Vegetable Breeding Program
The vegetable breeding program at OSU develops improved vegetable varieties to
meet the needs of gardeners, growers, and processors operating in the unique
growing conditions of the Pacific Northwest. The Willamette Valley is the main
vegetable growing region in the state, and many cultivars require specific
adaptation to thrive in its cool Mediterranean climate. Along regional adaptation,
the program also focuses on developing cultivars with improved disease resistance.
The program works closely with the Oregon Processed Vegetable Commission (link
to: http://horticulture.oregonstate.edu/content/oregon-processed-vegetablecommission-0). The program adapts varieties to organic production systems and
focuses on enhancing human nutrition value of many crops to address the needs of
the growing number of organic farms and gardeners in the region.
Projects
(use photos on the intro page to link to each of these Project Pages)
a. Green beans
The Willamette Valley green bean processing industry is known for
the high quality of the Blue Lake variety. The green bean project
focuses on developing a cultivar with white mold resistance that has
comparable processing qualities to Blue Lake. However, the green
bean project at OSU also strives to maintain diverse approaches,
germplasm and markets for its green bean varieties.
Project Highlights:

OSU has worked with The Common Bean Coordinated Agriculture
Project or BeanCAP (link: http://www.beancap.org/) to create the
bean SNP chip and an association-mapping panel of lines for disease
resistance and nutrition traits. OSU also used the BeanCAP association
mapping panel to map QTLs for white mold resistance.

Recent grad student’s (Christina Hagerty’s) thesis project funded by
Seneca (link to: http://www.senecafoods.com/)and utilitzed BeanCAP
SNP chip to do QTL mapping (biparental RIL population) for
resistance to Fusarium and Aphanomyces root rots

OSU is looking at white mold resistance genes in the Scarlet Runner
Bean and doing Fine-mapping QTLs as part of the National Sclerotinia
Initiative, a collaborative project administered by the USDA
Agriculture Research Service.
Collaborators:

Phil McClean, North Dakota State University, BeanCAP



Perry Cregan, USDA – Beltsville, BeanCAP
Phil McClean, North Dakota State University, National Sclerotinia
Initiative
Phil Miklas, Washington State University (USDA), National Sclerotinia
Initiative
Publications: We will be inserting a few publications out of this project.
b. Broccoli
The Broccoli breeding project is loosely divided into developing 2
types of varieties: one for the Processing market and one for the
Organic market.


For the Processing market OSU breed for traits that facilitate
mechanical harvest and processing.
For the Organic markets OSU breeds for traits that help the variety
function in organic farming and generally uses open-pollinated
cultivars to allow for seed saving.
Publications: We will be inserting a few publications out of this project.
c. Snow peas
OSU snow pea project focuses on developing fresh market varieties
that perform especially well in the Willamette Valley. We look for
taller, more indeterminate vines and resistance to viruses, powdery
mildew and Fusarium wilt.
Publications: We will be inserting a few publications out of this project.
d. Tomatoes
OSU’s goals in tomato breeding are to improve disease resistance and
human nutrition. Late Blight is the main disease problem for tomatoes
growers in the Pacific Northwest. Isolates in the Pacific Northwest
seem to be overcoming resistance genes, which are successful in the
eastern United States.
With human nutrition in mind, Dr. Jim Meyers breed and released
Indigo Rose (link to:
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/purple-tomato-debuts-
%E2%80%98indigo-rose%E2%80%99), a purple tomato that is high
in anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are a class of flavonoids that have
potential human health benefits.
Publications: We will be inserting a few publications out of this project.
e. Pumpkin
Developing a Golden Delicious pumpkin with zucchini yellows virus
resistance.
Publications: We will be inserting a few publications out of this project.
f. Habanero peppers
Developing a Habanero pepper adapted to the Pacific Northwest
Publications: We will be inserting a few publications out of this project.
g. Northern Organic Vegetable Improvement Collaborative (NOVIC)
NOVIC (link to: http://eorganic.info/novic) is a collaborative project
that brings attention to the need for and breeds varieties that are
adapted to organic production. NOVIC breeding takes place on
research stations and on organic farms in a variety of climates
through out the nation. In addition to breeding varieties, NOVIC
maintains a database of variety performance across environments.
One trait OSU focuses on breeding for through NOVIC is season
extension and overwintering. Varieties that extend the harvest
seasons of crops allow growers a greater ability to continually fill
fresh market needs.
Highlights:


Breeding for broccoli adapted to organic production, which are
also open-pollinated varieties
Breeding for snap peas that are tall, trellised, indeterminate,
have a long harvest period, and have a good resistance package
Collaborators:


Dr. Michael Mazourek, Cornell University
Dr. Erin Silva, University of Wisconsin – Madison

Micaela Colley, Organic Seed Alliance – Port Townsend, WA
Publications: We will be inserting a few publications out of this project.
Releases (Have link to a page or a pdf with the below information on the main
page)
Common Bean
Germplasm Released:
Name
83B229
6315
83B282
K0440
Market Class
Pinto
Pinto
Great Northern
Great Northern
Release Date
1988
1988
1988
1988
Common Bean
Variety Released:
Name
Market Class
'UI 686'
'UI 722'
'UI 906'
'UI 125'
'UI 196'
'UI 537'
'UI 137'
'UI 911'
'UI 228'
'UI 239'
'Black Knight'
'UI 320'
'UI 465'
'UI 259'
Cranberry
Dark Red Kidney
Black
Small White
Pinto
Pink
Navy
Black
Small Red
Small Red
Black
Pinto
Great Northern
Small Red
Release
Date
1989
1989
1989
1990
1990
1990
1991
1993
1993
1993
1997
1998
1998
1998
Plant Var.
Protection
Certificate No.
8900253
8900254
8900255
--9100207
9300202
---9700355
----
PVP issue
date
12/31/1992
07/31/1992
07/31/1992
03/31/1993
01/01/1997
02/15/2001
Vegetable Cultivars Released
Release
Date
Name
Description
'Indigo Rose
Tomato: Saladette with high levels of
anthocyanin in the fruit.
2011
Pending
(201100302)
'Legend'
Tomato: Large fruited, early maturing,
late blight resistant parthenocarpic slicer.
2000
Not obtained
OSU5630
Bush blue lake snap bean: high yielding,
improved architecture & pod quality.
Dry bean: high yielding disease resistant
kablanketi type for Eastern & Southern
Africa.
2005
Not obtained
2006
Dry bean: high yielding disease resistant
kablanketi type for Eastern & Southern
Africa.
2006
Not obtained
(released through
Sokoine Univ.
Agric., Tanzania)
Not obtained
(released through
Sokoine Univ.
Agric., Tanzania)
Mshindi
Pesa
PVP
Vegetable Cultivars Nearing Release
Name
Description
OSU 6443
BBL green bean: Full sieve, good color
and processing characteristics, higher
yielding and better architecture than
Oregon 91G.
PEMV, RCVMV, Powdery Mildew, and
Fusarium Wilt resistant. Developed for
organic production.
Open pollinated population selected for
improved sprouting characteristics.
Resistance to ZYMV and other cucurbit
potyviruses. Developed for processing
and culinary seed industry.
Stringless Snap
and Snow Peas
Broccoli
Golden Delicious
winter squash
Cucurbita
maxima
Release
Date
PVP
2014
Contemplated
2 – 3 lines
in 2013
Contemplated
Release as
OP in 2015
2 – 3 lines
in 2014
Contemplated
Contemplated
Program Structure (Have link to a page with the below information on the
main page)
a. Faculty
Jim Meyers is the primary vegetable breeding faculty. Link to his
webpage: http://horticulture.oregonstate.edu/content/jim-myers
b. Staff Profiles
Shinji Kawai (Research Assistant):
I'm Jim's new research assistant and help logistics on the vegetable farm
and greenhouse. I enjoy learning all about vegetables and collaborating
with researchers, students and farmers.
Joel Davis (Faculty Research Assistant):
My work in the vegetable breeding program involves using molecular
markers as a tool in snap bean breeding. This includes such methods as
genome mapping and quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis, developing
PCR-based markers for specific traits of interest, and implementing
marker-assisted selection for introgressing disease resistance and other
novel traits. I provide technical support in the lab by training students
and researchers in molecular techniques, maintaining lab equipment and
supplies, and overseeing laboratory safety practices. Other duties include
various greenhouse experiments such as pollination and disease
inoculation assays, and occasional field work (planting, harvesting, data
collection).
c. Graduate Students
Graduate Student Training
Graduate students in the vegetable breeding program train in all aspects
of production from planting to harvest, including some processing and
running farm machinery. Training is in classic plant breeding and
students obtain solid experience in molecular techniques. Students can
expect to get extensive experience or knowledge of QTL mapping,
marker-assisted selection, association mapping, and the integration of
genomics and bioinformatics to identify candidate genes for traits.
Current Graduate Students
Lyle Wallace
I will be mapping flavor traits in snap beans with the goal of improving
the flavor of bush blue lake snap beans. Initial research will include
panels of tasters who will assess more than a hundred accessions of snap
bean and gas chromatography to identify volatile substances associated
with flavor traits.
Kara Young
My research is focused on breeding for disease resistance in
tomato. Specifically, I am working on breeding for late blight resistance
in tomato. The goal of the project is to develop a tomato variety with
durable resistance to late blight. The project involves work to introgress
known sources of genetic resistance to late blight into cultivated tomato
as well as screening material for novel sources of resistance.
Noor Al Bader
Haidar Anwar
Mustafa Al Jadi
Past Graduate Students
Students Name
Thesis Title
Occupation after
Completion
Christina Hagerty*
*NOTE: Title of defense
seminar. Thesis not online,
so will have to contact
graduate
Mapping quantitative trait
loci for root rot resistance,
root traits, and
morphological traits in a
common bean recombinant
inbred population (MS,
2013)
Ph.D. candidate, cereal
pathology program,
Department of Botany and
Plant Pathology, Oregon State
University, Corvallis, OR
Laurie McKenzie*
Breeding an open
pollinated broccoli for
organic production
systems using
participatory methods
(MS, 2013)
Transfer, characterization
and mapping of white
mold resistance in an
advanced backcross
interspecific population
between Phaseolus
vulgaris and Phaseolus
coccineus (MS, 2011)
Pyramiding quantitative
trait loci conditioning
partial resistance to
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in
bush blue lake green
beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)
(MS, 2010)
Breeding tomato for
increased fruit phenolics
(PhD, 2009)
Characterization of
physiological resistance to
white mold and search for
molecular markers linked
to resistance via advanced
backcross QTL analysis in
an interspecific cross
Breeding Internship, Organic
Seed Alliance, Port
Townsend, WA
*NOTE: Title of defense
seminar. Thesis not online,
so will have to contact
graduate
Shawna Zimmerman
Miles Barrett
Peter Boches
Erron Haggard
MS Student, Graduate
Degree Program in Ecology,
Colorado State University,
CO
Research Technician ,
Barenbrug USA, Tangent, OR
Blueberry Breeder, Fall
Creek Nursery, Lowell, OR
Cucurbit Breeder, Hollar
Seed Co., Rocky Ford, CO
Paul Kusolwa
between Phaseolus
coccineus and P. vulgaris
(MS, 2007)
Breeding for bruchid
resistance in common
bean (Phaseolus vulgaris
L ) : interspecific
introgression of lectin-like
seed proteins from tepary
bean (P. acutifolius Gray),
genetic control and
bruchid resistance
characterization (PhD,
2008)
Lecturer, Sokoine University
of Agriculture, Morogoro,
Tanzania
Barbara Gilmore
Genetic resistance to
white mold (Sclerotinia
sclerotiorum (Lib.) De
Bary) in scarlet runner
beans (Phaseolus
coccineus L. ) (PhD, 2007)
Nursery Care, One Green
World, Molalla, OR
Peter Mes
Breeding tomatoes for
improved antioxidant
activity (PhD, 2005)
Traditional and molecular
approaches to Zucchini
yellow mosaic virus
resistance in Cucurbita
(PhD, 2001)
Vegetable Breeder,
AgroGene, Twin Falls, ID
Carl Jones
Not online – will have to
check hard copies
Nihat Guner
Not online – will have to
check hard copies
Kevin McPhee
Not online – will have to
check hard copies
Vegetable Trait Integration
Strategy Lead, SeminisMonsanto, Sacramento, CA
Global R&D Head Watermelon & Senior
Watermelon Breeder, Sakata
Seed America Inc., Ft. Myers,
FL
Assistant Professor & Pulse
crops breeder, Department
of Plant Sciences, North
Dakota State University,
Fargo, ND
Muhammad Shahsawar
Not online – will have to
Rebecca Brown
Assistant Professor of Plant
Breeding, Department of
Plant Sciences and
Entomology, University of
Rhode Island, Kingston, RI
check hard copies
d. Lab infrastructure: (is this needed?)
On campus:
Molecular lab
Pathogen culture facilities
Wet lab (for seed work, primarily)
Greenhouses
On farm (OSU vegetable farm):
Extensive field space
Seed storage
Wet lab
Processing equipment