Project Number: 6659-22000-023-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Jan 10, 2011
End Date: Jan 09, 2016

Objective:
1. Identify or develop tolerant germplasm lines, study the inheritance of tolerance, and utilize genetic differences in herbicide tolerance to improve crop safety and enhance weed management in watermelons and sweetpotato. 2. Develop vegetable crop production systems that utilize competitive crop genotypes and innovative cultural practices to reduce the impact of weeds.

Approach:
Develop watermelon germplasm lines with enhanced tolerance to clomazone herbicide using a conventional plant breeding strategy, study the inheritance of clomazone tolerance, and identify or develop tolerant lines for use in watermelon breeding and as rootstocks for grafted watermelon production. Assess watermelon germplasm for differences in halosulfuron methyl tolerance, and investigate the feasibility of developing tolerant cultivars using conventional plant breeding approaches. Identify sweetpotato clones that differ in clomazone and flumioxazin tolerance, use a recurrent mass selection breeding approach to generate clones with high levels of tolerance and good horticultural characteristics, and make them available for use by sweetpotato breeders. Assess the competitive advantage against weeds of sweetpotato genotypes with more vigorous growth habits in comparison to less competitive conventional cultivars, identify competitive genotypes with good horticultural quality, and evaluate them as component in integrated weed management systems for conventional and organic growers. Evaluate weed management practices utilizing competitive southernpea cultivars as a component in integrated weed management systems for conventional and organic growers. Investigate the impact of poultry and swine litter biochar soil amendment on southernpea and weed growth and on herbicide activity.