Mutschler-Chu, Martha Ann
Professor
I am a vegetable breeder and geneticist with interests in the breeding and genetics of tomato and long-day onion. My areas of interest concern the genetic control of novel traits derived from wild species, the genetic control/physiological mechanisms underlying these novel traits and their use in vegetable improvement. This work leads to the development and release of germplasm or lines with the novel traits and superior horticultural type. Applied and basic work also considers methodology, and has led to the development of laboratory and statistical methods.
research
research and scholarship focus
My research projects concern the genetic control of novel traits derived from wild species. Primary research focuses on traits limiting cultivar quality and production, including disease and insect resistance, storability and maturity. My current research interests center on tomato and onion. Projects underway in tomato focus on the genetic control and mechanisms for acylsugar-mediated multiple insect resistance in tomato, on resistance to the diseases late blight (caused by Phytophthora infestans), early blight (caused by Alternaria tomatophila), and Septoria leaf spot, as well as the interspecific sexual barriers in Solanum that impede transfer of traits from wild plant relatives to tomato. Projects underway in onion include the production of yellow and red onions adapted to the northeast, milder moderate storage onion adapted to the northeast, transfer of resistance to Botrytis leaf blight (BLB) to onion from the wild relative Allium roylei, and identification of molecular markers for the BLB resistance gene. The pest resistance program is expanding to target the transfer of resistance to other diseases and perhaps insect resistance from wild to cultivated onion. In a collaborative project, we are also using the generation of doubled haploids to accelerate the breeding program, eliminate sub lethal genes, and produce fully homozygous lines of use both in hybrid production and as tools in molecular mapping of the onion genome.
primary investigator of
- COOPERATIVE PROJECT FOR INSECT RESISTANT TOMATOES FOR THE TROPICS | Research Grant
- FIELD TESTING OF RESISTANT TOMATO LINES TO CONTROL LATE BLIGHT AND EARLY BLIGHT IN CONVENTIONAL AND ORGANIC GROWING SYSTEM | Research Grant
- FIELD TESTING OF RESISTANT TOMATO LINES TO CONTROL LATE BLIGHT AND EARLY BLIGHT IN CONVENTIONAL AND ORGANIC GROWING SYSTEMS | Research Grant
research areas
- agricultural biotechnology | collaborative research area (CALS)
- biological control | collaborative research area (CALS)
- disease control | collaborative research area (CALS)
- horticultural sciences | collaborative research area (CALS)
- integrated pest management | collaborative research area (CALS)
- intellectual property | collaborative research area (CALS)
- pathogens | collaborative research area (CALS)
- pest management | collaborative research area (CALS)
- plant breeding and genetics | collaborative research area (CALS)
- vegetables | collaborative research area (CALS)
submitted impact statement
- Transfer, action and deployment of acylsugars providing multiple pest resistance in tomato | 2007 Impact statement
- Testing onion doubled haploid for utility in onion improvement | 2007 Impact statement
- Developing tomato varieties resistant to late blight and early blight | 2007 Impact statement
- Botrytis leaf blight resistance transferred across species barriers by Cornell plant breeders | 2007 Impact statement
- Testing onion doubled haploid for utility in onion improvement | 2006 Impact statement
- Botrytis leaf blight resistance transferred across species barriers by Cornell plant breeders | 2006 Impact statement
- Molecular assay for late blight-resistance developed by Cornell plant breeders | 2005 Impact statement
- Tomato and onion breeding and genetics | 2004 Impact statement
affiliations
faculty appointment in
- Plant Breeding and Genetics (PB&G) | Cornell department
member of graduate field
- Horticulture | graduate field
- Plant Biology | graduate field
- Plant Breeding | graduate field
teaching
teaching focus
Although I have taught other courses, my major instruction focus has been for undergraduate students in the course PL BR 225:Plant Genetics. This is a introductory undergraduate genetics lecture and lab course, focused on plants, rather than bacterial and viral systems. I designed this course, and have taught it, with many revisions, for 19 years – with gaps for sabbatic leaves and for development of other courses for the department. This course is used by some CALS plant science majors to fulfill their genetics requirement of their program, and so is a service course for the college.
teaches
- PLBR 4970 - Individual Study in Plant Breeding (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- PLBR 4980 - Undergraduate Teaching (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- PLBR 4990 - Undergraduate Research (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- PLBR 5990 - Plant Breeding MPS Project Paper (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- PLBR 7900 - Graduate-Level Dissertation (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- PLBR 8900 - Master's-Level Thesis Research (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- PLBR 9900 - Doctoral-Level Dissertation Research (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- PLBR 4970 - Individual Study in Plant Breeding (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
- PLBR 4980 - Undergraduate Teaching (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
- PLBR 4990 - Undergraduate Research (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
- PLBR 7900 - Graduate-Level Dissertation (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
- PLBR 8900 - Master's-Level Thesis Research (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
- PLBR 9900 - Doctoral-Level Dissertation Research (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
service
outreach focus
The extension and outreach aspect of my work are largely associated with my research in tomato and onion breeding. For the tomato program I interact with global seed companies and an international reseach center overseas, international tomato processing companies, tomato growers and processor groups in other states, and organic tomato growers in NYS. The onion program interacts frequently with NYS onion growers, as well as onion seed companies.
background
educational background
Bachelor's Degree
St John Fisher College
1975
Master's Degree
Univ of Wisconsin-Madison
1977
Doctorate
Univ of Wisconsin-Madison
1979
featured in
- Cornell receives nearly $850,000 to improve specialty crops | Cornell Chronicle feature
Keywords: breeding methodology, disease resistance, doubled haploid onions, insect resistance, intellectual property, intellectual property in agriculture, intellectual property in university setting, IPM, IPM (integrated pest management), onion breeding, onion quality, plant insect interactions, tomato breeding, vegetable breeding and genetics