Field-based studies and laboratory bioassays were conducted with apple maggot, Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh), and blueberry maggot, Rhgoletis mendax Curran, flies to investigate the performance and duration of activity of insecticide-treated biodegradable and wooden spheres for control of Rhagoletis species. Four neonicotinoid insecticide treatments including imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, and thio...

Long-term colonic inflammation promotes carcinogenesis and histological abnormalities of the liver, and colorectal tumours frequently arise in a background of dysplasia, a precursor of adenomas. Altered colonic microbiota with an increased proportion of bacteria with pro-inflammatory characteristics, have been implicated in neoplastic progression. The composition of the microbiota can be modifi...

The beneficial effects of polyphenol compounds in fruits and vegetables are mainly extrapolated from in vitro studies or short-term dietary supplementation studies. Due to cost and duration, relatively little is known about whether dietary polyphenols are beneficial in whole animals, particularly with respect to aging. To address this question, we examined the effects of blueberry polyphenols o...

The cranberry weevil, Anthonomus musculus Say (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is a key (univoltine) pest of highbush blueberries in the northeast United States. To date, however, no trapping system has been developed to successfully monitor this pest. In 2012–2014, studies were conducted in commercial highbush blueberry farms in New Jersey to 1) evaluate the efficacy of various commercially availa...

H ighbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) is adapted to soils with high organic matter and pH of 4.5-5.5. Coniferous sawdust is the blueberry industry standard soil amendment and mulch in the Pacific Northwest, USA. However, sawdust prices are increasing, and its availability is becoming limited. Therefore, many blueberry producers are interested in compost as an alternative to sawdust, whi...

On missions to other planets, astronauts will be exposed to galactic cosmic rays which are composed of heavy particles (such as 56Fe) and protons. Exposure to these particles can affect the ability of rats to perform a variety of tasks, indicating that there is the possibility that the performance capabilities of astronauts may be affected. Previous research has shown that diets containing blue...

Forced infestation studieswere conducted to determinewhether northern or southern highbush blueberries, Vaccinium corymbosum L., are hosts for the invasive tephritid fruit ßies in Hawaii. Fruit were exposed to gravid female ßies of Bactrocera dorsalis Hendel (oriental fruit ßy), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Mediterranean fruit ßy), or Bactrocera cucurbitae Coquillet (melon ßy) in screen cage...

BACKGROUND The highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) has a beneficial effect on several aspects of human health. The present study investigated the effects of highbush blueberry proanthocyanidins (PACs) on the virulence properties of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and macrophage-associated inflammatory responses. METHODS PACs were isolated from frozen highbush blueberries using sol...

Among all fruits, berries have shown substantial cardio-protective benefits due to their high polyphenol content. However, investigation of their efficacy in improving features of metabolic syndrome and related cardiovascular risk factors in obesity is limited. We examined the effects of blueberry supplementation on features of metabolic syndrome, lipid peroxidation, and inflammation in obese m...

AIM To investigate the effect of blueberry juice intake on rat liver fibrosis and its influence on hepatic antioxidant defense. METHODS Rabbiteye blueberry was used to prepare fresh juice to feed rats by daily gastric gavage. Dan-shao-hua-xian capsule (DSHX) was used as a positive control for liver fibrosis protection. Liver fibrosis was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats by subcutaneous inj...