PhD Candidate
Using phenotypic, genomics, and bioinformatic tools, Omo’s research aims to understand the genetic control of resistance to bacterial brown spot in Adzuki bean [Vigna angularis (Willd.) Ohwi & Ohashi]. Adzuki bean which is cultivated on approximately 23,000 acres across Ontario was described as the Ontario money-maker crop of 2023.
Adzuki beans exports generated over US $32 million in foreign revenue for Canada in 2022, and Canada ranked the third and second largest exporter of adzuki beans in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
Quite recently, bacterial brown spot caused by the pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae van Hall has become a threat to the cultivation of adzuki bean in Ontario. Bacterial brown spot can account for yield losses of up to 40% in the adzuki bean crop. As there are no commercial varieties resistant to bacterial brown spot and physical and chemical control measures are not effective in managing the disease, there is an urgent need to develop resistant varieties to protect the investments of Ontario farmers in adzuki bean cultivation.
Omo’s research will identify the molecular markers that are associated with resistance to bacterial brown spot in adzuki bean. These molecular markers will then be incorporated into adzuki bean breeding programs, to speed up the development of resistant varieties.