Selected Program Impacts

• Water Efficient, low input, adaptable, and alternative crops to diversify cropping systems in the Southern High Plains. The Ogalla Aquifer, the major irrigation resource for the Great Plains, is declining rapidly. If current use of the aquifer continues, more than 35% of irrigated acreage producing $2.5 Billion worth of agricultural products will be dryland farming in less than two decades. Our research on alternative crops like winter canola, safflower, and guar is developing rotational cropping systems that require less irrigation and are more economically viable, resource efficient, and climate resilient.
• Genetic Improvement of Chile Pepper (Capsicum) Germplasm for New Mexico. Breeding new, higher yielding, pest and disease resistant, heat and drought tolerant chile pepper cultivars will preserve New Mexico’s heritage and ensure economic development. In New Mexico, chile pepper processing is a nearly $500 million industry. Chile wilt caused by Phytophthora capsici and Verticillium dahliae can destroy entire fields. Resistant cultivars, which do not add cost to the seed, are arguably the best way to manage disease. For the plant breeder, finding molecular markers linked to resistance genes can obviate the need for testing to identify resistant individuals from early generations, leading to an effective breeding procedure. The increase of efficiency can reduce the time needed for a breeding program by years, saving thousands of dollars. In recent years, our program has published a molecular marker for verticillium wilt resistance that has been used by seed companies worldwide.