Cucurbit Breeding Project
Overview
This document was prepared as part of the comprehensive
review for the department of Horticultural Science.
The Cucurbit Breeding Project at North Carolina State University, Raleigh
is under the direction of Todd C. Wehner. He has a 20% teaching appointment
in Academic Programs,
involving graduate student training and teaching HS
741 and HS 801.
The Cucurbit Breeding Project specializes in breeding and genetics
research on pickling and slicing cucumber, seeded and seedless watermelon,
and luffa (loofah) ridge and sponge gourd. Articles and software have
been produced from the research. Related programs at NC State include
plant breeding and vegetable
crops.
The research on cucurbit breeding is being done in three laboratories,
five greenhouses, and at six experiment
stations kindly made available to us by the department of Horticultural
Science, the college of Agriculture
and Life Sciences, and North Carolina State University.
Major research areas:
- Collection and evaluation of germplasm
- Qualitative genetics and gene mutants
- Quantitative genetics of important traits (software
developed)
- Selection methods and optimization of breeding programs
- Yield improvement; recurrent selection
- Growth models of standard and new plant types
- Polyploidy for seedless watermelons
- Post-harvest quality
- Resistance to cold, insects, and disease
The plant breeding and research done in this program since I started
in 1979 has emphasized germplasm collection and evaluation, yield improvement,
plant type, and disease resistance. The work has involved the hard work
of many technicians, graduate students, visiting scientists, and other
project personnel. We have produced research reports, journal articles,
and book chapters, as well as germplasm and cultivar releases.
Some of the things we are working on now include:
- Germplasm collection in centers of diversity (Turkey, Zimbabwe)
- Dwarf-determinate cucumbers (Hybrid testing; populations: NCEDP,
NCEDS)
- Root-knot nematode resistant cucumbers (Cultivars: Lucia, Manteo
and Shelby)
- Gummy stem blight resistance in the watermelon germplasm collection
- Papaya ringspot virus resistance in the watermelon germplasm collection
- Production of triploid seedless watermelons using tetraploid x diploid
hybrids
- Yield improvement of watermelon
Funding for the program is from:
