Delaware State University

Strawberries Are Produced and Consumed Worldwide. the United States Is the Second Largestproducer of Strawberries. One of the Biggest Challenges That Strawberry Growers Are Facing Is Fruitrot Disease of Gray Mold Caused by the Fungus Botrytis Cenerea. If Untreated, It Can Contribute Up to an 80% Yield Loss, Reduced Marketable Yield and Shelf Life. We Will Utilize the Advances in Sequencing Technology and Available Germplasm Resources to Identify Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPS) and Gray Mold Resistant Lines. We Will Develop Genome Wide Association Maps (GWAS) for Gray Mold Resistance and Its Related Traits. the Elite Strawberry Lines Identified in This Study Will Be Further Utilized in the Breeding Programs or Will Be Advanced for Multi-location Trails. the Extension Specialists Involved in This Project Will Communicate With the Small and Underserved Farmers in Delmarva Region on Gray Mold Management Practices and Use of Right Genotypes. the Post-harvest Specialist Will Be Evaluating the Elite Lines With a Volatile Compound to Extend Shelf Life of Fruits. Most Importantly, This Project Will Train Postdoctoral Research Associates, Graduate and Undergraduate Students Mostly From Underrepresented Population With Modern Plant Breeding Techniques as Well as Help Build Small Fruits Breeding Program and Research Capacity at Delaware State University.