Breeding Disease-Resistant Horticultural Crops

Prof. Bosland is recognized internationally as one of the foremost experts on breeding disease resistant crops. He led the chile pepper breeding and genetics research program at New Mexico State University with the goal of releasing disease resistant chile peppers. In addition, he taught a graduate level course on Breeding for Disease Resistance for more than 3 decades. He has co-authored 8 books, 22 book chapters, and more than 100 research articles. He has received many honors and awards including named a Fellow of the American Society of Horticultural Science, the NMSU College of Agriculture and Home Economics Distinguished Researcher Award, inclusion in Who's Who in America, Wilson's Guide to Experts in Science and Technology, 2000 Outstanding Scientists of the 20th Century, and the Distinguished Award for Graduate Teaching/Achievement Gamma Sigma Delta. He was honored by the European Scientific Committee on Capsicum and Eggplant by being the first American ever selected to serve on this Committee.Dr. Barchenger is lead pepper breeder at WorldVeg, Taiwan. His program emphasizes breeding for disease resistance in tropical regions. He received the prestigious U.S. Borlaug Fellows in Food Security Fellowship, and numerous other research awards. At WorldVeg, Dr. Barchenger has implemented a Phytophthora capsici race characterization protocol to support international anticipatory breeding against this devastating pathogen. He was a Graduate Teaching Assistant for Introduction to Plant Breeding and Breeding Disease Resistance. It was at Oklahoma State University, as an undergraduate assistant in the Plant Pathology Department, that he learned to appreciate the complexity of plant diseases affecting horticultural crops. At the University of Arkansas, he evaluated blackberries, peaches, nectarines, grapes, and blueberries for improved disease resistance.