Richard W. Robinson
Professor Emeritus of Vegetable Breeding

Address, Phone, Fax

E-Mail: rwr1@cornell.edu

Ph.D. Cornell University, 1962
M.S. University of California, Davis 1953
B.S. University of California, Davis 1952

My research is concerned with the genetics and breeding of vegetable crops. Three groups of vegetables are included in my breeding programs:

1. Cucurbits. Summer squash, pumpkin, and winter squash (Cucurbita maxima, C. moschata and C. pepo) are bred for multiple disease resistance and other useful traits. We have bred a summer squash variety and winter squash germplasm that are resistant to three important viruses, and plan to breed squash and pumpkin for resistance to these and additional viruses and to fungal diseases and insects. We are breeding summer squash for parthenocarpy, to permit better fruit set when pollination is restricted. Winter squash is being bred for improved fruit shape, longer storage life, and for better vitamin A content, flavor, and other quality factors.

Mutants of cucumber were induced by radiation or chemical treatment, and their inheritance and linkage relationships are being investigated. Mutants distinct in the seedling stage and without detrimental effects are tested for linkage with economically useful traits, and seedling markers have been found for resistance to two viral diseases. Mutants are evaluated for value in cucumber breeding programs. A dwarf mutant, that can be grown at closer spacing than conventional cucumber varieties and produce higher yields of desirable size grade fruit, is being used to breed pickling cucumbers for mechanical harvest.

2. Solanaceous crops. Tomatoes have been bred for processing, but this breeding program is being reduced due to decreased acreage in NY. We plan to concentrate on breeding tomatoes for resistance to anthracnose, a serious problem in NY but not adequately addressed by tomato breeding programs elsewhere. We also will breed tomatoes for attractiveness to pollinating insects in order to improve fruit set and possibly facilitate the production of hybrid seed.

Eggplant and peppers are being bred for resistance to verticillium wilt and cucumber mosaic virus, respectively. We plan to emphasize combining this disease resistance with desirable horticultural type. If this is accomplished and time permits, we plan to breed eggplant and pepper for cold tolerance, and to incorporate insect resistance into eggplant and additional disease resistance into pepper germplasm.

3. Leafy green vegetables. Crisphead lettuce has been bred for disease resistance. We bred the only lettuce variety resistant to cucumber mosaic virus, and breeding lines resistant to corky root rot are being evaluated for possible varietal release. The crisphead lettuce breeding program is being reduced now, and more emphasis will be placed on breeding leaf, romaine, and butterhead types to reflect the reduced acreage and proportion of crisphead varieties now grown in NY.

The small endive and escarolle breeding program is designed to develop germplasm resistant to turnip mosaic virus. It is probably unlikely that additional breeding objectives can be accomplished with the very small amount of effort I devote to breeding Cichorium, but I am interested in the possibility of transferring aster yellows resistance from chicory to endive, and self compatibility from endive to chicory for better uniformity.

Interspecific transfer of useful genes by conventional breeding is an important objective of most of my breeding programs. We have used Cucurbita martinizii as a source of viral and fungal resistance and C. ecuadorensis for multiple virus resistance for squash and pumpkin. Tomatoes were bred with genes for earliness and high solids content derived from L. pimpinellifolium, cold tolerance from L. hirsutum and Solanum lycopersicoides, salt tolerance from L. pennellii, and attractiveness to pollinating insects from various Lycopersicon species. We are exploring the possibility of using Solanum sisymbriifolium and Capsicum pubescens to breed cold tolerant eggplant and peppers, and Cucurbita ficifola for cold tolerance and long storage life of winter squash.

Growth regulator research has interested me because of phenocopies, growth regulators that mimic the action of genes, and the possibility of extrapolating from the knowledge of growth regulator physiology to help understand the nature of gene action. We discovered that a growth regulator releasing ethylene has the same effect on sex expression of cucurbits as the cucumber gynoecious gene, which also influlences ethylene biosynthesis, and this led to a new method for producing hybrid cucurbit seed. We found that the same growth regulator promotes fruit ripening, opposite to the effect of the rin tomato gene that we discovered to inhibit ripening, and this gene also influences ethylene biosynthesis. Most tomatoes grown for processing are now treated with this growth regulator to stimulate simultaneous ripening and to increase yield in a single mechanical harvest. A growth regulator that affects lateral movement of auxin was found to induce parthenocarpy, similar to the parthenocarpy gene of cucumber that also affects auxin movement. This growth regulator has been used commercially for mechanically harvested pickling cucumbers in some countries, based on our research.

I have cooperated with biochemists in analyzing toxic and beneficial compounds of the wild species used in my breeding programs. We have investigated cucurbitacins of cucurbits, glycoalkaloids of Lycopersicon and Solanum species, sesquiterpenoids of species related to lettuce, and other compounds of practical importance.

My biotech research has included cooperative isozyme studies of phylogenetic relationships and gene mapping, which was the first isozyme research at Cornell with a higher plant. Tissue culture research was conducted to rescue hybrid embryos of distantly related species, and to quickly produce inbred lines from pollen or ovule culture.

1977-2001	Cornell University, Professor
1968-1977	Cornell University, Associate Professor
1962-1968	Cornell University, Assistant Professor
1961-1962	Cornell University, Research Specialist
1955-1961	Cornell University, Research Assistant
1953-1955	U.S. Army, Biologist
1951-1953	University of California, Davis, Research Assistant

Society Affiliations

American Society for Horticultural Sciences
Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative
Tomato Genetics Cooperative

Professional Activities (1991-present):

Manuscript Referee: American Society for Horticultural Science,
Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative Report
Competitive Grants Referee: USDA, BARD
Invited Symposium: Progress in Vegetable Science, Beijing, China, 1991  
Gene Curator and Compiler of Gene Lists: Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative
Coordinating Committee, Gene List Committee: Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative
Cucurbit Crop Germplasm Committee
Pepper Crop Germplasm Committee