About Us

Introduction

The cucurbit community has initiated a U.S.D.A.-funded cucurbit genomics project: CucCAP, Leveraging applied genomics to increase disease resistance in cucurbit crops. Genomic and breeding efforts will be complemented by a centralized cucurbit disease website with content in English and Spanish. This site provides diagnostic information, disease control recommendations, disease alerts, and links to disease clinics and forecasting tools. The website is set up to be “One stop shopping for cucurbit diseases” The primary objectives of CucCAP are: develop genomic and bioinformatic breeding tool kits for accelerated crop improvement across the Cucurbitaceae; use these tools to facilitate introgression of disease resistance into commercially valuable cucurbit cultivars; perform economic analysis and provide readily accessible information to facilitate disease control. CucCAP will develop genomic and phenotypic databases and bioinformatics tools for cucumber, melon, squash, and watermelon.

The CucCAP project’s focus areas include:

  1. Research in plant breeding, genetics, genomics, and other methods to improve crop characteristics including disease management (60%)
  2. Efforts to identify and address threats from diseases (30%)
  3. Efforts to improve production efficiency, productivity, and profitability (10%)

The CucCAP project has 3 major objectives:

  1. Develop genomic approaches and tools for cucurbit species.
    This website provides access to cucurbit genomics tools and databases via the International Cucurbit Genome Initiative (ICuGI) website, and by genomics and bioinformatics workshops open to all members of the cucurbit scientific and breeding communities.
  2. Perform genomic-assisted breeding to introgress disease resistance into cucurbit cultivars.
    On this website, you can find information about events including field trials, extension venues, and scientific meetings regarding breeding materials, markers, and breeding progress.
  3. Perform economic impact analyses of cost of production and disease control and provide readily accessible information to facilitate disease control.
    The CucCAP website is a centralized cucurbit disease website, including content in English and Spanish, providing information about diagnostics and links to disease clinics; disease control recommendations; disease alerts and links to forecasting tools.