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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Charleston, South Carolina » Vegetable Research » Research » Research Project #444223
Research Project: Genomics and Genetic Improvement of Disease Resistance and Horticultural Characteristics of Watermelon, Broccoli, and Leafy Brassicas

Location: Vegetable Research

Publications (Clicking on the reprint icon Reprint Icon will take you to the publication reprint.)

Assessing grafted triploid watermelon and yellow nutsedge growth in saline agro-ecosystems Reprint Icon - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Bazzle, J., Wad, B., Branham, S., Horry, M., Bridges, W., Levi, A., Cutulle, M. 2026. Assessing grafted triploid watermelon and yellow nutsedge growth in saline agro-ecosystems. HortScience. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI19245-25.

The USDA-SCRI CucCAP projects - Building genomic, breeding and disease management tools for cucurbit crops Reprint Icon - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Grumet, R., Fei, Z., Levi, A., Mazourek, M., Mccreight, J.D., Quesada-Ocampo, L., Weng, Y., Branham, S., Hausbeck, M., Keinath, A., Wintermantel, W.M., Kousik, C.S., Ling, K., Knuth, M., Ramirez, A.L., Mcgregor, C., Meru, G., Palma, M., Reddy, U., Ribera, L., Schultheis, J., Smart, C., Tregeagle, D., Wechter, W., Wehner, T., Wessel-Beaver, L., Wu, S. 2026. The USDA-SCRI CucCAP projects - Building genomic, breeding and disease management tools for cucurbit crops. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science. https://doi.org/10.21273/JASHS05562-25.

Genomic selection for improving watermelon cultivars (citrullus lanatus) with the polygenic trait of Root-knot Nematode (RKN)-Resistance that exist in Citron watermelon (Citrullus amarus) Reprint Icon - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Mapping QTLs influencing flowering time in a Citrullus amarus population Reprint Icon - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Ganaparthi, V., Wechter, W., Levi, A., Branham, S. 2025. Mapping QTLs influencing flowering time in a Citrullus amarus population. Theoretical and Applied Genetics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-025-05104-6.

Genome-wide association mapping and genomic predictions for bacterial fruit blotch resistance in the USDA Citrullus amarus collection Reprint Icon - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Ganaparthi, E., Wechter, W., Katawczik, M.L., Levi, A., Branham, S. 2025. Genome-wide association mapping and genomic predictions for bacterial fruit blotch resistance in the USDA Citrullus amarus collection. Plant Disease. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-12-24-2665-RE.

Extreme-Phenotype Genome-Wide Association Study (XP-GWAS) and Marker Development for Powdery Mildew Race 2W Tolerance in the USDA Citrullus Germplasm Collection Reprint Icon - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Branham, S., Ganaparthi, V., Wechter, W., Park, Y., Wehner, T., Davis, A., Tetteh, A.Y., Massey, L.M., Hammar, S., Grumet, R., Kousik, C.S., Levi, A. 2025. Extreme-Phenotype Genome-Wide Association Study (XP-GWAS) and Marker Development for Powdery Mildew Race 2W Tolerance in the USDA Citrullus Germplasm Collection. Scientific Reports. 15, Article number: 4781 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-89445-8.

Comparative genomic prediction of resistance to fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum race 2) in watermelon: insights from parametric and machine learning approaches Reprint Icon - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Biswas, A., Wechter, W., Ganaparthi, V., Jarquin, D., Kousik, C.S., Branham, S., Levi, A. 2025. Comparative genomic prediction of resistance to fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum race 2) in watermelon: insights from parametric and machine learning approaches. Theoretical and Applied Genetics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-024-04813-8.

Exploring the genomic landscape of gummy stem blight resistance in watermelon through QTL-Seq Reprint Icon - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Natarajan, P., Rathnagiri, A., Rivera-Burgos, L., Lopez-Ortiz, C., Nimmakayala, P., Sari, N., Wehner, T.T., Levi, A., Reddy, U. 2024. Exploring the genomic landscape of gummy stem blight resistance in watermelon through QTL-Seq. Plant Biology. 24:1129. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-024-05839-2.

Elucidating the Genetic Architecture of Gummy Stem Blight Resistance in Watermelon via QTL-Seq and Bulked Segregant Analysis Reprint Icon - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Natarajan, P., Rathnagiri, A., Rivera-Burgos, L., Lopez-Ortiz, C., Nimmakayala, P., Sari, N., Wehner, T.C., Levi, A., Reddy, U. 2024. Elucidating the Genetic Architecture of Gummy Stem Blight Resistance in Watermelon via QTL-Seq and Bulked Segregant Analysis. BMC Plant Biology. 24:1129 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-024-05839-2.

Mapping and validation of Fusarium wilt race 2 resistance QTL from Citrullus amarus line USVL246-FR2 Reprint Icon - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Ganaparthi, V., Wechter, W., Levi, A., Branham, S. 2024. Mapping and validation of Fusarium wilt race 2 resistance QTL from Citrullus amarus line USVL246-FR2. Theoretical and Applied Genetics. 137/91. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-024-04595-z.