Progress 09/01/12 to 08/31/17
Outputs
Target Audience:Organic vegetable growers in the Eastern US and Canada want support for pathogen and insect mitigation and are the primary target of this proposal. However, as conventional growers adopt IPM practices and need alternatives to fungicides as cucurbit downy mildew develops resistance to these pathogens. We have continued to improve content on eOrganic with videos, webinars, trial reports, informational guides and tools for growers. Extension educators benefit from having timely access to new information about new cultivars through their asociation with the project, attending events and In-Service conferencesabout cultivars. Vegetable seed companies serving regions impacted by cucurbit downy mildew, striped cucumber beetles and potyviruses have received seed for evaluation, breeding and distribution. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Rachel Hultengren obtained her MS in Plant Breeding with a minor in communication with Dr Mazourek. As part of her training she produced videos for eOrganic in collaboration with growers andresearchers. Lauren Brzozowski is a PhD student with Dr Mazourek leading the downy mildew resistance breeding for this project Emily Rodekohr, a technician with Dr Mazourek entering the employee Master's degree program with Mazourek with a minor in economics participated in the economic analysis. Annie Richard, working on on-farm breeding for organic grower needs in Kingston, ON spent the summer with us learning experiment design, breeding methodology for resistance to these pests and pathogens. Seven graduate students have participated in this project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Extension educators participating in this proposal have gained new content to share with their growers that they were able to integrate into their formal and informal grower interactions. In addition to the conferences, blog posts and workshops listed in products, we have shared webinars and informational videos on eOrganic that have been collectively viewed over 5,000 times. Managing Cucurbit Downy Mildew on Organic Farms: 203 views, Managing Striped Cucumber Beetles on Organic Farms:203 views, Viral Diseases in Cucurbits webinar video: 546 views, Management Options for Striped Cucumber Beetle in Organic Cucurbits webinar: 2072 views, Challenges in Organic Cucurbit Production: 871 views, Managing Cucurbit Downy Mildew in Organic Systems in the Northeast webinar: 888 views, Cuckoo for Cucurbit Vine Crop Breeding webinar: 345 views. The project website ( http://eorganic.info/cucurbits) has been accessed 3118 times. We have also offered new germplasm produced by this project to others working on cucurbit research grant proposals and seed companies. The named cultivars generated by this project in "products" are available commercially including through seed companies based in the Southeast. Virus resistant squash germplasm is being studies as part of CucCAP (2015-51181-24285)and the downy mildew resistant cucumber cultivars are the foundation of breeding resistant pickle cultivars as part of "A Production System for High Value Crops at Risk from Downy Mildew: Integrating Detection, Breeding, Extension, and Education" (2016-68004-24931). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Multiple new cultivars were developed with resistance to key pests and pathogens. Trifecta muskmelon has cucurbit downy mildew (CDM) resistance. DMR264 and DMR401 cucumbers are the first with resistance to the new strain of CDM. Martini cucumber excelled at yield and quality in all regions. A bacterial wilt resistant cucumber hybrid was developed that was found to solve wilt issues that can be the major cause of plant mortality in high tunnels. Interspecific hybrids that we thought would be useful as early flowering trap crops for striped cucumber beetles (SCB) were not highly attractive to SCB. Instead they have potential as SCR resistant alternatives to highly SCB vulnerable C. maximawinter squash. Eight breeding lines were developed for zucchini type squash with SCB resistance/non-preference. We have characterized these new cultivars in the context of multistate variety trials with on-farm daughter sites. This has revealed cultivar productivity, disease resistance and also uncovered unexpected challenges. For example, cucumber cultivars that are grown in SC in late summer because of their CDM resistance are exposed to pickle worm that can devastate the crop. With grower input we have included unanticipated market classes in our trials. For example, smaller melons are favored by CSA's and some growers are interested in growing C. moschata species, harvested and sold at the immature stage, as replacements for zucchini due to their superior insect resistance. We have a better understanding of how to manage cucurbit downy mildew in organic systems. More growers are aware of the reporting and forecasting tool athttp://cdm.ipmpipe.org/through discussion of the tool at field days, conferences and webinars. They are now aware that they don't need to destroy infected crops, a practice that was a barrier they identified as reducing their participation in reporting. Also, organic growers now have fungicides that provide improved control of the pathogen which provides value to the improved forecasting capabilities. We have released resistant cultivars with guidance on planting them at times of year when the pathogen is predicted to arrive in a given region. We have been able to make strides in understanding and characterizing the pathogen and developing ways to store spores for future study; as an obligate biotroph it is very hard to culture in the lab without these innovations. We have characterized the virus resistance of cucurbits using strains of the viruses native to the SE US. While many cultivars do not exhibit symptoms when infected, there are some, notably cultivars and breeding lines from Cornell, that do not get infected at all and do not accumulate virus These are good candidates for breeding projects because they can reduce the potential source of inoculum on an organic farm that could spread to other crops that didn't have symptom suppression characteristics. This strategy for reducing inoculum is especially relevant in the management of a virus like CMV, which is much less cucurbit-specific than ZYMV and has a broad host range that includes many weeds and crop plants. Striped cucumber beetles (SCB) are particularly devastating to squash cultivars. We have been able to parse out patterns of this damage by market class and subspecies. This has implications for breeding, production and cultural controls. Zucchini is much more vulnerable than straightneck/crookneck summer squash. For our breeding work we have made crosses between the two types to transfer resistance/non-preference to zucchini. We have explored implications for trap cropping. Highly preferred golden zucchini cannot be protected by a Blue Hubbard trap crop. Green zucchini can be protected by a trap crop. Summer squash are so non-preferred they can be free from damage even with no trap crop or other intervention. The economic analysis was undertaken to assess the impact of different cultural controls on pest and pathogen performance. Striped cucumber beetle (SCB) defoliation of squash was a primary concern. Row cover is commonly used as a physical barrier to protect transplants from SCB. Kaolin clay is also commonly sprayed on crops to deter beetle feeding. Questions for the analysis were: Do these treatments enhance profits; does their value change during the season and are they cultivar dependent?. An economic tool was developed, in the form of an easily managed spreadsheet tailored for growers, that factored in labor costs, farm size, material costs and market prices obtained from the NOFA-NY price index. Results showed that although kaolin clay was effective at reducing SCB feeding damage, marketable yield was not increased for any cultivar or planting date. Row cover was effective at both reducing damage and increasing yield in SCB vulnerable cultivars when SCB pressure was significant during early plant growth. Yields of SCB resistant/non-preferred cultivars were not aided by physical barriers or kaolin clay. High tunnel improved earliness and yield of cucumbers, however mid-season plants were prone to mortality due to bacterial wilt. Late season plants were lost to Alternaria if they were a susceptible genotype. A gothic high tunnel design excluded CDM, but it was highly variable if a more humid caterpillar design would be free from CDM or completely lost. A late season open field planting could be highly productive in the fall in the NE if resistant cultivars were used but otherwise compared to a high tunnel, a total loss could be expected.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
K.N. Neufeld, A.P. Keinath, P.S. Ojiambo, A model to predict the risk of infection of cucumber by Pseudoperonospora cubensis, Microbial Risk Analysis, Volume 6, 2017, Pages 21-30,
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
J.F. Murphy and M. Mazourek Evaluation of cucumber, melon and squash varieties for response to three Potyvirus species and Cucumber mosaic virus.in prep
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Lange, H.W., Smart, C.D. and Seaman, A.J. 2017. Evaluation of materials allowed for organic production on downy mildew of cucumber, 2016. Plant Disease Management Report. Volume 11
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Lange, H.W., Smart, C.D. and Seaman, A.J. 2017. Evaluation of materials allowed for organic production on powdery mildew of zucchini, 2016. Plant Disease Management Report. Volume 11
|
Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/16
Outputs
Target Audience:Vegetable growers in the Eastern US and Canada want support for pathogen and insect mitigation. They regularly rate losses to cucurbit downy mildew and striped cucumber beetles as some of their primary challenges. This was echoed in a recent needs assessment survey of vegetable growers in the Northeast (https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/44636). In the Southeast, growers commonly cited other insect challenges as additional challenges to production: squash bugs and vine borers. Overall this community would be served by new cultivars that were resistant to these pests and pathogens as well as recommendations for improved OMRI approved chemical controls such as organic insecticides and cultivars that were matched to different production techniques such as wilt resistant cucumbers for high tunnel production. Seed companies serving these growers look for improved seed options to offer these growers and performance advice on how these new cultivars will perform. Extension educators benefit from having timely access to new information about cultivars and practices. Changes/Problems:Significant losses of the cucumber breeding program to deer feeding were remedied by upgraded fencing for the 2016 season. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Katie Neufeld is a PhD student in the Ojiambo group. Her work focused on refining downy mildew forecasting the logistic regression models. David Robb is a PhD student at Clemson and worked with co-PI Murphy on cultivar trials, data collection and management in addition to describing results at a field day. David mentored two undergraduates that assisted with the data collection. Lauren Brzozowski is a PhD student in the Mazourek group. Lauren has been leading the breeding work for cucurbit downy mildew resistance in cucumber. She has been managing crossing, selection and variety trials specific to the breeding program and is mentored by co-PI Chris Smart on the pathology work. She is also leading the summer squash breeding for striped cucumber beetle non-preference in cooperation with the Hoffmann group. Lauren has had the opportunity to present on her research at field days and conferences where she appears as a co-author. Undergraduate students in the Mazourek group learned skills associated with variety trials. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Three field days in the Southeast and two in the Northeast reached over 200 people and shared the results of variety trials, efforts to breed for resilience in cucurbit crops, new cultivars, and how pest and pathogen challenges for these crops are managed on an organic farm. On farm trials allowed growers to explore the utility of new cultivars on their farms in comparison to market standards. Seed meetings were organized at the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association conference in addition to a presentation on the project. At the Virginia Association of Biological Farmers conference a presentation was made on the project and the development of a regional organic seed system.At the Georgia Organics conference booth promoted this projectand the development of a regional organic seed system. Updates about the project and regional seed system development were published in the OSA quarterly newsletter. A poster was presented at the American Society for Horticultural Science. A presentation on breeding for striped cucumber beetle non-preference and downy mildew resistance was made at the Organic Seed Growers Conference. Two peer-reviewed journal articles were published. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Additional trials will be performed that quantify impact of the most effective cultural practices that have been observed in the course of the project. Cultivar performance with and without downy mildew pressure will be compared so growers have better information about variety choice and how it impacts yield at different times of year and the cost benefit differences of application on emerging, effective OMRI approved fungicides on resistant and susceptible cultivars. High tunnel yields with bacterial wilt resistant cucumber cultivars will be repeated to define the value of this characteristic for this system. Similarly for virus associated losses the yield of plants with and without virus pressure will be compared with also a consideration of impact of plant resistance. Publications and guides will be prepared that describe the results of the trials.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The basis for striped cucumber beetle preference in Cucurbita pepo was further explored with a focus on the contrast that was observed between straightneck summer squash and golden zucchini. Windtraps were utilized to test the role of volatile compounds in beetle attraction. Differences in attractiveness between these two squash was observed when intermediate numbers of male cucumbers were applied to plants. Plant volatiles were collected from plants with and without beetle feeding to identify volatiles that may be involved in beetle preference. Trap cropping experiments continued to explore efficacy and beetle emergence from trap crops. In 2016, 'Golden Zucchini' was added as a trap crop. Results showed that trap crop destruction by mowing and rototilling had mixed effect on adult emergence from eggs laid on trap crop plants. This suggests that trap destruction, at least by these methods, does not reduce subsequent striped cucumber beetle pressure. When the highly preferred 'Golden Zucchini' was used as the crop being protected by the trap crop 'Blue Hubbard', protection was not adequate. We conclude that trap cropping in this system only works well when the trap crop is paired with a substantially less preferred cultivar. Breeding for reduced preference in the zucchini market class therefore continues to be an important goal. Collection continued of isolates of the cucurbit downy mildew pathogen to determine pathogen diversity. Our results to date continue to support the hypothesis thatthere is isolate variation by host (those isolates that attack pumpkin and squash are different from those on cucumber) but not by geographic region within NY. An efficacy trial to identify OMRI-approved products for the control of cucurbit downy mildew found the rhamnolipid product Zonix (a commercially available fungicide) was significantly better than all other treatments at the second rating (four days after symptoms were observed on August 26) and was the only product that was significantly better than the untreated control at the final rating.Cucurbit downy mildew forecasting was further refined with information about the impact of different variables on spray decision thresholds. The utility and value of participation in the CDM forecasting network. The final year of replicated, multisite trial concluded. New releases from this project were included in these trials. Three publicly bred cucumbers have been released as part of this project. DMR-NY401 is commercially available for 2017. It has competitive earliness and was outstanding during periods of moderate to high downy mildew pressure. DMR-NY264 is commercially available and has superior resistance but is later to produce. Martini is commercially available for 2017 and has been one of the highest yielding cultivars in the trials when downy mildew pressure has not been severe. Trifecta melon was developed through this project and excels in these trials. Summer squash and zucchini are still being developed and are not ready for trialing; through an approach of exposing them to massive amounts of cucumber beetles at the transplant stage we are able to select for those that receive little feeding damage.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Brzozowski L, Holdsworth WL, Mazourek M. DMR-NY401: (2016) A New Downy Mildew-Resistant Slicing Cucumber. HortScience. 51:1294-1296.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Brzozowski L, Leckie BM, Gardner J, Hoffmann M, Mazourek M. 2016. Subspecies Delineates Striped Cucumber Beetle (Acalymma vittatum) Preference in Cucurbita pepo. Hort Research. 3:16028.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Mazourek M, Hultengren H, Brzozowski L. Creating Plant Breeding Populations for Organic Systems. Organic Seed Growers Conference. Corvallis, OR. February 5, 2016.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Frost E, Mazourek M, Davis J, Zystro J. "Breeding Cucurbits for Organics in the SE Region." Carolina Farm Stewards Association Conference. November 8, 2015.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Mazourek M. Organic Farming Systems. Terroir Symposium. Toronto, ON. April 25, 2016.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Mazourek M. Vine crops genetics: Whats on the Horizon? Empire State Producers Expo. Syracuse, NY. January 20, 2016.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Hubbard K. CFSA Guest Blog, Why the Southeast Seed Movement Matters to Farmers Everywhere, https://www.carolinafarmstewards.org/why-the-southeast-seed-movement-matters-to-farmers-everywhere/
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Poster. Mazourek et al. ESO-Cuc, the Eastern Sustainable Organic Cucurbit Project. American Society for Horticultural Science. Atlanta, GA. August 9. 2016.
|
Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/15
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences for this project during this third reporting period were primarily organic vegetable growers in the eastern United States and seed companies that serve these growers. Seed companies were an increasingly important part of the project as PI Mazourek met with them at field days and tradeshows to explore breeding needs and support their growth and efforts to supply regionally appropriate cultivars. Growers were reached through interactions at conferences, networking to identify research farm hosts and the planning of research on their farms. The website on eOrganic http://eorganic.info/cucurbits shared information broadly. We also reached out to the greater public about the impact and potential of food choices that include production system and cultivar choice. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?A post-doctoral associate specializing in entomology assisted with the project and mentored a new graduate student before starting a faculty position at another university. A new graduate student joined the Mazourek group to lead the CDM resistant cucumber breeding and squash breeding for striped cucumber beetle non-preference and was mentored by her peers, the post-doctoral associate and project affiliated faculty. Students published their work in peer reviewed journals with the mentorship of their faculty advisors. Seed companies gained new regionally appropriate seed and were trained in grafting techniques for high tunnel production of cucurbits that will be further disseminated to other growers at the NOFA-NY winter conference. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?In collaboration with Blue Hill restaurant, we initiated a campaign to introduce the public to the benefits of tromboncino squash. Tromboncino was featured on the summer menu and diners were both treated to a delicious course and they were informed about the benefits to sustainability of growing a squash that could be produced in organic conditions without neonicotinoid insecticides or row cover. This was experienced by thousands of diners at the restaurant. A guide was made to show squash vulnerability to beetles and made available to growers at field days, Empire Farm Days in NY and shared via our eOrganic website. Interactions with growers and networking in the Southeast continued to reach new growers to participate in trials try new breeds on their farm. The Vegetable Breeding Institute field days shared trial and breeding updates with representatives from more than 30 seed companies. Field days were held in NC that showcased the variety trials. A poster was presented at the ASHS meeting to share our progress with this audience of peers. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?To generate economic data on the impact of downy mildew resistant cucumbers trials will be performed both early and later in the season to provide in-season guidance on when to plant resistant cultivars. New types of downy mildew resistant cucumbers will be evaluated in high tunnel production versus open field to evaluate performance in the two environments and to the different challenges in those environments. A third year of replicated trials will be performed with a refined set of cultivars that have excelled for both previous years of trials. A new row cover option is available for use in the Southeast that is a coarse mesh that is promising for excluding beetles without heat buildup that can damage plants. Preliminary evaluations will do done to explore the potential for this product. Data will be compiled and analyzed from the life of the project for presentation in webinars and lessons learned short videos to share results with growers on eOrganic. We will support the growth of new seed capacity in the SE by supporting grant applications and sharing materials and insight with new projects emerging in the region.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Ten melon breeding lines that were superior in 2014 breeding trials were evaluated in replicated trials along with representative control cultivars. Given the wet summer and use of row cover to protect plants from beetles, angular leaf spot infections were particularly severe. Four lines were identified as promising combinations of quality and yield compared to the controls.Cucumber breeding was continued as in 2014. Promising lines were evaluated in replicated trials that included all commercial available green slicing cucumbers advertised as resistant to downy mildew. None of these commercial cultivars were resistant in our trials in NY and their yield was reduced accordingly when planted into downy mildew disease pressure. The best of these breeding lines will be released as 'DMR401' after its 2015 plot designation.Squash seedlings from F2 populations from crosses between preferred zucchini and non-preferred summer squash were germinated in the greenhouse and exposed to field harvested striped cucumbers. Only those that survived were transplanted to the field for pollination. Other populations were selected for lack of beetle damage, earliness and lack of spines.Replicated trials were conducted on promising interspecific crosses between winter squash that were originally intended as new trap crops. Instead these were discovered to have promise to deliver winter squash with the quality of C. maxima species with less vulnerability to striped cucumber beetles. These had very high quality, flowered more than 3 weeks earlier than their parental cultivars and showed excellent storage. Melon and cucumber striped cucumber beetle preference assays were repeated without neighboring squash plots to compete for beetle pressure. Preference continuums were discovered with no clear demarcation of preferred or non-preferred cultivars as was discovered in squash. A second year of data was collected on squash to publish our findings on preference contrasts by Cucurbita pepo subspecies. Laboratory assays demonstratedP.cubensisisolates from squash are genetically distinct from cucumber and cantaloupe isolates We supported Fruition Seeds in a SARE grant to test the performance of our interspecific squash hybrids as rootstocks for grafting melons with fusarium resistance that was overcome by the pathogen. All performed well in grower high tunnels in terms of disease resistance; all surpassed the Charentais melon that the grower had been using with resistance to some races of fusarium. Harvested fruit were however noticeably different in appearance than those from ungrafted plants which might impact marketability.We performed trials to compare the impact of row cover on the yield of summer squash that were non-preferred by striped cucumber beetles to zucchini that were highly preferred and thus sustained significant damage. Row cover protected both from damage, each only sustaining 10% defoliation after row cover was removed. Summer squash without row cover had similar minimal amounts of damage, but yielded half as much. Zucchini was 50% defoliated and yielded 25% as much as plants protected by row cover. New cultivars that were introduced performed well. Tromboncino squash were not as early to produce but produced consistently without beetle damage and their indeterminate habit allowed them to continue growing despite mildew pressure.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Gardner J, Hoffmann MP, and Mazourek M. 2015. Striped Cucumber Beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Aggregation in Response to Cultivar and Flowering. Environmental Entomology, 44:309-316.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Summers CF, Gulliford CM, Carlson CH, Lillis JA, Carlson MO, Cadle-Davidson L, Gent DH, Smart CD. 2015. Identification of Genetic Variation between Obligate Plant Pathogens Pseudoperonospora cubensis and P. humuli Using RNA Sequencing and Genotyping-By-Sequencing. PLoSOne. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0143665
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Holdsworth W, Summers C, Glos M, Smart C, Mazourek, M. Breeding for Downy Mildew Resistance in Cucumber. Cucurbitaceae. Bay Harbor, MI. October 12-16, 2014.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Barber D, Mazourek, M, Jones, S and Bethony, J. The Future of Flavor: Looking Beyond Heirlooms . The 9th Annual Starchefs.com International Chefs Congress. Brooklyn, NY. October 26-28, 2014.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Poster. Mazourek M, Davis J, Hoffmann M, Colley M, Murphy J, Ojiambo P, Seaman A, Smart C, Kleese T, Hadad R, Steward C, Reid J. ESO-Cuc Eastern Sustainable Organic Cucurbit Project. American Society for Horticultural Science. New Orleans, LA. August 6, 2015.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Kemble J, Frost E, Mazourek M. Disease Management for Vegetables: Making Better Use of Sustainable Management Practices and Disease Resistant Varieties . Mini-Course. Southern SAWG Conference. Mobile, AL. January 27-30, 2015.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Colley, M, Mazourek M. State of Organic Seed Listening Session. NOFA-NY Winter Conference. Saratoga Springs, NY January 23, 2015.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Colley M, Frost E. Fundamentals of Organic Seed Production. Carolina Farm Stewardship Association Conference. Greenville, SC. November 11, 2014.
|
Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/14
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences for this project during this second reporting period were primarily organic vegetable growers in the Eastern United States and seed companies that serve these growers. Seed companies were an increasingly important part of the project as PI Mazourek met with them at field days and tradeshows to explore breeding needs and support their growth and projects. Growers were reached through interactions at conferences, networking to identify research farm hosts and the planning of research on their farms. The website on eOrganic http://eorganic.info/cucurbits shared information broadly. We also started to work more directly with the public to share the message of plant breeding and sustainability through use of particular varieties, share management techniques and with chefs to share the value plant breeding and cultivar choice. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In collaboration with the 3rd Student Organic Seed Symposium that was hosted at Cornell, Mazourek and Colley discussed plant breeding for organic systems with the students and showed trials related to this project and lead the Organic Seed School a national audience gathered at Cornell. Mazourek presented at the UC Davis Pioneer Student Symposium. Four PhD graduate students are trained in the labs of Mazourek, Smart and Ojiambo where they gained experience on working with current plant health needs in a multidisciplinary team that is networked with growers along the Eastern US. They are working with, or developing, the most advanced germplasm for downy mildew resistance and integrating that into their studies. Undergraduate students have been engaged in field trials where they learned experimental design, identification of pests and diseases, data collection and basic statistics. We continued to support Common Wealth Seed Growers in their breeding and trialing and invited all other companies to collaborate as well. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Mazourek presented at a conference held for chefs at Blue Hill at the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. In addition to a quest for flavor in produce, he shared the the message of choice in produce and making that choice more sustainable. Cucumber downy mildew resistance was shared as a way to maintain local availability of produce. This conference was widely covered in print. At a meeting for Whole Foods, it was shared how to make summer squash/zucchini products more sustainable by cultivar choice and how that would impact the need for row cover or pesticides. Interactions with growers and networking in the Southeast continued to reach new growers to participate in trials try new breeds on their farm. Presentations at the Organic Seed Growers Conference shared results with a national audience of seed growers at a webinar on eXtension demonstrated breeding strategies. The Vegetable Breeding Institute field days shared trial and breeding updates with representatives from more than 30 seed companies. A field day was held in NC that showcased the variety trials, pest and pathogen management techniques and seed production. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will adapt our replicated trials based on results from this season; underperforming cultivars will be dropped and newly available cultivars and cultivars suggested by growers will be introduced to the trials. Tromboncino type summer squash that were suggested by seed companies in the Southeast will be included in trials for evaluation and potential promotion of a new sustainable alternative to zucchini. Cucumbers will continue to be selected for earliness and resistance. Breeding lines of melons will be evaluated in replicated trials. Crosses between vulnerable zucchini and beetle non-preferred summer squash will be performed to create populations specifically segregating for beetle non-preference. Presentations of trial results at conferences will inform growers of options for their crops. Interspecific crosses will be tested for their performance as rootstocks. Cucumber and melon cultivars will be screened for beetle preference.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Seventy melon breeding lines with virus resistance from crosses to a Cornell multiple disease resistant parent were advanced during the winter and screened for absence of Squash mosaic virus. In the summer, these were evaluated for powdery mildew resistance and striped cucumber beetle non-preference.Crosses were made between virus resistant zucchini and summer squash that were found to be preferred by growers, virus resistant, non-preferred by striped cucumber beetles and performed well in our observation plots. Hybrids and F1's were self-pollinated to produce 6 new F2 populations. Cucurbit downy mildew resistant zucchini were crossed with the early zucchini popular with growers, 'Zucchini Elite', to improve their agronomics. Seventy twocuttings from the earliest and most prolific of the cucurbit downy mildew resistant individuals of several thousand field grow cucumbers were self-pollinated in the greenhouse and selected individuals were backcrossed and second off season generation was grown to self-pollinate these plants. Progeny were planted into cucurbit downy mildew pressure for selection. Replicated striped cucumber beetle preference assays plots were planted for the panel of 30 varieties each of squash, melon and cucumbers for more thorough characterization. The abundance of highly preferred squash on the research farm resulted in low pressure on the cucumber and melon plots. A pattern emerged where the subspecies that includes summer squash was much less damaged by beetles than the zucchini subspecies. Further assays were performed that looked at more market classes from each subspecies (delicata, acorn, scallop and pumpkin) and it was found the subspecies preference pattern extended throughout the species.The same 30 varieties of squash cucumber and melon were indexed for cucurbit downy mildew in lab assays and virus accumulation and symptom for Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and 3 potyviruses. All varieties tested positive for Cucumber mosaic virus but displayed variable symptom development. Symptomatic and asymptomatic varieties also all tested positive for Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV), Watermelon mosaic virus (WMV) and Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) except 'Marketmore 80 Bw' that was asymptomatic and tested negative by ELISA for PRSV and 'DMR264' that was asymptomatic and tested negative for both ZYMV and WMV. Trap cropping studies were continued that looked at beetle emergence from past season trap cropping. We learned neither rototilling nor mowing of the trap crop significantly reduced beetle emergence, there were in fact numerically more beetles that emerged from rototilled trap crop plots compared to undisturbed trap crops. Interspecific, early flowering squash crops were not more preferred than 'Blue Hubbard'.Working with melons produced in high tunnels, we found that fusarium wilt was the most significant pathogen limiting production on a farm with a history of high tunnel melon production even with Charentais melons advertised as fusarium resistant. While we found downy mildew to be present in tunnels, it was minor compared to alternaria as a pathogen on cucumber. Beit alpha cucumbers that lacked alternaria resistance were initially more productive but resistant cultivars were able to produce later into the season. Cucurbit downy mildew samples were collected from around the region and assays were performed to differentiate the spores. Seed of new resistant cucumber lines were shared with the CDMIPMpipe team to incorporate into experiments that allowed them to improve model prediction accuracy and forecasting that allows growers know when to spray for the most effect. The first season of tristate replicated trials were initiated that compared eight cultivars each of squash, melon and cucumbers. These included grower favorite hybrid and open pollinated cultivars and sources of resistance for breeding. Economic data was collected in the form of prices per unit from participating farms as well as management practices they employed.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Organic Seed School. With the 3rd Annual Student Organic Seed Symposium. Cornell University.Freeville, NY. August 17, 2014.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Holdsworth WL, Summers CF, Glos M, Smart CD, Mazourek M. 2014. Development of Downy Mildew-Resistant Cucumbers for Late-Season Production in the Northeast. HortScience. 49:10-17.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Morton F and Mazourek M. Two Perspectives on Plant Breeding Blue Hill-Stone Barns Restaurant. G9 Chefs Summit. Pocantico Hills, NY. September 23, 2013.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Mazourek M. Research update: Vegetable Crops . Organic Seed Growers Conference. Corvallis, OR. January 31, 2014.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Panelist. Developing Regionally Adapted Varieties . Organic Seed Growers Conference. Corvallis, OR. January 31, 2014.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Mazourek M. Food Security through Valuing Food. UC Davis. Pioneer Student Plant Breeding Symposium. Davis, CA. April 11, 2014.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Jones S, and Mazourek M. The Future of Agriculture: Seed Breeders, the Next Generation. Whole Foods Market Tribal Gathering. Austin, TX. February 22, 2014.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Algiere J and Mazourek M. Build-a-Veggie Workshop. Stone Barns Center, Young Farmers Conference. Pocantico Hills, NY. December 2013.
|
Progress 09/01/12 to 08/31/13
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences for this project during this first reporting period are primarily organic vegetable growers in the Eastern United States. They were reached though needs assessments, surveys, interactions at conferences, and the planning of research on their farms. The Organic Seed Alliance was active in setting up networks in the Southeast to help coordinate grower needs and explore the formation of future work on organic seed in the Southeast and support the development of breeding and seed production capacity in the region. Similarly in the Northeast, Cornell Cooperative Extension educators shared the project with their stakeholders. A website was created on eOrganic with an introductory video to introduce the project nationally. Collaborations with seed companies in the Southeast and mid-Atlantic were strengthened and discussions helped inform sharing of materials for trials and reciprocal input on breeding projects. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Three PhD graduate students are trained in the labs of Mazourek, Smart and Ojiambo where they gain experience on working with current plant health needs in a multidisciplinary team that is networked with growers along the Eastern US. They are working with, or developing, the most advanced germplasm for downy mildew resistance and integrating that into their studies. Additionally one student worked with the Mazourek group on video development and trial design and mentored undergraduates. Undergraduate students have been engaged in field trials where they learned experimental design, identification of pests and diseases, data collection and basic statistics. Two students that recently graduated with their bachelors were engaged in all aspects of the grant. One is now anassistant plant breeder at Johnny's Selected Seeds and the other is helping to manage Pennypack farm that has aCSA near Philadelphia, PA. A technician that assisted with the project is now a grower and educator at the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Networking in the Southeastern US by the Organic Seed Alliance and Tony Kleese and in the Northeast by Cornell Cooperative Extension informed growers of the initiative to explore solutions to their primary challenges with cucurbit production. At Cornell's VBI field days, representatives from approximately 30 seed companies were shown the performance of their materials alongside other germplasm including potential sources of material for breeding for organic systems and other cultivars. A presentation at the Mother Earth News Fair served to demystify plant breeding and encourage growers to move beyond heirlooms to explore new cultivars that may benefit them. We strengthened our collaboration with organic seed companies in general, but especiallyCommon Wealth Seed Growers, an organic seed company focused on downy mildew resistant cucurbits for Virgina and the Southeast. We shared the cucurbit downy mildew forcasting website and encouraged grower participation and the value of its role in timing crop plantings and created our website on eOrganic. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Based on survey results of grower preferences and regional reports of cultivars that excel in the impacted regions, we assembled a list of trial cultivars that will be disseminated through the region for replicated and on-farm trials. The final network of growers will be identified.Demonstration trials will be organized in the Northeast in conjunction with these on-farm trials to assess and highlight the performance of cultural practices on controlling pest and disease. Cucurbit downy mildew spores will continue to be collected and analyzed to better understand population dynamics and threats to growers. We will continue to host field days, conferences and share our results with growers and those in the seed industry.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Survey data from conferences, published reports on disease resistances and extension reports on yield in the impacted regions were used to form panels of 50 cultivars of each crop (cucumber, summer squash/zucchini and melon) that were either commonly grown by growers, had traits listed as priorities that might not be from seed sources growers are familiar with or were potential sources of resistance. Based on one year of performance, a panel of 30 cultivars was selected that best represented these key traits and was shared with pathology and entomology team members for resistance indexing. A subset of eight cultivars was extracted for replicated trials on grower farms. Seed from university stocks was increased. Squash were identified that are promising for production with intensive striped cucumber beetle pressure. Downy mildew resistant cucumber breeding lines were evaluated for release resistance and agronomic quality. High tunnel trials were performed with key material that contrasted for specific genetic attributes related to the project. It was found that a tall, gothic high tunnel effectively prevented downy mildew, but bacterial wilt pressure was much more pronounced and should be prioritized in future breeding work. Row cover trials had the additional benefit of increasing plant vigor and earliness which improved yield.The use of inter-row plantings of crops that would not vector aphid transmitted viruses were tested in organic vegetable production. However, the challenges of controlling weeds in a summer planted crop in the Southeast made it challenging to prevent weeds that could serve as alternate hosts for the pathogens by growers working in tight quarters. Precocious flowering squash were tested as potential trap crops. Cucurbit downy mildew spores were collected from the region to be assayed and new cucumbers were shared to improve downy mildew forecasting modeling. Trap cropping plots to look at beetle re-emergence from trap crop plants were established.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Holdsworth W, Mazourek M. DIY Plant Breeding: How to develop your own variety of vegetable. Mother Earth News Fair. Seven Springs, PA. September 21-23, 2012.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Navazio J and Mazourek M. Plant Variety Improvement for Organic Agriculture. Stone Barns Center, Growing Farmers Initiative/NOVIC/Organic Seed Alliance Seed School. Pocantico Hills, NY. August 2013
- Type:
Other
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Vegetable Breeding Institute Field Days Ithaca, Freeville and Geneva, NY. August 26-27, 2013
|
|