Newark, Delaware
July 3, 2008
Emmalea
Ernest, University of Delaware
(UD) University Extension associate, is seeking to develop new
varieties of lima beans that are flavorful, produce consistently
high yields and are resistant to disease. 8:56 a.m., July 3,
2008--Scientific research is usually conducted in high-tech and
climate-controlled laboratories but it also can take place in
hot, dusty farm fields. Just ask Emmalea Ernest, who frequently
spends her work days in the fields of Sussex County, Del.,
driven by her quest to build a better lima bean.
A UD Cooperative Extension associate for vegetable crops, Ernest
is seeking to develop new varieties of lima beans that are
flavorful, produce consistently high yields and are resistant to
disease.
She is the only researcher in Delaware working on lima bean
breeding and genetics and one of perhaps a half-dozen
nationwide. “Lima bean research is lonely work,” says Ernest.
But her research is vitally important to Delaware agriculture.
Grown primarily for processing, lima beans are planted on more
acres in Delaware than any other vegetable crop. Baby limas and
Fordhook varieties are used in processing; the small amounts of
pole lima beans grown in the state are strictly for the fresh
market.
Lima beans can be double cropped, thus offering growers maximum
utilization of their land. Limas are often planted in June or
July after a pea or small grain crop. And the same harvesting
equipment is used for peas and limas, which makes this
double-cropping even more advantageous.
However, lima bean growers face many challenges, the biggest of
which is called downy mildew. This fungus disease can cause
heavy losses when weather conditions favor its development.
Ernest is working on baby lima varieties that are resistant to
downy mildew.
She also is working on varieties of Fordhook limas that are
well-suited to Delaware growing conditions. Fordhooks aren't
just mature versions of baby limas but a totally different bean.
Known as butter beans in the southern U.S., Fordhooks are
larger, lighter in color, and have a stronger taste than the
baby lima varieties. “Industry research indicates that consumers
are more receptive to increasing their consumption of Fordhooks
than baby limas,” says Ernest.
More Fordhook limas are grown in coastal California than any
other area of the country, not only because of the long season
but because temperatures are never excessively high. Ernest's
goal is to create high-quality, heat-tolerant Fordhook limas
that will flourish despite Delaware's hot and humid summers.
When Ernest joined UD Extension in 2004, her first order of
business was considering which germplasms would form the basis
of her breeding program. She accessed the USDA's germplasm
repository and considered 219 different lines of limas from
North and South America. Then, she crossed her initial
selections in a greenhouse.
That first spring (and every spring since) she has planted the
results from these crosses in research plots located at the
University of Delaware's Research and Education Center in
Georgetown. All summer long, Ernest conducts visual inspections
of her lima crosses and tracks a number of variables, such as
each plant's size and habit, the number of pods, and the plant's
resistance to disease and insects.
There is a science to such visual inspection but there's an art
to it, too. “I'll randomly open some pods and look at the beans
and ask myself if I would want to eat them,” says Ernest.
If the beans are speckled, Ernest rejects the plant. “Older and
exotic cultivars of limas often are white or speckled. Limas can
come in a range of colors, including red, purple, brown, and
almost black,” says Ernest. “But consumers expect to see a pale
green bean.”
A few of these rejects get dried and added to a large jar of
colored and speckled beans that Ernest keeps in her office.
“They aren't any good for research but I just like the look of
them,” says Ernest.
In September she virtually lives in the fields. That's when she
must select a handful of plants--out of thousands--to save for
cross-breeding in the greenhouse. Each morning, she sets out for
the fields with a ball of red yarn tucked under her arm.
Crawling between the rows of lima plants, she makes her
selections and ties a bit of yarn around the “keepers.” The
seeds of these plants will then be advanced a generation in the
greenhouse as Ernest continues her trial-and-error process of
bean breeding.
Plant breeding is a slow, tedious process. Cultivars should be
evaluated for multiple years prior to release. This summer,
after four years of research, Ernest is finally ready to test 12
of her inbred lines of limas against proven industry varieties.
And unlike conventional research laboratories, where conditions
can be carefully controlled, lots can go wrong in Ernest's
“outdoor laboratory.”
“My biggest 'Oh, no' moment was the summer of 2006 when we had
seven inches of rainfall in a short amount of time,” says
Ernest. “Half of my research plots were flooded and I lost a
number of plants. It really set my research back that year.”
Ernest, who is native of Lancaster County, Pa., received a
bachelor's degree in horticulture from Penn State University and
a master's in plant breeding and genetics from Michigan State
University. She joined the staff of UD Cooperative Extension
after meeting Ed Kee at a meeting of the Bean Improvement
Cooperative, an international association of bean breeders from
both the public and private sectors. Kee, who retired from UD
Extension earlier this year, was impressed with Ernest and
encouraged her to apply for an open position as an assistant
researcher.
“Emmalea Ernest shows so much potential; she is one of the
rising young stars of UD Extension,” says Jan Seitz, associate
dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and
director of UD Cooperative Extension. “After four years of hard
work, this summer she is ready to test her inbred lines of limas
against industry varieties. I'm eager to learn of the results.”
When she's not focused on improving lima beans, Ernest conducts
research on watermelons, peas, pickling cucumbers and other
vegetable crops that are important to Delaware. The Ellendale
resident says she loves living in Sussex County and enjoys being
outside as much as possible, though she saves her beach outings
for winter, when the crowds are gone. She also likes knowing
that her work makes a difference to her farming neighbors.
“I've always been fascinated by plant genetics--it's rewarding
to be able to change plants for the benefit of humans,” says
Ernest. “I hope my research may someday improve lima beans for
growers here in Delaware and nationwide.”
Article by Margo McDonough
Photo by Danielle Quigley |
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