Bunch ROT (gray mold) caused by the fungus botrytis cinerea damages fruits in horticultural crops and causes economic losses

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Southern University Agricultural & Mechanical College $470,287 on January 1, 2026, under the 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants program (CFDA 10.216) to investigate biological control agents and their role in enhancing grape berry resistance to Botrytis bunch rot, a fungal disease causing significant economic losses in horticultural crops.

The research will determine the effects of biocontrol agents on Botrytis bunch rot development in grapes, establish the global transcriptome profile of susceptible and tolerant grapevines, identify genetic variants for disease tolerance through genotyping by sequencing and genome-wide association mapping, and provide hands-on experimental learning in plant pathology, genomics, and molecular breeding to 1890 students. The collaborative research integrates disease suppression, plant immunity induction, phenotyping, genotyping, and molecular genetics analysis to discover genes and their functions that will strengthen institutional research capabilities.

The work is performed at Southern University Agricultural Research & Extension Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, through December 31, 2028. The 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants program supports the institutional teaching, research, and extension capacities of historically Black land-grant universities established under the Second Morrill Act of 1890.

Despite the widespread occurrence of this disease many mechanisms of this fruit-pathogen interaction remain unknown. In this collaborative project, we will investigate the roles of biological control agents in modulating grape berry resistance to botrytis bunch ROT and explore related physiological and molecular mechanisms. The specific objectives of this research are to (1) determine the effects of biocontrol agents on the development of botrytis bunch ROT in grapes, (2) determine the global transcriptome profile of botrytis bunch ROT susceptible and tolerant grapevines, (3) identify genetic variants for botrytis bunch ROT tolerance in the grapevine population by genotyping by sequencing and developing genome-wide association maps, and (4) provide hands-on experimental learning in plant pathology, genomics and molecular breeding to engage 1890 students in research and educational activities. The collaborative research approach to suppress the disease/induce plant immunity, phenotyping, genotyping, and molecular genetics analysis established by this project will contribute to the discovery of genes and their functions that will strengthen research capabilities.