New Mexico State University is getting a $759,000 grant to develop a disease-resistant green chile variety. Researchers at New Mexico State University secured a $759,000 federal grant to develop a new green chile variety that can withstand a destructive crop disease while remaining suitable for mechanical harvesting.
Disease Resistance
The project focuses on breeding a green chile variety resistant to Phytophthora capsici, a soilborne disease capable of devastating chile fields. Stephanie Walker, an NMSU professor and Extension vegetable specialist, is partnering with Michael Mazourek, an associate professor and vegetable breeder at Cornell University, to incorporate disease resistance into the NuMex Odyssey green chile variety.
Combining disease resistance with a mechanically harvestable variety could help growers reduce labor costs while protecting crops from one of the industry’s most persistent threats.
Original reporting: KOAT Albuquerque — read the source article.
