ASHS 2025 Conference

Establishing a successful breeding program requires careful planning across multiple dimensions, including crop prioritization, stakeholder engagement, infrastructure development, germplasm acquisition, and definition of breeding goals. With these priorities in mind, we are developing a comprehensive vegetable breeding program focused on pepper (Capsicum spp.), anchored by both statewide and national stakeholder surveys and concept mapping exercises. These efforts have informed infrastructure development, germplasm sourcing, and trait prioritization aligned with end-user needs. As a foundational step, we assembled the UGA-CAPSI-CORE collection, a curated panel of over 450 diverse pepper accessions, including breeding lines, improved landraces, and ex-PVPs. This collection is currently being evaluated for key horticultural traits through conventional field-based assessment and high-throughput phenotyping. In parallel, a preliminary experimental subset is undergoing targeted screening for major biotic stresses, including Phytophthora capsici (Phytophthora blight), Colletotrichum spp. (Anthracnose), Meloidogyne incognita (Root-knot nematode), and insect pests such as pepper weevil (Anthonomus eugenii), green peach aphid (Myzus persicae), and whitefly (Bemisia argentifolii). Fruit quality parameters, including firmness, color, total soluble solids, and vitamin A and C content, are also being evaluated in the same subset. To complement phenotypic evaluation, we have screened the UGA-CAPSI-CORE collection for Phytophthora resistance using publicly available SSR markers, with allele binning conducted via TANDEM software. Whole genome resequencing (WGRS) of the full collection is currently underway to provide a high-resolution view of genetic diversity and trait architecture. Looking ahead, we are expanding the program to include transcriptomics and metabolomics analyses in response to P. capsici infection, enabling a systems-level understanding of host-pathogen interaction. The integration of phenotypic, genotypic, transcriptomic, and metabolic data will accelerate discovery of candidate genes and molecular markers for use in genomics-assisted breeding. This multipronged strategy positions the UGA vegetable breeding program to deliver pest- and disease-resistant, and nutritionally enhanced pepper cultivars for Georgia and beyond.