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Explaining the Project

For the general public: Leaf Color Genetics in Tomato

Blossom-end rot (BER) is a physiological disorder in tomatoes that reduces the bottom end of the fruit to brown mush. My mentor studies BER, but the research involved takes many months.  So to compensate for a lack of time, I am working with a simplified project involving leaf color/chlorophyll content. This project should mimic the process of BER trait testing on a smaller scale. This summer, I will aid in breeding projects aimed to confirm the location of the gene that controls leaf color/chlorophyll content. To do this, we will observe the genetic and expressed (color, incidence, etc.) traits of progeny that resulted from crosses between dark-leafed and light-leafed plants. By comparing the genetic and expressed traits, we should elucidate the gene's location.  A picture of the greenhouse with my mentor's plants. The bottom left seed tray has my F2 generation.

A picture of the greenhouse with my mentor's plants. The bottom left seed tray has my F2 generation.


For the Scientifically-Inclined: Chll4.1 in Tomato

Blossom-end rot (BER) is a devastating physiological disorder that affects tomato and other vegetables, resulting in significant crop losses up to 50%. Despite its economic impact, the underlying causes of BER are not well understood, and the genetic aspect of BER has remained unknown. To investigpate the genetic basis of BER, an F2 population was constructed by crossing BER-resistant accessions BGV007900 (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme) with BER-susceptible accession BGV007936 (S. lycopersicum var. lycopersicum) and QTL associated with BER were identified in ch03, ch04, and ch11. Using the same F2 population, a leaf color locus associated with chlorophyll accumulation was mapped next to BER4.1 in F2 population and then fine mapped to 71kb region using the progeny testing approach. The chlorophyll locus in ch04 (Chll4.1) exhibited a dominant gene action for the BGV007936 allele. Using the F6 and F7 populations, we aim to further narrow down and confirm the locus. With these advanced populations, we will also evaluate the yield in Blairsville and Vidalia, GA to see whether having a high chlorophyll content indeed contributes to the yield. In this project, I will perform DNA extraction, marker-assistant selection to select F5:6 and F6:7 plants for each progeny testing families and will also phenotype the plants that are segregating for chlorophyll content.


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