Tradition Meets Innovation In Tomato Breeding Efforts
March 28, 2013 North Carolina State University’s (NCSU) College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has the nation’s largest university plant breeding program. To keep the state’s $30 million a year tomato industry on track, Dr. Dilip Panthee, assistant professor of horticultural science, uses both new tools and time-honored techniques to develop stronger and high-yielding tomato plants. According to a recent article in NCSU’s Perspectives, Pathee uses conventional breeding methods and part molecular marker-assisted selection to develop varieties.
To help address industry problems, Panthee takes a multifaceted approach — part conventional breeding, part molecular marker-assisted selection (MAS). MAS isn’t genetic engineering; it’s simply a breeding short-cut that’s very helpful when it comes to developing disease-resistant varieties using DNA-based markers.
When Panthee joined the faculty nearly five years ago, he brought skills in molecular marker-assisted breeding. He is following in the footsteps of Dr. Randy Gardner, a retired breeder credited with developing the cultivars used on about 60% to 75% of the vine-ripe tomatoes grown in the Eastern U.S.
To read the full article from North Carolina State University’s (NCSU) Winter 2013 Perspectives magazine, click here.
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