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.
Ling Lab @ USDA-ARS
Kai-Shu Ling, a member of the CucCAP watermelon team, is a Research Plant Pathologist at the USDA Vegetable Research Lab in Charleston, S.C.
Watermelon Team | 2021 Progress Report
Cucumber Team | 2021 Progress Report
Meet the CucCAP Watermelon Team
The CucCAP Watermelon team is led by USDA-ARS Research Geneticist Amnon Levi. Co-investigators include Sandra Branham, Cecelia McGregor, Kai-Shu Ling, Shaker Kousik, Umesh Reddy, and Pat Wechter.
Meet the CucCAP Cucumber Team
The CucCAP cucumber team is breeding cucumbers for resistance to downy mildew and Phytophthora fruit rot.
CucCAP research provides new understanding about transmission of Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus
A recent study determined that CGMMV is seed-borne, but not seed transmitted through seed germination, and evaluated effectiveness of several detection methods.
Watermelon Team | 2019 CucCAP Progress Report
Watermelon Team members: Amnon Levi (USDA, ARS), Shaker Kousik (USDA, ARS), Kai-shu Ling (USDA, ARS), Cecilia McGregor (Univ. Georgia), Pat Wechter (USDA, ARS), Todd Wehner (North Carolina St. Univ.)
Overall objectives: Identifying quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with resistance to major and emerging diseases, developing useful molecular markers and utilizing the genomic tools to incorporate resistance into watermelon cultivars.
Major diseases: Gummy stem blight, Fusarium wilt, Powdery mildew, Phytophthora fruit rot, Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) and Cucumber green motile mosaic virus (CGMMV).
CucCAP team presentations at Cucurbitaceae 2018
CucCAP plant breeders, pathologists and genomic scientists will present results of their work with cucurbit breeding lines and disease resistance at Cucurbitaceae 2018. On Wednesday, November 14, Rebecca Grumet will be the keynote speaker in the first genomics session with the presentation, The CucCAP Project: Genomic Tools and Resources to Facilitate Breeding for Disease Resistance […]
