Rebecca Grumet: CucCAP project director and Professor in the Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University specializing in reproductive development in Cucumis; regulation of sex-expression; disease resistance; biotechnology biosafety; & cucurbit genomics. Members of the MSU Cucumber breeding team include Ben Mansfeld and Sue A. Hammar.
View the Cucumber Team progress report with tables and figures in pages 41 – 52 of the pdf version of this report.
Cucumber Team members:
Yiqun Weng (YW), USDA-ARS, University of Wisconsin Madison,
Rebecca Grumet (RG), Michigan State University
Kai-Shu Ling (KL), USDA-ARS Charleston, SC
Anthony Keinath (AK), Clemson University, SC
Phytophthora fruit rot is a major disease impacting pickling cucumber production for which there are no resistant varieties. Genomic approaches were performed on the cucumber core collection leading to identification and verification of several quantitative trait loci associated with resistance. The results from this work can be applied to future disease resistance studies and to assist marker-assisted selection in breeding programs.
Grumet’s lab most recently focused on fruit development and disease resistance in cucumber and melon crops using molecular genetic, genomic and transgenic approaches. This centered on early stages of fruit growth and factors influencing fruit size, shape, cuticle and surface properties and resistance to Phytophthora capsici.
The CucCAP Genomics and Bioinformatics Team reported on project progress and ongoing research in April 2023.
The CucCAP squash team published 6 journal articles in 2022 & 2023, 7 journal articles in 2021, and 5 journal articles in 2020.
The CucCAP Cucumber breeding and genomics team published 11 journal articles and book chapters between September 2020 and April 2023.
