Patrick Edger, assistant professor in the Michigan State University Department of Horticulture, was awarded a four-year, $1.13 million grant, including matching funds, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to improve blueberry and cranberry fruit quality traits.
Edger’s lab is leading the effort to generate the first pangenome, the entire set of genes present in a species, for the genus Vaccinium. This consists of shrub species, including those that grow blueberries and cranberries. Called the Vaccinium Coordinated Agricultural Project, or VacCAP, this will help guide future breeding efforts for blueberries and cranberries and includes a network of collaborators at universities and USDA partners throughout the U.S.
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