13th Solanaceae Conference, SolGenomics: Advances and Applications, Davis, California, September 12-16, 2016

University Of California-Davis, Davis CA

Investigators

Abstract

Solanaceous crops include tomato, bell pepper and potato, among others, and together these crops represent a significant part of the agricultural production in the United States. This workshop/conference has targeted participants from academia, government and industry to bring to them the latest scientific developments that impact on the improvement of these crops and their productivity. The organizers aim to recruit faculty, professionals, postdoctoral associates and students from diverse institutions, and are particularly targeting students and postdocs from underrepresented groups. In addition to scientific sessions, the program includes sessions dedicated to career development for students and postdocs looking for a future in academia, industry or government. Unlike previous Solanaceae Conferences that addressed crop specific topics, this conference will focus on a range of topics that are applicable and relevant to all crops in this group. Topics included in this conference include genomics encompassing different genotypic technologies that can be used for taxonomic and assisted breeding purposes, epigenetics and characterization of the methylome. Other sessions include high-throughput phenotyping, and physiological and developmental studies of different organs that impact productivity, resistance to pathogens, and the analysis of metabolites that affect the nutrition and flavor characteristics of these commodities. Workshops included cover career development, pathogen strain identification, and the use or web resources like the Solanacea Genomics Network and iPlant/CyVerse.