Project Number: 1230-21000-051-12
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 30, 2012
End Date: Sep 29, 2015

Objective:
The primary objective of this work is to develop boxwood cultivars that are tolerant of boxwood blight by collecting, evaluating, and breeding boxwood and characterizing host pathogen interactions.

Approach:
Germplasm collection will be done through cooperation with existing national and international contacts. Germplasm will be maintained at the USNA as part of the permanent collection. Genetic diversity and relatedness of accessions will be characterized using SSR markers developed by ARS. Screening for resistance to boxwood blight will be based on previously established protocols. Basic breeding behavior of boxwood will be assessed by making controlled crosses, screening for ploidy level, and determining technical aspects such as pollen viability and seed germination parameters.