The 2011 ASHS Annual Conference

The diploid strawberry (Fragaria vesca) is an attractive system for research, but also for teaching students about plant science.  It has a tiny sequenced genome, it grows in minimal space, and findings are relatable to other members of the Rosaceae.  Most of all, it produces strawberries, small pods of flavor and aroma reminiscent of the familiar dessert fruit. The “My Strawberry Mutant” program leverages these advantages to attract college students to plant research.  An EMS-mutagenized population of strawberry plants was produced.  The M1 plants were selfed and M2 plants analyzed for phenotypes.  In the program, students screen seedlings from individual lines on Petri dishes, looking for variation in seedling stature, pigmentation or development that deviates from wild type.  Other students opt to screen thousands of seedlings simultaneously in response to various treatments, such as light, temperature or growth regulators. Mutants are then monitored throughout their entire life cycle, from Petri dish, to flat, to field. Students are free to visit the laboratory, greenhouse or field during “open lab” times established every week.  Their careful analysis and characterization of a single genotype provides a strong sense of ownership in the project, and tend to take characterization and analysis very seriously. Sound data on growth, development and physiology are readily obtained.  Mutants are crossed back to wild-type plants to test the nature of the mutation, reinforcing classroom concepts in genetics.  Students retreat to the literature in an attempt to find candidate genes contributing to the phenotype. Likely candidates are cloned by PCR and sequenced to test student hypotheses. The long-term goal of “My Strawberry Mutant” is to generate a set of plants with clear mutations that segregate predictably—coinciding with the eventual low cost of sequencing.  Whole-genome sequencing of plants bulked by phenotype will reveal at least a firm candidate set of genes that are likely causal to the traits observed.  This project uses mutagenized strawberry as a teaching tool to reinforce concepts of physiology, development and genetics.  In two semesters with minimal recruitment, over fifty students participated in the project.  You might see their results at ASHS 2012 or in peer-reviewed publication.  The project uses a familiar fruit to teach students about plant biology, while at the same time connecting important traits to the genes that control them. The project has dividends in the lab and classroom, while contributing to development of new genetic resources that will assist in research and breeding.