Project Grant 23SCMPCA1017

PEPPERS DROVE A $1.4 BILLION SALSA INDUSTRY AND $2.8 BILLION HOT SAUCE MARKET IN THE U.S. IN 2022 WITH INCREASING DEMAND. CALIFORNIA PRODUCES OVER 1 3 OF PEPPERS IN THE U.S. OHIO, ALTHOUGH NOT A MAJOR PRODUCER (2300 ACRES), REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT AND COMPLEMENTARY MIDWESTERN LOCAL MARKET GROWN BY LARGE AND SMALL GROWERS. MOST PEPPERS ARE GROWN ON DRIP IRRIGATION, BUT STILL REQUIRE 23-ACRE FEET OF WATER. WITH NOW WELL DOCUMENTED EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS FOR HEAT AND DROUGHT IN MAJOR GROWING REGIONS, WATER SCARCITY THREATENS THIS RICH SOURCE OF NUTRIENTS, HIGH IN VITAMIN A, B, C, IRON, POTASSIUM AND MAGNESIUM THAT IS PART OF DAILY DIETS ACROSS CULTURES IN U.S. THE PROJECT LEVERAGES WORK AT OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY AND UC DAVIS TO MINE PEPPER LANDRACES (DOMESTICATED PEPPERS GROWING IN WILD) COLLECTED FROM SEMI-ARID REGIONS IN THE CENTER OF GENETIC DIVERSITY, MEXICO, TO IDENTIFY, CHARACTERIZE AND BREED SWEET PEPPERS TOLERANT TO WATER-STRESS (WD) AND HEAT STRESS (HS) FOR U.S. MARKETS. THE TEAM WILL ACHIEVE THIS THROUGH SYSTEMATIC SCREENING, BREEDING AND SELECTION OF TOLERANT VARIETIES TO WD AND HS DETERMINING THE INHERITANCE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS OF THE TRAITS USING THE LATEST PHENOTYPING AND GENOMIC-BASED TOOLS AND TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS. DELIVERABLES INCLUDE ADVANCED BREEDING LINES WITH TOLERANCE TO WD AND HS AVAILABLE FOR LICENSING AND VARIETY DEVELOPMENT AN UNDERSTANDING OF GENETIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS OF WD AND HS FOR PEPPER FOR FUTURE CROP IMPROVEMENT AND EXPANDING TO OTHER PEPPER MARKETS VALIDATED TOOLS FOR MEASURING THESE COMPLEX TRAITS IN BREEDING, SOME OF WHICH MAY BE TRANSFERABLE TO GROWERS TO MONITOR AND SELECT VARIETIES (E.G., DRONE-BASED IMAGING). OUTCOMES ARE A SURVEY OF CURRENT VARIETIES AND TOOLS TO MEASURE TOLERANCE TO WD AND HS FOR FARMERS TO MAKE DECISIONS ON VARIETY SELECTION TOOLS AND GERMPLASM FOR EFFICIENT BREEDING OF THESE TRAITS INTO PEPPER AND EVALUATION OF BREEDING STRATEGIES FOR COMPLEX TRAITS IN VEGETABLES. SUCCESS WILL BE MONITORED BY ASSESSING USE OF INFORMATION AND TOOLS BY GROWERS AND EXTENSION PERSONNEL, ADOPTION OF DNA MARKERS AND GERMPLASM AS VARIETIES OR LICENSES TO INDUSTRY FOR PRODUCTION OF HYBRID PEPPERS. LONG-TERM OUTCOMES INCLUDE REDUCTION OF ECONOMIC LOSSES, YIELD, AND QUALITY DUE TO WD AND HS, AS WELL AS SUSTAINABILITY OF THE U.S. PEPPER INDUSTRY. BENEFICIARIES INCLUDE PEPPER GROWERS, BREEDERS, SEED INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS, FARM ADVISORS, AND PROCESSORS. THE STRATEGIES TESTED WILL SERVE AS A MODEL TO BREED THESE TRAITS IN OTHER VEGETABLE SPECIES.