Gene Lester
Plant Physiologist
Gene's research on calcium treatment of melons is being highlighted in ARS News. The article Melons Treated for Longer Market Life Pass Taste Test is available online.
Education
1970-74 University of Wisconsin: 2 Majors, Plant Science and Agricultural Economics;
B.S. 1974.
1974-76 University of Illinois; Major, Plant Physiology; M.S. 1976.
1976-80 Michigan State Univ.; Major. Plant Physiology; Ph.D. 1980.
1980-1983 Univ of California-Davis. Plant Physiology, Post-Doctorate.
1983
Summary of Current Research Program
A novel calcium solution (originally marked as an amino acid-chelated calcium supplement for humans) is being utilized as a straightforward but elegant postharvest dip treatment for post-harvest fruits. With calcium analysis by ARS scientist M. Grusak, (Children's Nutrition Center, Houston, TX) it was discovered that chelated calcium was able to migrate past the waxy melon surface thereby, replenishing the declining calcium levels. Wax binds calcium chloride, the typically used calcium compound, and thus has to be vacuum infused into fruits. This treatment prolonged the marketable life of vine-ripened, highly perishable honeydew melons from 7- to 21-days. This calcium study additionally allowed the discovery that regulation of whole melon fruit senescence is uniquely located within the peel.As a result of investigation into melon fruit plasma membrane from the criticle senescence regulating peel tissue, my lab was the first to report that the enzyme lipoxygenase and the recently discovered but yet unreported enzyme phospholipase-D, are present in melons; are associated with altered membrane integrity, tissue moisture loss, and senescence; and are highly concentrated in the green tissue of the peel of both cantaloupe and honeydew melons. As a result of these peel plasma membrane findings, Mexican National Science award winning scientist, Miguel Gomez-Lim and I along with funding from the USDA-Foreign Agricultural Service are in the process of creating transgenic melons with down regulated lipoxygenase and phospholipase-D, and up regulated sugar enzyme activities. The results will hopefully allow for melon fruits with genetically extend marketable life and that are deliciously sweet without the need for postharvest treatments.
Current Research
1 . A Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) has been entered into with Albion Labs. The purpose of this cooperative research is to compare and contrast the effectiveness of two chelated-calcium compounds with calcium chloride on both fall and spring field grown honey dew melons harvest at the fully-ripened stage of maturity. The intent is to identify a commercially available calcium compound that will produce a higher quality, fully-ripened honey dew fruit with the necessary storage life for domestic and overseas exportation. Both parties are actively engaged in independent projects which involve a comparison of calcium chelates applied to honey dew melon plant on fruit quality and shelf-life. The parties agree that meeting the objectives of this project will strengthen and enhance ongoing work within the scope of this agreement. Independent interests: (Albion Labs.) Comparison of Albion's Ca-metalosate compound with calcium chloride and EDTA-Calcium. (USDA-ARS, Weslaco) Comparisons of foliar applied chelated calcium compounds i.e. calcium metalosate and EDTA-calcium versus calcium chloride in (mutual interest to Albion Labs and USDA-ARS-Weslaco) improving fully-ripened honey dew fruit quality and extending fruit shelf-life for potential overseas export.2. Cooperative research project with Dr. Mike Grusak, USDA-ARS Children's Nutritional Research Center, Houston, TX on exogenously applied chelated-calcium extending honeydew melon fruit storage life. This project demonstrated that chelated-calcium applied to vine ripened honeydew fruits provides and extra five days of fruit storage life. This methodology should provide melon producer/ shippers new markets for these fruits. This project has just been completed. This project will be a feature article in an up-coming Agricultural Research publication.
3. Continue in cooperation with Mr. David LaGrange of Starr Produce, Rio Grande City, TX to develop the best method for applying exogenous calcium to field grown honeydew melon fruits. This is project is in its second and final year.
4. Initiated a three-year project (funded by the Foreign Agricultural
Research Service) with Dr. Miguel Gomez-Lim, CINVESTAV, Irapuato, Mexico
on developing transgenic honeydew melons with down regulated lipoxygenase
and phospholipase-D activities. These enzymes, according to my research,
are responsible for the postharvest physiological decay of melons. These
transgenic melons will also have up regulated sugar accumulation. This
project has just begun.
Goals
1. Continue with the three-year project with Mexican scientist Dr. Gomez-Lim.2. Continue with the honeydew field study with melon producer Mr. LaGrange.
3. Investigate the preharvest environmental factors (soil type, fruit size, cultivar, and weather on the vitamin C content of honeydew fruits.
4. Develop an expanded research effort into the regulation of intrinsic human health attributes in melon fruits.
Research objectives over the next five years are to: 1) correlate changes
in critical enzymes, membranes, intrinsic nutrients, and consumer preference
attributes with changes in fruit senescence; 2) mimic nature or industry
abiotic practices/stresses in to influence quality changes and senescence
rate; and 3) develop transgenic melons with altered enzyme activities that
positively affect quality and senescence.
Selected Publications - 1996 To Present
Lester, G. E. 1996. Calcium alters senescence rate of postharvest muskmelon fruit disks. Postharvest Bio. and Technol. 7:91-96.Lester, G.E. 1996. Postharvest honeydew melon storage quality comparisons of 'cut' and 'full-slip' fruits. Melon Production systems in South Texas. pp. 45-49.
Lester, G.E. and Eischen, F. 1996. Beta-carotene content of postharvest orange-fleshed muskmelon fruit: Effect of cultivar, growing location and fruit size. Plant Foods for Hum. Nutr. 49:191-197.
Lester, G.E. and Whitaker, B. 1996. Gamma-ray-induced changes in hypodermal mesocarp tissue plasma membrane of pre- and post-storage muskmelon. Physiol. Plant. 98:265-270.
Lester G.E. 1997. Melon (Cucumis melo L.) fruit nutritional quality and health functionality. HortTechnology 7:222-227.
Lester, G.E. 1997. Melon postharvest physiology and quality retention. V Congresso Productores y Exportadores de melon de Centroamericano y el Caribe. pp. 14-20.
Lester, G.E. 1997. The physiology of melon growth and development. V Congresso Productores y Exportadores de melon de Centroamericano y el Caribe. pp. 20-24.
Lester, G.E. 1998. Diurnal growth measurements of honeydew and muskmelon fruits. HortScience 33(l):156.
Lester, G.E. 1998. Physicochemical characterization of hybrid honey dew muskmelon fruit (Cucumis melo L. var inodorus Naud.) following maturation, abscission, and postharvest storage. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 123(l):126-129.
Lester, G.E., Baizable-Aguirre, V.M. and Gonzalez de la Vara, L. E. 1998 Preharvest and postharvest muskmelon fruit calcium-stimulated protein kinase activity. Acta Horticulaturae 464:507.
Lester, G.E., Baizable-Aquirre, V.M., Gonzalez de la Vara, L.E., and Michalke, W. 1998. Calcium-stimulated protein kinase activity of hypodermal-mesocarp plasma membrane from preharvest-mature and postharvest muskmelon. J. Agri. Food Chem. 46(4):1242-1246.
Lester, G.E., Michael A.Grusak 1999. Postharvest Application of Calcium and Magnesium to Honeydew and Netted Muskmelons: Effects on Tissue Ion Concentrations, Quality, and Senescence. J. Amer. Soc. Hart. Sci. 124(5):545-552.
Lester, G.E. 2000. Polyamines and their cellular anti-senescence
properties in honey dew muskmelon fruit. Plant Science 1600:105-112.
Lester, G.E., L. Saucedo Arias and M. Gomez-Lim. 2001. Muskmelon
fruit soluble acid invertase and sucrose phosphate synthase activity and
polypeptide profiles during growth and maturation. J. Amer. Soc.
Hort. Sci. 126(1):33-36.
Lester, G.E. and M.A. Grusak. 2001. Postharvest application
of chelated and nonchelated calcium dip treatments to commercially grown
honey dew melons: effects on peel attributes, tissue calcium concentration,
quality, and consumer preference following storage. HortTechnology.
11(4):561-566.
An article on Gene Lester's melon research appeared
in the February 1999 issue of Agricultural Research magazine. View
it on line.
Address:USDA ARS Kika de la GarzaSubtropical Agricultural Research Service CQFIRU 2413 E. Hwy 83 Bldg 200 Weslaco, TX 78596 USA |
E-mail address: glester@weslaco.ars.usda.gov Direct Telephone: (956) 447-6322 Main Telephone: (956) 447-6300 Fax: (956) 447-6323 |
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