Ex situ calibration of the scattered-light time-history diagnostic on the National Ignition Facility.

The scattered-light time-history diagnostic (SLTD) suite measures time-resolved scattered light in three wavelength bands: stimulated Brillouin scattering (350-352 nm), stimulated Raman scattering (430-760 nm), and plasma emission at half the laser frequency (695-735 nm), at 15 locations around the National Ignition Facility (NIF) target chamber. The SLTD, along with the full-aperture backscatter station (FABS), collects scattered light from direct- and indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion experiments. The SLTD calibration was revisited after a discrepancy between FABS and SLTD measurements was observed on NIF polar direct-drive [Skupsky et al.

Genomewide selection for fruit quality traits in apple: breeding insights gained from prediction and postdiction.

Many fruit quality traits in apple ( Borkh.) are controlled by multiple small-effect quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Genomewide selection (genomic selection) might be an effective breeding approach for highly quantitative traits in woody perennial crops with long generation times like apple.

Trends in Fruit Quality Improvement From 15 Years of Selection in the Apple Breeding Program of Washington State University.

Washington State University's apple breeding program (WABP) was initiated in 1994 to select new apple cultivars with improved eating quality, appearance, and storability that are suitable for production in the main growing regions of the state. Fruit quality is phenotyped using various instrumental measures, such as penetrometers (texture), titrator (acidity), and refractometer (soluble solids concentration; SSC), as well as sensory assessment. The selection regime of WABP occurs in three sequential phases: phase one (P1)-single, unreplicated seedlings at one site, phase two (P2)-replicated selections at three geographically diverse sites, and phase three (P3)-highly replicated elite selections at one to two grower sites.

A DNA test for high incidence of soft scald and soggy breakdown postharvest disorders in Borkh.

Unlabelled: The 'Honeycrisp' apple, an economically important cultivar and breeding parent, is prone to soft scald and soggy breakdown postharvest physiological disorders. Phenotypic evaluation of soft scald is time consuming and costly, making it an excellent target for DNA-informed breeding. The objective of this study was to develop a DNA test for a soft scald and soggy breakdown quantitative trait locus (QTL) on linkage group two (LG2) that was characterized in a previous study.

Contributions of Reduced Susceptibility Alleles in Breeding Apple Cultivars with Durable Resistance to Fire Blight.

Breeding apple cultivars with durable genetic resistance is a potential long-term solution to fire blight, a devastating bacterial disease caused by . However, phenotyping resistance/susceptibility to fire blight is challenging due to strain virulence, differential host × strain interactions, quantitative host resistance, environmental influences on disease, and impacts of tree vigor on susceptibility. Inheritance of resistance/susceptibility to fire blight is complex and phenotypic information alone is insufficient to guide breeding decisions targeting resistance.