up front By Bryden Winsby


Rodent brains benefit from berry power R


ats! Who needs them? Carriers of plague, destroyers of property. Whatever their


place along the food chain, and their importance in the grand scheme of things, they're high on the list of rodents despised by humankind. But wait. When we subject them to certain circumstances, good things can happen. Experimental circumstances, mostly. Lab rats came through for the


berry industry recently in tests that indicate yet another positive health effect. This time it's brain power. To evaluate the protective effects of berries on brain function (specifically the ability of the brain to clear toxic accumulation) researchers from the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University and University of Maryland Baltimore County fed rats a berry diet for two months. They then looked at their brains after irradiation, a model for accelerated aging. The rats were then divided into two groups, one of which was evaluated after 36 hours of radiation and the other after 30 days.


“After 30 days on the same berry


diet, the rats experienced significant protection against radiation compared to control,” said investigator Shibu Poulose. The researchers looked at neurochemical changes in the brain, in particular what is known as autophagy, which can regulate the synthesis, degradation and recycling of cellular components. It is also the way in which the brain clears toxic accumulations. “Most diseases of the brain, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s, have shown an increased amount of toxic protein. Berries seem to promote autophagy, the brain's natural housekeeping mechanism, thereby reducing the toxic accumulation,” said Poulose. To determine if what works for rats


could work for humans, the researchers are currently conducting a study in people aged 60-75. If all goes well, berry growers may be able to boast that compounds found in the fruits of their labour will protect the aged brain and reverse some behavioural deficits.


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Rats aren't usually involved in research that involves the berry industry directly. Most of it is related to finding better ways to produce and protect the crops themselves, and so it is with the


grower-initiated cranberry research farm in Delta. In this issue, associate editor Judie Steeves provides an update on how efforts to establish that facility are progressing. Elsewhere, you'll find some results


of work by a panel of more than a dozen experts from the Council of Canadian Academies who took an in- depth look at what the future could and should hold for agricultural water supplies in this country. More research isn’t exactly what beekeepers in British Columbia have in mind to cope with the very serious shortage of pollinating honeybees. They’re blaming politics more than Mother Nature for a situation many feel could be resolved by ending a ban on bee importation that’s been in effect for about 26 years. Two provincial scientists and one


of B.C.’s leading apiarists provide their perspectives in a two-piece


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feature by Ms. Steeves. She also profiles another industry leading light, Ken Bates, whose family has long been involved deeply in various agricultural pursuits since the early 1900s. Much of this issue deals with matters affecting blueberry production, and another familiar figure to a lot of growers, Mark Sweeney, has some suggestions for how they can do their own detective work when things don’t seem right. Sometimes the clues are obvious,


but often they’re not, which can make it very worthwhile to learn what to look for, when and how. One particular problem is Godronia canker in blues, which needs prompt action before warmer weather arrives. And still on the pest front, we


would be remiss in not giving attention to Spotted Wing Drosophila, which continues to be a serious threat requiring grower participation in efforts to manage it.


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Toll Free: 888-77T-BIRD (888-778-2473) Fax: 604-433-6231 email: info@thunderbirdplastics.com  www.thunderbirdplastics.com


6969 Shirley Avenue, Burnaby, BC, Canada, V5J 4R4 British Columbia Berry Grower • Summer 2013


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