Food Safety and Employee Health Implications of COVID-19: A Review.

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted the U.S. food supply and consumer behavior.

Quantitative Trait Locus Analysis of Leaf Morphology Indicates Conserved Shape Loci in Grapevine.

Leaf shape in plants plays important roles in water use, canopy structure, and physiological tolerances to abiotic stresses; all important traits for the future development and sustainability of grapevine cultivation. Historically, researchers have used ampelography, the study of leaf shape in grapevines, to differentiate species and cultivars based on finite leaf attributes. However, ampelographic measurements have limitations and new methods for quantifying shape are now available.

Lessons from a Phenotyping Center Revealed by the Genome-Guided Mapping of Powdery Mildew Resistance Loci.

The genomics era brought unprecedented opportunities for genetic analysis of host resistance, but it came with the challenge that accurate and reproducible phenotypes are needed so that genomic results appropriately reflect biology. Phenotyping host resistance by natural infection in the field can produce variable results due to the uncontrolled environment, uneven distribution and genetics of the pathogen, and developmentally regulated resistance among other factors. To address these challenges, we developed highly controlled, standardized methodologies for phenotyping powdery mildew resistance in the context of a phenotyping center, receiving samples of up to 140 grapevine progeny per F family.