Libby is identifying which of Michael Mazourek’s Cucurbita moschata and C. maxima breeding lines are: 1) resistant to powdery mildew and 2) candidate replacements for the susceptible cultivars used in the processing industry.
CucCAP Scientists
The CucCAP team is 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 | 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.
Early Career Scientist Spotlight | Kim Heagy
Kim Heagy is a graduate student working on a Masters degree in the Department of Horticultural Science at NC State University. Kim is a member of the Schultheis Vegetable Production lab which is part of the CucCAP Integrated Disease Management Team.
Early Career Scientist Spotlight | Stuart Michel
Stuart Michel is a research technician in Dr. Schultheis’ program at NC State University and he is pursuing a masters degree in Horticultural Science. Stuart’s research will focus on Fusarium wilt of watermelon.
Early Career Scientist Spotlight | Jack Mascarenhas
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.
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.
