Morphological Diversity in Breadfruit (Artocarpus, Moraceae): Insights into Domestication, Conservation, and Cultivar Identification

A. Maxwell P. Jones, Susan J. Murch, Jim Wiseman and Diane Ragone
Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 60:175-192
2013

ABSTRACT: Over millennia of breadfruit cultivation, hundreds of named cultivars have been developed that display a high degree of morphological diversity. The current study was undertaken to evaluate morphological diversity within the National Tropical Botanical Garden’s breadfruit germplasm collection, the largest and most diverse breadfruit collection in the world. A set of 57 standardized morphological descriptors including 29 leaf, 22 fruit, four seed, and two male inflorescence characteristics were used to describe and contrast 221 accessions of breadfruit including accessions of Artocarpus camansi Blanco, A. altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg, A. mariannensis Trecul, early generation A. altilisx A. mariannensis hybrids, and domesticated A. altilis x A. mariannensis hybrids. A morphological transition from heavily seeded fruit covered with flexible spines to fewer seeded, smoother skinned fruit of similar size was observed in the domestication of A. altilis from A. camansi. Further selection of true seedless, smooth-skinned cultivars of A. altilis appears to have occurred with human migrations from Melanesia into Polynesia. Cultivars from Micronesia exhibit morphological characteristics indicative of hybridization with the endemic species A. mariannensis. These data were used to generate a multi-access cultivar identification key on the Lucid platform that can be used to identify trees of known cultivars or to predict nearest cultivar relationships for previously undescribed cultivars. Overall, this study provides new insights into the morphological changes that occurred during domestication, helps visualize the diversity that exists across geographical regions, and provides a framework for cultivar identification and germplasm conservation.

KEYWORDS: Agricultural biodiversity, Artocarpus, breadfruit, conservation, descriptors, domestication, germplasm

http://www.springerlink.com/content/p833112258067v71/

Posted in Journal Articles on Sunday, January 13th, 2013

Nutritional and Morphological Diversity of Breadfruit (Artocarpus, Moraceae): Identification of Elite Cultivars for Food Security

Andrew M.P. Jones, Diane Ragone, Kamaui Aiona, W. Alex Lane, and Susan J. Murch
Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 24 (8):1091-1102
2011

ABSTRACT: Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) is an underutilized staple crop developed over thousands of years by the indigenous peoples of Oceania. The current study evaluated protein and mineral content, fruit morphology and flour production in 94 cultivars of breadfruit grown within a single location at the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Hawaii. Across the cultivars, fruit weight ranged from 0.47 - 3.54 kg, the edible portion of the fruit after seeds, skin and core were removed ranged from 0.30 to 3.11 kg and the average protein content varied from 2.7 to 6.2% by dry weight. Depending on the cultivar, the fruit contained on a dry weight basis 283-1491 mg/g Ca, 3.6-31 ug/g Co, 1.1-5.6 mg/g Cu, 6.2-21.2 mg/g Fe, 7.5-16.2 mg/g K, 630-2281 mg/g Mg, 70-843 mg/g Na, 846-2379 mg/g P, and 1.5-10.7 mg/g Zn, representing significantly more calcium, cobalt, iron, potassium, and magnesium, comparable phosphorous, and slightly lower manganese and zinc than refined wheat, rice and corn flours. Together, these data are indicative of the high degree of phenotypic diversity of cultivated varieties of breadfruit and the potential for identification of individual cultivars that are particularly good sources of mineral and protein nutrition.

KEYWORDS: Underutilized species, food security, hidden hunger, micronutrient deficiencie, breadfruit, Artocarpus altilis, Artocarpus camansi, Artocarpus mariannensis, cultivars, food analysis, food composition

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889157511001062

Posted in Journal Articles on Sunday, May 27th, 2012

Mutualism Breakdown in Breadfruit Domestication

Xiaoke Xing, Alexander M. Koch, A. Maxwell P. Jones, Diane Ragone, Susan Murch and Miranda M. Hart
Proceedings of the Royal Academy B 279:1122-1130
2011

ABSTRACT: During the process of plant domestication, below-ground communities are rarely considered. Some studies have attempted to understand the changes in root symbionts owing to domestication, but little is known about how it influences mycorrhizal response in domesticated crops. We hypothesized that selection for above-ground traits may also result in decreased mycorrhizal abundance in roots. Breadfruit (Artocarpus sp.) has a long domestication history, with a strong geographical movement of cultivars from west to east across the Melanesian and Polynesian islands. Our results clearly show a decrease in arbuscular mycorrhizas (AMs) along a domestication gradient from wild to recently derived cultivars. We showed that the vesicular and arbuscular colonization rate decreased significantly in more recently derived breadfruit cultivars. In addition, molecular analyses of breadfruit roots indicated that AM fungal species richness also responded along the domestication gradient. These results suggest that human-driven selection for plant cultivars can have unintended effects on below-ground mutualists, with potential impacts on the stress tolerance of crops and long-term food security.

KEYWORDS: mycorrhiza, domestication, breadfruit, Artocarpus

http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org

Posted in Journal Articles on Sunday, May 27th, 2012

Isolation and Identification of Mosquito (Aedes aegypti) Biting Deterrent Fatty Acids from Male Inflorescences of Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg)

A. Maxwell P. Jones, Jerome A. Klun, Charles L. Cantrell, Diane Ragone, Kamlesh R. Chauhan, Paula N. Brown and Susan J. Murch
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 60:3867-3873
2012

ABSTRACT: Dried male inflorescences of breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis, Moraceae) are burned in communities throughout Oceania to repel flying insects, including mosquitoes. This study was conducted to identify chemicals responsible for mosquito deterrence. Various crude extracts were evaluated, and the most active, the hydrodistillate, was used for bioassay-guided fractionation. The hydrodistillate and all fractions displayed significant deterrent activity. Exploratory GC-MS analysis revealed more than 100 distinctive peaks, and more than 30 compounds were putatively identified, including a mixture of terpenes, aldehydes, fatty acids, and aromatics. A systematic bioassay-directed study using adult Aedes aegypti females identified capric, undecanoic, and lauric acid as primary deterrent constituents. A synthetic mixture of fatty acids present in the most active fraction and individual fatty acids were all significantly more active than N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET). These results provide support for this traditional practice and indicate the potential of male breadfruit flowers and fatty acids as mosquito repellents.

KEYWORDS: mosquito repellent, capric acid, undecanoic acid, hendecanoic acids, lauric acid, hydrodistillation, smoke

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf300101w

Posted in Journal Articles on Sunday, May 27th, 2012

In Vitro Conservation and Sustained Production of Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis, Moraceae): Modern Technologies for a Traditional Tropical Crop.

S.J. Murch, D. Ragone, W.L. Shi, A.R. Alan and P.K. Saxena
Naturwissenschaften 95(2):99-107
2008

ABSTRACT: Abstract Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis, Moraceae) is a traditionally cultivated, high-energy, high-yield crop, but widespread use of the plant for food is limited by poor quality and poor storage properties of the fruit. A unique field genebank of breadfruit species and cultivars exists at the National Tropical Botanical Garden in the Hawaiian Islands and is an important global resource for conservation and sustainable use of breadfruit. However, this plant collection could be damaged by a random natural disaster such as a hurricane. We have developed a highly efficient in vitro plant propagation system to maintain, conserve, mass propagate, and distribute elite varieties of this important tree species. Mature axillary shoot buds were collected from three different cultivars of breadfruit and proliferated using a cytokinin-supplemented medium. The multiple shoots were maintained as stock cultures and repeatedly used to develop whole plants after root differentiation on a basal or an auxin-containing medium. The plantlets were successfully grown under greenhouse conditions and were reused to initiate additional shoot cultures for sustained production of plants. Flow cytometry was used to determine the nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid content and the ploidy status of the in vitro grown population. The efficacy of the micropropagation protocols developed in this study represents a significant advancement in the conservation and sustained mass propagation of breadfruit germplasm in a controlled environment free from contamination.

KEYWORDS: breadfruit, Artocarpus altilis, micropropagation, temporary immersion bioreactor, germplasm conservation

http://www.springerlink.com/content/h5k6j83n70l24056/

Posted in Journal Articles on Sunday, May 27th, 2012

Mass-Propagation and Bioreactor-Based Technologies for Germplasm Conservation, Evaluation and International Distribution of Breadfruit

Wendy L. Shi, Praveen K. Saxena, Diane Ragone and Susan J. Murch
Acta Horticulturae 757:169-176
2007

ABSTRACT: It has become increasingly important to facilitate re-distribution and access to breadfruit cultivars that have been selected over millennia by the indigenous peoples of the Pacific region but may have been lost from many local communities. The collection of breadfruit cultivars at the Breadfruit Institute of the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) provides an important germplasm resource, but redistribution from the site has been hampered by: 1) the relatively few number of trees for each individual cultivar; 2) the limited number of roots available to provide root cuttings or root shoots from each tree; 3) international plant quarantine requirements that limit the distribution of root cuttings; and 4) the low success rate for establishing trees from mature roots. Over the last three years, an efficient micropropagation and plant production strategy was developed for in vitro clonal propagation, regeneration, large-scale bioreactor production and acclimatization of mass-propagated breadfruit plantlets into tropical environments.

KEYWORDS: in vitro culture, micropropagation, organogenesis, acclimatization, Artocarpus altilis

http://www.pubhort.org/actahort/books/757/

Posted in Journal Articles on Sunday, May 27th, 2012

Studies on In Vitro Culture of Breadfruit Cultivars in the Pacific

Valerie Saena Tuia, Mary B. Taylor and Diane Ragone
Acta Horticulturae 757:161-167
2007

ABSTRACT: This paper outlines an in vitro protocol for breadfruit, Artocarpus altilis. Juvenile explants obtained from trimmed root suckers potted in the screenhouse proved to be the optimum source of material for in vitro establishment with a mean survival rate of 78%. In contrast, a 64% mean survival rate was obtained with explants derived directly from field-grown, trimmed root suckers. Explants less than 10 mm rooted in 1-2 months, compared to explants greater than 10 mm, where roots developed after 3-4 months in culture. The immersion of explants in 100 mg/L citric acid during treatment minimized browning. Woody plant medium (WPM) was the optimal medium in terms of survival, root production and shoot growth, with multiplication enhanced with the addition of 2.5 mg/L of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) to the medium.

KEYWORDS: micropropagation, Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees, explants, budding, tissue culture

http://www.pubhort.org/actahort/books/757/

Posted in Journal Articles on Sunday, May 27th, 2012

Developing and Applying Descriptors for Breadfruit Germplasm

Diane Ragone and Jim Wiseman
Acta Horticulturae 757:71-79
2007

ABSTRACT: Breadfruit (Artocarpus, Moraceae) is an important staple in Oceania and widely used throughout much of the tropics. Hundreds of cultivars have been selected and named in the Pacific Islands, with more than 2,000 vernacular names documented. Folk taxonomy is used to distinguish between and assign names to different cultivars, but breadfruit diversity has not been consistently characterized nor is there an IPGRI Descriptor List for breadfruit. Sixty morphological descriptors are being used to characterize 172 accessions (200 trees) in a field genebank at the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) in Hawaii. Quantitative and categorical descriptor data are being recorded by assessing (n=10) mature fruits, leaves, male flowers, and seeds per tree. Morphological characters include fruit weight, dimensions, shape, skin color/texture, scabbing of fruit sections, flesh color, latex quantity/color, core dimensions, collar/neck shape, and peduncle dimensions/insertion; seed weight, dimensions, shape and seed coat color; male flower dimensions; and leaf dimensions, lobe number, degree of dissection, color, surface texture/flexibility, margin, apex/base shape, vein color, and leaf hairs. A major component of the project is extensive photographic documentation of the collection. An illustrated Descriptor List will be produced which can be used as the standard to describe breadfruit germplasm.

KEYWORDS: Artocarpus altilis, crop diversity, cultivars, genebank, IPGRI descriptor, plant genetic resources, tropical fruit

http://www.pubhort.org/actahort/books/757/

Posted in Journal Articles on Sunday, May 27th, 2012

Breadfruit: Diversity, Conservation and Potential

Diane Ragone
Acta Horticulturae 757:19-29
2007

ABSTRACT:Breadfruit (Artocarpus, Moraceae) is grown throughout the tropics yet only a few cultivars are found in most countries. Three species, A. altilis, A. camansi, and A. mariannensis, plus natural hybrids (A. altilis x A. mariannensis) make up the breadfruit complex. It is one of the crops covered by the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and a breadfruit conservation strategy is being developed for the Global Crop Diversity Trust. Although an important staple crop in the Pacific with hundreds of recognized cultivars, breadfruit diversity is declining because of hurricane and drought damage and loss of cultural knowledge. Several ex situ collections were planted in the Pacific region in the 20th century, with materials widely exchanged. Provenance data are unavailable for most and those collections were neglected or abandoned. Actively managed breadfruit germplasm collections exist in Vanuatu, Samoa, the USDA National Plant Germplasm System, and the University of the West Indies (Trinidad and Jamaica). The National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) in Hawaii manages a field genebank of breadfruit species and cultivars with 220 accessions from 18 Pacific Island groups, the Philippines, the Seychelles, Indonesia and Honduras. Research on the NTBG collection includes chromosome counts, isozyme and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analyses, morphological descriptors, seasonality and yields as well as nutritional composition and fruit quality sensory evaluation for 20 cultivars. In vitro propagation research is underway to develop methods to conserve and exchange breadfruit germplasm. Making the numerous good-quality flavorful cultivars more widely available will provide nutritious food and trees for sustainable agriculture, agroforestry, home gardens and income generation.

KEYWORDS: Artocarpus altilis, Artocarpus camansi, Artocarpus mariannensis, crop domestication, food security, plant genetic resources

http://www.pubhort.org/actahort/books/757/

Posted in Journal Articles on Sunday, May 27th, 2012

Beyond the Bounty: Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) for Food Security and Novel Foods in the 21st Century

A.M.P. Jones, D. Ragone, N.G. Tavana, D.W. Bernotas and S.J. Murch
Ethnobotany Research & Applications 9:129-149
2011

ABSTRACT: The Food and Agriculture Organization recently reported the number undernourished people has reached a record high of 1.02 billion, most prevalent in the tropics. Breadfruit, Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg, is an underutilized Oceanic staple crop long recognized for its potential to alleviate hunger in tropical climates. Breadfruit can be grown sustainably with minimal agricultural inputs and can be multicropped with high value cash crops such as coffee, pepper, or vanilla. A great diversity of cultivars with varying nutritional and agronomic characteristics exists, yet few cultivars are widely cultivated. Recent developments in micropropagation have made possible large scale propagation and dissemination but to fully utilize this resource, a deeper understanding of the nutritional characteristics, and the development of new products and markets are needed. This review will highlight and describe the state of our current knowledge and the potential for breadfruit as a sustainable crop to provide new foods for Western markets and food security for the growing global population.

http://lib-ojs3.lib.sfu.ca:8114/index.php/era/article/view/478

Download file: Jones_etal_2011_breadfruit_ERA.pdf

Posted in Journal Articles on Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

Diversity of Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis, Moraceae) Seasonality: A Resource for Year-Round Nutrition

A. Maxwell P. Jones, Susan J. Murch and Diane Ragone
Economic Botany (64)4:340-351
2010

ABSTRACT: Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg, is an important but underutilized staple crop cultivated throughout Oceania and much of the wet tropics. Indigenous peoples have selected and cultivated cultivars with different fruiting seasons to effectively extend fruit production for most of the year. In the present study, the seasonality of 219 breadfruit accessions originating from 17 Pacific island groups, the Seychelles, the Philippines, and Indonesia, and now growing in the National Tropical Botanical Garden`s (NTBG) Kahanu Garden, Hana, Hawaii, were evaluated. The predominant season of male flower production for most cultivars was from May to September, and fruit was produced most frequently between August and January. However, there were differences in the duration of the fruiting season from year to year and among cultivars. Over the 10-year period, 14 cultivars did not reliably produce fruit; most of this group were "ulu afa" trees collected from Tokelau. About 24 cultivars exhibited very little seasonality and produced fruit throughout the year. The rest of the cultivars could be clustered into seasonality groups with characteristic fruiting patterns. Comparison of literature values indicates that unlike Hawaii, the breadfruit season in most locations begins around the date the sun reaches zenith prior to the summer months and extends throughout the summer months. Five cultivars asexually propagated from the NTBG collection growing in Kiribati (1 28`N) exhibit similar fruiting patterns as in Hawaii, except that they begin 2-3 months earlier. These data predict that cultivars with complementary fruiting seasons in Hawaii may experience a temporal shift in their seasonality but will maintain their compatibility when cultivated in different locations and could enable year-round fruit production in many regions.

KEYWORDS: Breadfruit, Artocarpus altilis, seasonality, fruiting, flowering, phenology.

Posted in Journal Articles on Wednesday, December 29th, 2010

Sensory Evaluation of Fruit Quality and Nutritional Composition of 20 Breadfruit (Artocarpus, Moraceae) Cultivars

Diane Ragone and Catherine G. Cavaletto
Economic Botany 60(4):335-346
2006

ABSTRACT: Twenty breadfruit cultivars growing in a field genebank at Kahanu Garden, National Tropical Botanical Garden, Hana, Maui, Hawaii, were evaluated for sensory attributes and nutrient composition. A taste panel scored eight flavor/aroma attributes, five textural attributes, and color. There were significant differences (P = 0.01) in aroma, visual texture, flavor intensity, sweetness, starchiness, moistness, stringiness, firmness, and color. The greatest differences were in color and texture. Nutrient analyses showed significant differences (P = 0.05) for energy, carbohydrates, ash, crude protein, potassium, magnesium, sodium, iron, copper, and zinc. Considering the versatility of breadfruit as a food, its ease of production, and its nutritional value, the numerous good quality flavorful cultivars should be more widely grown for sustainable agriculture and food security.

KEYWORDS: Artocarpus altilis, Artocarpus mariannensis, breadfruits, cultivars, Pacific Islands, Seychelle Islands, texture, flavor, tropical, proximates, nutritive value, vitamins, minerals, fiber, carotenoids.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/m430u84r77t0806u/

Download file: breadfruit_nutrients.pdf

Posted in Journal Articles on Sunday, June 7th, 2009

Complex Origins of Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis, Moraceae): Implications for Human Migrations in Oceania

Nyree J.C. Zerega, Diane Ragone, and Timothy J. Motley
American Journal of Botany 91(5):760-766
2004

ABSTRACT: Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis, Moraceae), a traditional starch crop in Oceania, has enjoyed legendary status ever since its role in the infamous mutiny aboard the H.M.S. Bounty in 1789, yet its origins remain unclear. Breadfruit`s closest relatives are A. camansi and A. mariannensis. DNA fingerprinting data (AFLP, amplified fragment length polymorphisms) from over 200 breadfruit cultivars, 30 A. camansi, and 24 A. mariannensis individuals were used to investigate the relationships among these species. Multivariate analyses and the identification of species-specific AFLP markers indicate at least two origins of breadfruit. Most Melanesian and Polynesian cultivars appear to have arisen over generations of vegetative propagation and selection from A. camansi. In contrast, most Micronesian breadfruit cultivars appear to be the result of hybridization between A. camansi-derived breadfruit and A. mariannensis. Because breadfruit depends on humans for dispersal, the data were compared to theories on the human colonization of Oceania. The results agree with the well-supported theory that humans settled Polynesia via Melanesia. Additionally, a long-distance migration from eastern Melanesia into Micronesia is supported.

KEYWORDS: Artocarpus altilis, Artocarpus camansi, Artocarpus mariannensis, amplified fragment length polymorphisms, breadfruit, human migration, Oceania, origin of domesticated plants.

Download file: Zerega_Ragone_Motley_2004.pdf

Posted in Journal Articles on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

Chromosome Numbers and Pollen Stainability of Three Species of Pacific Island Breadfruit (Artocarpus, Moraceae)

Diane Ragone
American Journal of Botany 88(4):693-696
2001

ABSTRACT: Chromosome numbers were determined for 48 accessions of breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis, A. mariannensis, and A. camansi [Moraceae]) from 16 Pacific Island groups, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Artocarpus camansi and A. mariannensis exhibit counts of 2n = 56; 2n = 56 (diploidy) and 2n = 84 (triploidy) were observed for A. altilis. Most diploid cultivars of A. altilis were seeded, but two cultivars with reduced seed number were observed. Micronesian accessions included putative interspecific hybrids between A. altilis and A. mariannensis. The majority of these accessions were seedless diploids, but triploid putative hybrids were also observed. Pollen stainablility was shown to correlate with the degree of seediness.

KEYWORDS: Artocarpus altilis, Artocarpus camansi, Artocarpus mariannensis, breadfruit, chromosome number, pollen stainability, Moraceae, Pacific Islands.

Download file: Ragone_2001_breadfruit_chromosomes.pdf

Posted in Journal Articles on Friday, May 29th, 2009