Hailed as a nutritional powerhouse for its high content of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, spinach has remained one of the most popular vegetables in the U.S. for decades. Unfortunately, some pathogens are just as eager to feast on spinach as the rest of us.
To combat damage from these pesky pathogens, Texas A&M AgriLife Research has advanced to the next stage of a four-year, multi-institution research project that seeks to breed spinach varieties resistant to the most common diseases by using molecular breeding techniques.
AgriLife Research received around $1.2 million from a $3.57 million U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA, National Institute of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crop Research Initiative grant.
Texas efforts will be led by principal investigator Carlos Avila, Ph.D., AgriLife Research associate professor in vegetable breeding at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Weslaco and professor in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life SciencesDepartment of Horticultural Sciences.
Read the full article at agrilifetoday.tamu.edu