Progress 03/01/19 to 02/28/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of this project is domestic chile pepper farmers and processors and particularly targets transition to mechanical harvest. Additionally, resources were are targeted towards vegetable seed companies, K-12, graduate and undergraduate students and public scientists. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We have had several training opportunities in our over the 4 years of the project with 1 Msc Graduate student Francesca Ortega and three 1/2 time undergraduates (NMSU) and three 1/3 time undergrads at UCD, as well as three 1/2 time FTE of research associates (Theresa Hill, Brad Tonnossen and Israel Caklsoyas led by Stephanie Walker (NMSU).and Allen Van Deynze at UC Davis. Additionally, 2 high school seniors were trained at UCD for 70 hrs/year. Trainees participated in field, greenhouse and lab activities, lab meetings and presented posters and gave talks, despite Covid Restrictions. See publications. Note: K-12 outreach was limited (see HS students) due to Covid in 2020 and 2021. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results were disseminated to several online talks and presentations. Over the course of the program we have given presentations as keynote speakers annually (including during covid) annually at Plant and Animal Genome, Oxford Nanopore online conference (5000 people), ASHS, private meetings, California Seed Association semi-annually, New Mexico Chile conference (annually), National Association of Plant Breeders Association and the American Seed Trade Association as well as Plant Breeding symposiums e.g. Florida. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The long-term goal of this project is to develop pepper varieties that are amenable to mechanical harvesting. The specific objectives are: 1. Characterize and introgress a novel fruit-destemming trait and determinate habit in advanced New Mexico type green chile breeding lines and jalapeños (Yrs 1-2). The project included population development to advance and combine destemming, determinacy and architecture in jalapeno and New Mexico peppers. Methods include forward breeding using pedigree and recurrent selection and backcrossing to elite lines. Four-five F5 selections from first generation crosses for destemming with the landrace UCD14 and elite lines were evaluated in 3 years and used to establish inheritance (see obj. 2). BC selfed selections as well as 2nd generation crosses to elite lines were evaluated for destemming, fruit size, plant architecture and pericarp thickness in replicated mechanically harvested trials (10-12 lines with 4 replicates) to correlate traits with machine harvest in each year at UC Davis (except 2018 due to crop failure) and NM. A significant finding in NM was that direct-seeded plots consistently outperformed transplants for mechanical harvest with the Etgar 1000 stripper header type harvester due to increased height, better development of primary stems and less branching. Each year, 50-100 families were tested and advanced in the field and greenhouse at UC Davis with fewer, but larger improved families (400 F2s per cross) being carried forward over generations. By 2021, we have combined destemming with determinacy in jalapeno (26 families selected) and destemming with architecture in New Mexico type peppers. Six advanced lines were develped in NEw Lines are at BC2 F3 for each trait and are being combined. 2. Develop and apply DNA markers to introgress and determine the inheritance of traits important for mechanical harvesting in pepper (Yr 1-2). Based on 1st generation crosses with UCD14 and elite jalapeno and New Mexico types we have conducted QTL analysis on destemming force and destemming frequency. These markers have been used to enrich populations in next generations (5000 lines/year) using the PACE assay. A QTL on chromosome 10 for frequency seems to be essential across backgrounds, followed by QTL for force on chromosomes 9 and 10. Background-specifc QTL are found on chromosomes 3, 4 and 11. We have shown that determinacy is controlled by single QTL on chromosome 6 segregating with the fasiculate gene. Enrichment for positive alleles was clearly achieved with these markers. An F2:3 between Odyssey, a newly released New Mexico green chile with good harvesting architecture and MuC200, a breeding line with desirable destemming force and frequency was phenotyped and genotyped with GBS. It is currently being analyzed for QTL. In summary, destemming force and frequency are simply inherited (1-2 major loci) with cross specifc-modifiers with semi-dominance. We have developed a quick phenotyping method using a torque meter and also showed using a cytological assay that an abscission zone is clearly detected in destemming lines and not in non-destemming lines at hard green stage. 3. Evaluate advanced jalapeño and New Mexico type green chile breeding lines for mechanical harvesting in multistate trials (Yr 2). Replicated trails were conducted in each year in New Mexico and UC Davis with both Jalapeno and NEw Mexico type lines as well as commercial controls. For New Mexico types, Odyssey (released) and an additional advanced selection performed the best when measuring percent picked and harvestable yield UC Davis 1st generation lines tested consistently performed best for percent destemmed, but it its yield and percent picked need improvement. Note there was a 1 year overlap between grants at NMSU with a no-cost extension in this grant and CA-D-PLS-2657-CG
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Ortega, F., Tonnessen, B., Hill, T. Van Deynze, A., Walker, S. Genomics-guided breeding for mechanical harvest traits in green chile. New Mexico Chile Conference, Las Cruces , MN Feb 1, 2021
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Tonnessen, B. , Ortega, F. Hill, T. Van Deynze, A. and Walker, S. Green Chile Harvest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd2ALnQzWbs
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Progress 03/01/20 to 02/28/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project is large scale chile pepper producers, processors and scientists. For this group, New Mexico-type and jalapeno green chile must be destemmed (pedicel removal) before undergoing peeling and processing for chopped chile products and much of the whole chile pack. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?There has been several opportunities for training and professional development with 1 MSC student at NMSU who is learning plant breeding including developing objectives, choosing and accessing (legally)parents to make crosses, create, evaluate and select lines from populations at appropriate stages (based on heritability) in the field, greenhouse and using DNA technologies. As the breeding programs are mature the students also learn about advanced testing and farm trials for line release. The systems approach includes Genotype x Environment x Management including harvester type. For example NMSU has just released a line NM-type line for mechanical harvesting based on architecture and yield. Research associates both at Davis and NMSU also tune their knowledge in the systems approach to conduct and manage the work including raining students and undergraduate interns in field, greenhouse and lab. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Research goals and progress were presented at the New Mexico Chile Conference. This raised awareness about the possibility of mechanical harvesting among conference attendees, who are commonly local producers that would gain from this research. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Over the next year, at NMSU phenotypic information will be gathered and utilized along with sequence information from the F2 populations to conduct a QTL analysis and identify markers linked to key mechanical harvesting traits. Markers will be used to assist in selection. Breeding populations will be evaluated for mechanical harvest efficiency. DNA technologies are being supported at UC Davis for QTL analysis and marker-assisted selection. In 2021, 2 field trials with F4 selections from 2020 and best performing lines from 2020 fields with controls are planned in Los Lunas, NM and Davis for mechanical harvesting. Nurseries are also being planned with selected F3, F4s in NM and Davis as well as screening new 12 BCF2s. Backcrosses and additional crosses with eleites are being advanced in the Greenhouse.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
In this project period, 4 field trials were grown with 12 entries including jalapeno and NM-type and evaluated for mechanical harvesting traits including architecture, determinacy, destem frequency and force and marketable yield using the Etgar 1000 harvester. Two of the replicated trials were in Davis and two in Los Lunas, NM. Additionally at NMSU, DNA was extracted and seed collected from F2 breeding material from crosses between destemming lines from Davis with NM-type peppers. These are key steps towards developing DNA markers that will assist in selecting for mechanical harvest traits to be introgressed into New Mexico green chile. At Davis, breeding lines were evaluated for above traits (minus mechanical harvest) in a nursery in small plots in 1-3 rep trials. They included 7 BCF2 populations and 7 F2 populations with destemming by elite jalapeno lines. With about 100 plant selections per population, selections were made prior to planting with markers on chr 9 and 10 for destemming. Additionally, 3 populations were selected for determinacy (multiple fruit/node) and destemming from 11 F2's (150/population) planted. Selections (188 F3 families) were advanced in the greenhouse in the winter for planting in 2021. Additional BC and F2 populations are being advanced for 2021.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Van Deynze, A. 2020 Seed Biotechnology Report. California Seed Association. March 03, 2020
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Van Deynze, A. 2020 Seed Biotechnology Report. California Seed Association. September 30, 2020
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Van Deynze, A. and Hill, T. 2020 Plant Sciences Seminar. September 30, 2020
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Van Deynze, A. 2019 Seed Biotechnology Report. California Seed Association. October 1, 2019
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Van Deynze, A., Hill, T.A. and Walker, S. 2019. Leveraging wild germplasm and landraces for pepper improvement. New Mexico Pepper Conference, Las Cruces, NM. Feb 2, 2020.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Ortega, F., Tonnessen, B., Hill, T.A., Van Deynze, A. and Walker, S. 2021. Genomics-guided breeding for mechanical harvest traits in green chile. New Mexico Pepper Conference, Las Cruces, NM. Feb 2, 2021.
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Progress 03/01/19 to 02/29/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project is large scale chile pepper producers, students, processors and scientists. For this group, New Mexico-type and jalapeno green chile must be destemmed (pedicel removal) before undergoing peeling and processing for chopped chile products and much of the whole chile pack. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has partially supported a Reserach Associate in plant breeeding and molecular biology at Davis, CA. The RA supervised a part time intern all year and thruout the summer. The undergraduate intern learned molecular breeding and field testing as well as crossing in the greenhouse. At NM, a student intern (0.5 FTE) similarly was trained in breeding at the greenhouse and field testing level. The same student began her PHD to take on more responsibility and conduct the research on this project. She presented a poster at the NM Pepper conference in Feb 2020. All perosnnel discussed their work in lab meetings with their colleagues. The results of this project were used by the RA to write a successful grant to functionally characterize candidate genes for destemming in pepper at UC Davis. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Preliminary results have been shown at field days in Las Cruces, NM. They were presented in talks and posters at the California Seed Association and New Mexico Pepper conference. In all case growers, seed industry and public scientists as well as students were the target audiences. Reporters were also covering the NM conference. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In 2020, we plan to genetically map plant architecture and evelaute the stability of destemming and fruit number traits in multiple backgrounds. Replicated trials in NM and CA will be conducted in 4 locations and mechanically harveted with the Etgar harvester. On farm trials (inlcuding variety releases) will verify the stability of the trait on different environments and be used for grower outreach.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The long-term goal of this project is to develop green chile peppers amenable to mechanical harvesting. The critical need is to reduce labor costs associated with harvesting for processed peppers, essential for sustainability of the US industry and a growing market worldwide. Without these innovations, the US will lose a significant portion of the market that drives a $3B salsa and hot sauce industry in the US. The outputs include Pepper populations to combine destemming, determinacy, architecture in pepper, traits important for mechanical harvesting; genetic markers for traits related to mechanical harvesting in pepper to rapidly combine into new varieties and assesment of the stability and usefulness of these traits in different pepper varieties and types. Additionally, graduate student and reseacrh assocites are being trained cross-disciplinarily in plant breeding, genomics and mechanical harvesting. In this report period, identified 2 NM-type varieties for release in NM, created 25 advanced lines, 8 backcrossed populations to elite lines and 5 large new populations combining traits. We have also identified genetic markers linked to destemming and determinant flowering and prepared for advanced trials in 2020. Objective 1. In the reporting period, we focused on developing populations to combine traits for desteming, plant architecture and determinant flowering. This included verifying phenotypes for advanced selections as well as early generation (F2-F3) evaluations of populations in nurseries at a single location in Davis and NM. Twenty F2 populations of about 200 plants were evaluated for number of fruit and destemming whereas 4 F3 families (25-50 each) were evaluated with 2 rpelicates of 6 plants each. lIn New Mexico, cross-pollinated seed was produced using mechanical harvest efficient breeding lines developed at New Mexico State University (Odyssey and Illiad) and easy destemming germplasm developed at the University of California, Davis (UCD 17T113) as parental lines. Objective 2. At UC Davis, a genetic map was generated from 47,422 SNP markers detected across the 155 F3 families. Replicated data on desteming indicated 5 QTL for destem force and 2 for destem frequency. Models explained 56% and 24% of the variance, respectively. Seperately, the fa locus conferring fruit number in pepper mapped to the ortholog of the SELF-PRUNING gene in tomato and co-segragated with fruit number. In New Mexico, during this reporting period we grew the F1 plants, harvested the fruit and collected self-pollinated seed for the 6 F2 populations. F2 seed from each of the reciprocal crosses was planted in the greenhouse for DNA extraction, as well as in the field for phenotypic destemming data collection. In conclusion we have characterised, genetically mapped and developed DNA markers for destemming and fruit number in pepper. These markers have been used to make advanced selections for objective 3. Additional populations are being evaluated for detsemming and plant architecture to test their stability and expression in different backgrounds. Obje 3. Materials have been selected to plant in replcated trials in 2020 using markers and phenotypes from objectives 1 and 2. On-Farm field trails are also being planned for both jalapeno and NM-type in 2020. In summary, we have phenptypically and gentotypically characterised segragating germplasm for traits essential to mechanical harvesting of pepper. We have determined the inheritance of these traits and implemented associated genetic markers to select germplasm for advanced testing in multi-location and on-farm trials in CA and NM. This propsoal has met the milestones and timelines proposed thus far.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Van Deynze, A. 2019 Seed Biotechnology Report. California Seed Association. October 1, 2019
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Van Deynze, A., Hill, T.A. and Walker, S. 2019. Leveraging wild germplasm and landraces for pepper improvement. New Mexico Pepper Conference, Las Cruces, NM. Feb 3, 2020.
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