CucCAP scientist James D. McCreight is a contributor to the 2021 CGC report.
CucCAP Project
Contributions to the CucCAP project by the Bioinformatics Team, Cucurbit Crop Breeding Teams, and the Integrated Disease Management Team.
CucCAP researchers evaluate disease control options for downy mildew on pickling cucumber
Cucurbit downy mildew (CDM), is an economically significant disease of cucurbitaceous crops in the Eastern United States (US). Cucumbers are particularly susceptible and as a result, disease management of this pathogen relies heavily on fungicide use.
Early Career Scientist Spotlight | Bidisha Chanda
Before her current position as a Genetic Purity Lab Manager in the Quality Assurance Department at Sakata Seed America, Inc., in Salinas California, Bidisha Chanda worked for the USDA and conducted research for the CucCAP watermelon team at the US Vegetable Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina.
CucCAP scientists examine mechanisms of watermelon resistance to viral infection
Watermelon production in the U.S. and around the world faces serious threats by viral diseases, including aphid-transmitted potyviruses: papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) and zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV). In a recent study, a CucCAP team examined expression of anti-microbial/anti-viral, ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) in watermelons in response to inoculation with PRSV. The PRSV-resistant citron watermelon (Citrullus amarus) exhibited high RIP expression, versus low expression in plants of the susceptible, cultivated “Charleston Gray” watermelon. This finding may offer additional genetic and genomic resources for improving potyvirus-resistance in watermelon cultivars.
Cucurbit Disease updates | June 2022
On June 1, the CucCAP team observed Cucurbit Downy Mildew on cucumbers in North Carolina and Fusarium wilt on watermelon in South Carolina.
Cucurbit Downy Mildew Management
CucCAP plant pathologist, Anthony Keinath published a factsheet on cucurbit downy mildew management with sections on symptoms and signs, how cucurbit downy mildew spreads, cultural practices to limit cucurbit downy mildew, and spraying for cucurbit downy mildew.
Cucurbit Disease Factsheets | Cornell Vegetables
These factsheets from Cornell CALS can be found on the Cornell Vegetable Program and the Long Island Horticultural Research & Extension Center websites.
CucCAP researchers review producers’ willingness to pay for new varieties
Stated preference surveys are a relatively new approach to measuring specialty crop producers’ valuation of breeding traits.
