THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP COMPETITIVE GREEN CHILE PEPPER VARIETIES AMENABLE TO MECHANICAL HARVESTING. THE CRITICAL NEED IS TO REDUCE LABOR COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH HARVESTING FOR PROCESSED PEPPERS, ESSENTIAL FOR SUSTAINABILITY OF THE US INDUSTRY AND A GROWING MARKET WORLDWIDE. OUR SUPPORTING OBJECTIVES FORMULATE A SYSTEMS APPROACH COMBINING GENOMICS, BIOLOGY, PLANT BREEDING, HORTICULTURE, PATHOLOGY, AND MECHANIZATION. THEY INCLUDE: 1) COMBINE DISEASE RESISTANCE, FRUIT QUALITY AND MECHANICAL HARVEST TRAITS IN JALAPEÑO AND NEW MEXICO-TYPE GREEN CHILES. 2) GENETIC ANALYSIS AND MARKER-ASSISTED SELECTION FOR RESISTANCE TO TOMATO-SPOTTED-WILT VIRUS (TSWV) AND MECHANICAL HARVESTING TRAITS IN GREEN CHILE PEPPER, 3) EVALUATE 1ST AND 2ND GENERATION JALAPEÑO AND NEW MEXICO TYPE GREEN CHILE BREEDING LINES FOR MECHANICAL HARVESTING IN MULTISTATE TRIALS. THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES PLANT BREEDING FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, PRIORITY CODE A1141. IT ADDRESSES PRE-BREEDING, GERMPLASM ENHANCEMENT, AND CULTIVAR DEVELOPMENT BY BREEDING AND EVALUATING THE AMENABILITY OF IMPROVED GREEN CHILE AND JALAPEÑO LINES FOR THEIR EFFICIENCY AND QUALITY IN MECHANICAL HARVESTING. THE OUTCOMES OF THIS WORK INCLUDE IMPROVED GERMPLASM, GENOMIC (CONVENTIONAL DNA TECHNOLOGY)TOOLS AND INHERITANCE FOR PLANT DISEASE RESISTANCE AND MECHANICAL HARVESTING TRAITS SUCH AS DESTEMMING, DETERMINACY (BRANCHING), YIELD AND FRUIT QUALITY. THE RESULTS MAY EXTEND TO OTHER PEPPER GERMPLASM AND VEGETABLES. WE HAVE STRONG K-12 AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT OUTREACH. WE ARE WORKING WITH STAKEHOLDERS, STATE COMMODITY BOARDS, GROWERS, PROCESSORS AND SEED COMPANIES THAT IDENTIFIED THIS PROJECT AS A CRITICAL NEED. RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, UNDERGRADUATE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WILL BE TRAINED THROUGH EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IN THIS PROJECT.

University Of California, Davis

Investigators