. Although watermelon with lower tissue firmness tend to have a higher HH incidence, ass...

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) grafting has emerged as a promising biological management approach aimed at increasing tolerance to abiotic stressors, such as unfavorable environmental conditions. These conditions include environments that are too cold, wet, or dry, have soil nutrient deficiency or toxicity and soil or irrigation water salinity. Stu...

Cut peonies (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.) have a relatively short vase life and limited availability due to seasonal production. Cultivars Festiva Maxima (FM), Monsieur Jules Elie (MJE), and Sarah Bernhardt (SB) stored at 0.7 °C had a longer flower open time at 12 weeks of storage compared to those held at −3.1 or 3.5 °C, while the flower bud time was...

Essential plant nutrients are needed at crop-specific concentrations to obtain optimal growth and yield. Foliar tissue analysis is the standard method for assessing nutrient levels in plants. Symptoms of nutrient deficiency or toxicity occur when the foliar tissue values become too low or high. Diagnostic nutrient deficiency criteria for Brassica r...

Separately, grafting and the use of plastic mulch can increase yield, quality, and early harvest of watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus ), especially when plants are under biotic and/or abiotic stress. A 2-year field study was conducted to evaluate the combination of four different rootstocks and two types of plastic mulch (black and clear) on date of w...

This study investigated the effects of two doses of freeze-dried watermelon (WM) on bone and lipid parameters in ovariectomized (OVX) mice, a model of post-menopausal osteoporosis. Three-month-old C57BL/6 female mice (n=46) were sham-operated (SHAM) or OVX and randomly assigned to the control or WM diets for 12 weeks: SHAM-control, OVX-control, OVX...

Postmenopausal status is associated with an increase in total and abdominal body fat as well as increased incidence of insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to determine if watermelon supplementation affects select systemic markers of atherosclerosis and measures of insulin resistance in overweight and obese p...

Black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis L.), is one of a group of economically important members of the genus Rubus. In this paper, we describe a multi-state project to phenotype 43 traits in black raspberry. Two mapping populations that had parental material from multiple sources, including wild germplasm from North Carolina, Ontario, and Maine were u...

Grafting is used in watermelon [ Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum and Nakai] production as a means to combat soilborne diseases. To support the development of new rootstock cultivars in the United States, we screened cucurbit germplasm accessions for resistance to verticillium wilt (caused by Verticillium dahliae Kleb.) and for compatibility as wa...

Objective Postprandial fluxes in oxidative stress, inflammation, glucose, and lipids, particularly after a high-fat meal (HFM), have been implicated in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of this study is to determine whether acute freeze-dried mango consumption modulates the postprandial response to an HFM. We hypothesized tha...

Watermelon is the most significant, natural plant source of L-citrulline, a non-proteinaceous amino acid that benefits cardiovascular health and increases vasodilation in many tissues of the body. Watermelon is a member of the Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, melon, pumpkin, and cucumber. It is possible that other cucurbits could be good sourc...

Watermelon fruit [ Citrullus lanatus (Thumb) Matsum & Nakai] is a natural source of phytonutrients, including lycopene, citrulline, and arginine. Two segregating, highly outcrossed North Carolina watermelon populations, NC High Yield (NCHYW) and NC Small Fruit (NCSFW), were evaluated for these traits and for indicators of ripeness (pH and soluble s...

Consumers prefer watermelon with sweet, red flesh, and the presence of lycopene, citrulline and arginine phytochemicals helpful for human health is an additional bonus. Breeders often select fruit with desirable flesh characteristics based on soluble solids content (Brix) and visual flesh color. Although marker assisted selection (MAS) of flesh tra...

Hollow heart is an internal fruit disorder found predominantly in triploid (seedless) watermelon and is known to cause load rejection if at moderate to severe stages. Cultivar selection, tissue density, pollination and environmental factors affect hollow heart incidence. We used NC Variety trial evaluations to correlate hollow heart to tissue firm...

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a warm-season, cold-sensitive crop that shows slower growth and development at temperatures below 18 8C. Improving suboptimal temperature tolerance would allow earlier planting of field-grown tomato and a reduction in energy inputs for heating greenhouses. Grafting tomato onto high-altitude Solanum habrochaites (...

Grafting watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is a common practice in many parts of the world and has recently received increased interest in the United States. The present study was designed to evaluate early season growth, yield, and fruit quality of watermelon in response to grafting and in the absence of known disease pressure in a fumigated system....

Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) fruit, rich in anthocyanins, polyphenolics and antioxidant activity, has not been exploited fully for processing into juice. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of commercial juice extraction enzymes (Cellubrix, Pectinex Ultra SPL, and Crystalzyme) on juice yield, total soluble solids (TSS),...

Citrulline, arginine, and lycopene are naturally occurring compounds found in watermelon, Citrullus lanatus (Thumb) Matsum & Nakai, with beneficial effects on plant growth and human health. This study evaluated seven commercial cultivars and one breeding line for citrulline, arginine, and lycopene content in mature fruit grown at two locations in N...

The consumption of fresh muskmelons (Cucumis melo reticulatus L.) has been linked to severe illness outbreaks due to contamination with bacterial pathogens. Antimicrobial essential oils (EOs) were incorporated into wash water sprays and evaluated as potential agents for postharvest disinfection of ‘Athena’ muskmelons. Freshly harvested fruits were...

Lycopene is a naturally occurring red carotenoid compound that is found in watermelon. Lycopene has antioxidant properties. Lycopene content, sugar content and hollowheart resistance are subject to significant genotype×environment interaction (G×E), which makes breeding for these fruit quality traits difficult. The objectives of this study were to...

The advanced selections, NCS 10-038 and NCS 10-156, from the North Carolina breeding program were compared to the traditionally used cultivars, Camarosa and Chandler, for storage life and fruit composition in 2014 and 2015. Postharvest quality of NCS 10-038 was similar to that of ‘Camarosa’ and ‘Chandler’ after 8 days storage at 4 °C. NCS 10-156 wa...

Consuming carbohydrate- and antioxidant-rich fruits during exercise as a means of supporting and enhancing both performance and health is of interest to endurance athletes. Watermelon (WM) contains carbohydrate, lycopene, l-citrulline, and l-arginine. WM may support exercise performance, augment antioxidant capacity, and act as a countermeasure to...

Background: High-fat (HF) diet-induced obesity is associated with changes in the gut microbiota. Fiber and other bioactive compounds in plant-based foods are suggested to prevent gut dysbiosis brought on by HF feeding. Mango is high in fiber and has been reported to have anti-obesogenic, hypoglycemic, and immunomodulatory properties. Objectives:...

Demand for fresh berry products continues to grow in the United States; however, commercial raspberry production in the southeastern US is difficult because cultivars are not well adapted to the warm climate and fluctuating winter temperatures, where heat degrades plant vigor and fruit quality, and warm spells in mid to late winter can cause low ch...

Black raspberry is a caneberry fruit recognized as a source of several phytoactive compounds. Fruit are most often used for processed products. As a specialty crop, black raspberry production is limited by its susceptibility to viruses, which reduce fruit size and yield and can kill the plant in a few years. As part of a NIFA-SCRI grant project, bl...

Consumer demand for organically grown fruit continues to increase in the US. Blackberry (Rubus spp.) contains high amounts of phenolic compounds with demonstrated health benefits, and the acreage of fresh market organic blackberries continues to increase. Organically grown blackberries for fresh market use ('Natchez', 'Ouachita', and 'Navaho') were...

Fermentable non‐digestible carbohydrates and fiber from plant food sources are suggested to prevent high fat (HF) diet‐induced gut microbial dysbiosis and other obesity‐related outcomes. Various parts of mango have been studied for their anti‐obesogenic, immunomodulatory and gastro‐protective properties. This study investigated the effects of 12‐we...

Fruit of organically grown fresh market blackberry cultivars 'Natchez', 'Ouachita', and 'Navaho' harvested at shiny black and dull black ripeness stages were stored at 1. °C for 15 d or at 1. °C for 13 d plus 20. °C for 2 d. Berries were subjectively rated and anthocyanins and phenolic compounds were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatograp...

A series of studies were conducted to better understand the occurrence and causes of internal necrosis (IN) in ‘Covington’ sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas). Assessment of the problem among the industry was done for 2 years and revealed that IN was widespread in commercial storage facilities throughout the state of North Carolina; both incidence and se...

Obesity and its co‐morbidities have been associated with mitochondrial oxidative stress leading to impaired substrate oxidation. This study aimed at investigating the potential ameliorating effects of freeze‐dried mango pulp supplementation on body composition and mitochondrial oxidative capacity in the liver and heart of mice fed a high fat‐diet....

Diabetes (DM) is a leading cause of death in the United States due to the complications associated with hyperglycemia. Type 2 DM has increased in prevalence due to the rise in obesity. The pre‐diabetes (fasting blood glucose of 100‐125 mg/dl) state represents a critical point for intervention that may delay or prevent the development of DM. Previou...

Obesity and its co-morbidities have been associated with mitochondrial oxidative stress leading to impaired substrate oxidation. This study aimed at investigating the potential ameliorating effects of freeze-dried mango pulp supplementation on body composition, plasma lipids and mitochondrial oxidative capacity in the liver and heart of mice fed a...

High tunnels have been widely adopted for red raspberry (Rubus idaeus) production in the United States to extend the harvest season and increase yields. In this study, effects of high tunnel production on contents of plant secondary metabolites (anthocyanins, carotenoids, tocopherols, and ellagitannins) in red raspberry fruit were determined for th...

Twelve Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis genotypes were grown at two Missouri and one Oregon (USA) locations to characterize fruit composition in 2004, 2005, and 2006. Fruit was also sampled from an additional 10 genotypes of subsp. canadensis and nigra grown in Oregon. Soluble solids content ranged from 8.9 to 12.5 °Brix, and titratable acid (as ci...

Lycopene is a red pigment in tomato with purported antioxidant properties. As the amount of lycopene has been reported to differ in different colored tomatoes or even absent in non-red tomatoes, the objective of this study was to investigate the inheritance of lycopene content and the color parameters of hybrids using a 10 parent diallel excluding...

This pilot study examined the effects of freeze-dried mango (Mangifera indica L.) supplementation on anthropometrics, body composition, and biochemical parameters in obese individuals. Twenty obese adults (11 males and 9 females) ages 20- to 50-years old, received 10 g/day of ground freeze-dried mango pulp for 12 weeks. Anthropometrics, biochemical...

Over the last 75 years, the black raspberry industry in the United States has steadily declined due to lack of adapted and disease resistant cultivars. The high anthocyanin content of black raspberry and associated health benefits have revived interest in production and breeding new cultivars. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agri...