High Throughput Selection of Cold Resistant Root Systems in Cucurbits

While ambient temperature during early spring could be high enough for planting cucumber, as well as other cucurbits, cold soil temperature severely limit plant development. This difference between ambient and soil temperature limits growers ability to extend the season.

We developed a high throughput system for selection of breeding lines with cold tolerant root systems based on immersing nursery flats in cooled irrigation solution. The system is used to screen large number of individual plants during off season. Seeds of the selected plants could then be screened in the breeding trials. Furthermore, since it is impossible to control environmental conditions such as soil temperature, selection during trials might need to rely on a relatively low selection pressure.

The high throughput selection system can be used to enrich the breeding germplasm with QTL enhancing resistance of root systems to low soil temperatures and improve breeding efficiency. It could also be used as a research tool to identify such QTL in our genetic resources that could be used to improve the breeders` germplasm.