Luby teaches courses in viticulture, fruit production and plant breeding. The primary goal of his research is to develop, evaluate, and introduce fruit cultivars with horticultural, disease and pest resistance, and fruit quality characters desired by growers and consumers in Minnesota and surrounding areas.  The breeding programs concentrate on apple, grape, blueberry, and strawberry. An accompanying objective is to evaluate and/or develop novel alternative fruit and crops (e.g. blackcurrant and primocane-fruiting blackberry) with potential in Minnesota for commercial production or edible landscapes. In addition to developing new plant material, cultivated and wild germplasm is evaluated for variability for traits that potentially enhance the value of fruit crops for consumers and producers.  Research aims to determine the inheritance of these traits and, where appropriate, map important loci using molecular markers. Recent or current examples include phenolic content and antioxidant activity in blueberry wild and cultivated blueberry, traits related to fruit texture in progenies of Honeycrisp apple, scab resistance in wild apple (Malus sieversii), photoperiod-induced acclimation in grape derived from wild Vitis riparia, and white pine blister rust resistance in blackcurrant. 

References:

Hokanson, K., Smith, M., Connor, A.M, Luby, J.J, and  J. Hancock. 2006. Relationships among subspecies of New World octoploid strawberry species, Fragaria virginiana and Fragaria chiloensis, based on SSR marker analysis. Can. J. Bot. 84:1829-1841.

Fennell, A., K. Mathiason, and J. Luby. 2006. Genetic segregation for indicators of photoperiod control of dormancy induction in Vitis species. Acta Hortic. 689:533-539.

Mann, H., D. Bedford, J. Luby, Z. Vickers, and C. Tong. 2005.Textural and microscopic analysis of softening related changes in apple fruit during storage. HortScience 40:1815-1820.

Cabe, P.R, A. Baumgarten, K. Onan, J.J. Luby, and  D.S. Bedford. 2005. Using  microsatellite analysis to verify breeding records:  a study of ‘Honeycrisp’ and other cold-hardy apple cultivars. HortScience 40:15-17.

J.F. Hancock, S. Serçe, C.M. Portman, P.A. Callow, and J.J. Luby. 2004. Taxonomic variation among North and South American  subspecies of Fragaria virginiana Miller and F. chiloensis (L.) Miller. Can. J. Bot. 82:1632-1644.

Luby, J.J., D.S. Bedford, P.L. Forsline. 2004. Winter hardiness in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Malus core collection. Acta Hort. 663:605-608.

Stushnoff, C., McSay, A.E., Luby, J. and Forsline, P.L. 2003. Diversity of phenolics antioxidant content and radical scavenging capacity in the USDA apple germplasm core collection. Acta Hort. 623:305-312.

Luby, J.J., D.K. Wildung, and G.J. Galletta. 2003. MNUS 248 (Mesabi™) strawberry. HortScience 38:481-483.

Hemstad, P.R. and J.J. Luby. 2003. La Crescent, a new cold hardy, high quality white wine variety. Acta Hort. 603:719-722.

C.B.S. Tong, D.S. Bedford, J.J. Luby, F.M. Propsom, R.M.Beaudry, J.P. Mattheis, C.B. Watkins, and S.A. Weis. 2003. Location and temperature effects on soft scald in ‘Honeycrisp’ Apples. HortScience 38:1-3..

P.L. Forsline, H.S. Aldwinckle, E.E. Dickson, J. J. Luby, and S.C. Hokanson. 2003. Collection, maintenance, characterization and utilization of wild apples of Central Asia. Horticultural Reviews 29:1-62.

Hancock, J.F., J.J. Luby, A. Dale, P.A. Callow, S. Serce, and A. El-Shiekh. 2002. Utilizing wild Fragaria virginiana in strawberry cultivar development: Inheritance of photoperiod sensitivity, fruit size, gender, female fertility and disease resistance. Euphytica 126: 177-184.

Luby, J.J., P.A. Alspach, V.G.M. Bus, and N. Oraguzie. 2002. Field resistance to fire blight in a diverse apple (Malus sp.) germplasm collection.  J. Am. Soc. Hort. Sci. 127:245-253.

Connor, A.M., J.J. Luby, and C.B.S. Tong. 2002. Variability in antioxidant activity in blueberry and the correlations among different antioxidant activity assays. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 127:238-244.

Connor, A.M., Luby, J.J. Hancock, J.F, Berkheimer, S. and Hanson, E. 2002. Changes in fruit antioxidant activity among blueberry cultivars during cold-temperature storage. J Agric. Food Chem. 50:893-898.

Connor, A.M., J.J. Luby, C.B.S. Tong. 2002.Variation and heritability estimates for antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and anthocyanin content in blueberry progenies. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 127:82-88.

Connor, A.M., J.J. Luby, C.B.S. Tong, C.E. Finn, and J.F. Hancock. 2002. Genotypic and environmental variation in antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and anthocyanin content among blueberry cultivars. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 127:89-97.

Luby, J.J. and D.V. Shaw. 2001. Does marker-assisted selection make dollars and sense in a fruit breeding program? HortScience 36:872-879.

Courses Taught:

Hort 1031 Vines and Wines: An introduction to viticulture and enology
Hort 5031  Sustainable fruit crop production