36th International Carrot Conference Abstract

Evaluation of the environmental and genotypic control of canopy growth in carrot under organic and conventional management systems

Sarah Turner, Philipp Simon

University of Wisconsin-Madison, USDA-ARS

Seedling vigor and weed control are among the most paramount challenges in carrot production. In addition to management practices, plant competitiveness can contribute to weed suppression, thereby reducing costs associated with weed control. This project aims (1) to identify QTLs controlling phenotypic components of seedling vigor and canopy density in carrot that suppress weed growth and (2) to determine the effects of different management practices on these traits. To achieve these objectives, germination and top growth were characterized in several populations, including inbreds, hybrids, F2s, and RILs. Small and large top phenotypes were selected among inbred and hybrid lines and grown in replicated field trials under both organic and conventional management systems to observe differences in emergence, seedling vigor, and canopy establishment. F2 populations were analyzed for a series of traits related to competitiveness, including canopy dry weight, leaf number, canopy height, and root size and, in addition to RILs of varying top size, are being used for marker based mapping. Current progress on phenotyping and marker analysis will be reported.

Last updated Thursday, 25-Jul-2013 11:54:04 CDT