As an undergraduate research assistant in the Quesada Vegetable Pathology Lab at NC State University, Jack Mascarennas assisted Research Specialist Mike Adams with cucurbit disease field trials conducted for the first CucCAP project.
CucCAP scientists
The CucCAP team includes a diverse group of scientists including plant breeders, plant genomics specialists, plant pathologists, crop production specialists, and agricultural economics specialists. Early career scientists on the CucCAP team include both MS and PhD graduate students, Post doctoral researchers, research technicians, and other technical staff assisting the CucCAP project’s principal investigators.
Early Career Scientist Spotlight | Gregory Vogel
This pHD candidate’s CucCAP grant research focused on developing squash breeding lines with some Phytophthora blight resistance and mapping genes involved in disease resistance. His other focus was pathogen population genetics. In CucCAP1 the squash team sequenced and characterized isolates of the causal agent, Phytophthora capsici, from around New York and mapped genes in the pathogen associated with mating type, fungicide resistance, and virulence.
Early Career Scientist Spotlight | Luis Rivera-Burgos
Luis Rivera-Burgos worked on breeding watermelon for gummy stem blight resistance with Dr. Todd Wehner on the first CucCAP project. Their research focused on the evaluation of resistance to Gummy Stem Blight in a population of recombinant inbred lines of watermelon x Citron.
Early Career Scientist Spotlight | Feifan Chen
Feifan Chan’s work in Yiqun Weng’s lab focuses on on pathogen resistance to downy mildew and powdery mildew in cucumber.
Early Career Scientist Spotlight | Matthew Uebbing
Matthew is evaluating fungicide sensitivity of CDM to single fungicide products and efficacy of forecasters in controlling CDM and spore trapping of P. cubensis using impaction spore traps.
Early Career Scientist Spotlight | Andrea P. Landrón García
CucCAP scientist Andrea P. Landrón García’s research is focused on the creation of future resistant lines of squash with resistance to powdery mildew using resistant materials with local materials in Puerto Rico.
Early Career Scientist Spotlight | Samikshya Rijal
CucCAP scientist Samikshya Rijal is working on watermelon breeding and genetics. Her primary goal is to assist in the development of gummy stem blight (GSB) resistant breeding material.
