DEVELOPMENT OF GENETIC RESOURCES FOR HOST-PLANT RESISTANCE TO LEAF BLIGHT PSEUDOMONADS IN TURNIP GREENS AND SPINACH

The long-term goal of the proposed research is to solve a stakeholder-driven need for bacterial blight-resistant cultivars of turnip greens and processing spinach to ensure the sustainability of leafy greens production in the Southeastern U.S. and to fulfill demand generated by established and emerging markets. The corresponding objectives of the proposed research are to: (1) identify bacterial blight-resistant germplasm and develop breeding lines for population development and potential release to growers, (2) generate segregating genetic populations and evaluate for resistance, (3) identify quantitative trait loci associated with resistance, and (4) develop KASP markers tightly linked to bacterial leaf blight resistance.