CucCAP 2023 Team Meeting

Members of the Cucurbit Coordinated Agricultural Project met in April 2023 at Michigan State University to provide updates to their fellow research scientists and stakeholders in the CucCAP grant. CucCAP project director Dr. Rebecca Grumet, co-principal investigator Mary Hausbeck, and their labs hosted the group. CucCAP scientists from land grant universities and USDA vegetable research labs across the U.S. updated the project team and CucCAP project stakeholders with progress reports on grant activities. The group engaged in planning sessions and discussions including feedback from stakeholders. Presentations and topics of discussions included:

• Genomics overview of progress including bioinformatics platforms, databases, marker sets, pan-genomic analyses;
  Priorities, data access and distribution, phenotype data being collected;
  Status of core panels  including seed stocks, resequencing, seed handling, and distribution;
• Breeding Watermelon for disease resistance including status for Fusarium races 1 and 2, gummy stem blight, Phytophthora, powdery mildew, CYSDV, GCMMV, PRSV-W, and ZYMV;
• Breeding Melon for disease resistance including the status for powdery mildew, CMV, CYSDV, and Fusarium;
• Breeding Cucumber for disease resistance including the status for downy mildew, Phytophthora, and CGMMV;
• Breeding Squash for disease resistance including the status for powdery mildew and Phytophthora in C. moschata, the status for Phytophthora in C. maxima, and the status for
  powdery mildew and Phytophthora in C. pepo;
• Integrated disease management and economic analysis overview of progress including multi-location trials, pathogen population analyses, economic analyses, and delivery of disease information.