Plant Varieties Catalog

661

‘661’ is a hybrid processing butternut squash with powdery mildew resistance. Hybridized by Michael Mazourek with parents from both his and Molly Jahn’s breeding programs, ‘661’ is a large, smooth squash. Its hybrid uniformity streamlines harvesting and helps the variety to excel in quality and efficiency. To ensure consistency in flavor and texture at harvest, the squash will signal peak harvest as the rind transitions from dark green to rich caramel.

1302

‘1302’ is a large, richly colored butternut squash that shares many qualities with ‘661’, including size, taste, texture, and ripeness indicator, but as a pure-line cultivar. ‘1302’ has undergone several generations of selective breeding by Michael Mazourek to ensure genetic uniformity and true-to-type reproduction. This stability makes it invaluable for commercial production and breeding programs, offering predictability and reliability in crop performance and quality.

Honeynut

‘Honeynut’ squash is a personal-sized butternut developed through the combined efforts of Robinson, Jahn, and Michael Mazourek. Known for its convenience and exceptional flavor, the full season butternut dramatically ripens from dark green to a rich caramel colored rind, making it easy to determine peak harvest. Enjoy peak flavor 1-2 months post-harvest.

Brûlée

‘Brûlée’ is the most versatile mini-butternut squash. Developed by Michael Mazourek, building upon the pioneering work of Molly Jahn, ‘Brûlée’ improves upon ‘Honeynut’ by excellent eating quality and adding long term storability. While it lacks a pronounced ripeness indicator, it presents a subtle color change into the standard butternut color and is very easy to manage. Slightly earlier than ‘Honeynut’, the level of powdery mildew resistance in ‘Brûlée’ ensures top fruit quality no matter the season.

898

‘898’ is the smallest of the mini-butternut squashes with the deepest, richest flavor. A cousin of ‘Brûlée’, this single-serving squash with great storage has concentrated sweetness and a nutty flavor.

Bugle

‘Bugle’ is a small, but not mini, butternut squash renowned for its powdery mildew resistance. As the original resistant variety, Molly Jahn and Henry Munger bred ‘Bugle’ to stand out for quality and versatility. This foundational squash is excellent on its own or when used as a hybrid parent.

Success PM

This yellow straightneck summer squash was a breakthrough in powdery mildew resistance. When fungal pressures diminish yields in other varieties, ‘Success PM’ continues to flower and produce squash. As both a popular pure-line cultivar and hybrid parent, this variety supports breeding programs and organic production systems. ‘Success PM’ is also less susceptible to striped cucumber beetle damage, which allows for cultivation without insecticide or row cover plastic, enhancing sustainability in squash production.

Trombambino

‘Trombambino’ squash, bred by Michael Mazourek from the work of Molly Jahn, Henry Munger, and Richard Robinson, is a response to Southeastern growers’ desire for a more practical, smaller version of the Italian heirloom ‘Tromboncino’. Naturally resistant to cucumber beetles and vine borers, ‘Trombambino’ addresses the pest challenge in sustainable squash production. These dense, nutty squashes offer more flavor than other summer squash and are perfect for grilling or sautéing.

Whitaker

‘Whitaker’ zucchini summer squash offers exceptional resistance to viruses and fungal diseases, including zucchini yellow mosaic virus, cucumber mosaic virus, papaya ringspot virus, and powdery mildew, making it ideal for commercial growers in areas with high disease pressure. Its erect, bush-type growth and ability to set fruit without pollination further enhance its grower-friendly qualities. This variety is also well-suited for hybrid seed and breeding programs.

Sweet REBA

‘Sweet REBA’ (Resistant Early Bush Acorn) squash lives up to its name, with its sweetness, powdery mildew resistance, and early maturity. ‘Sweet REBA’ is a popular pure-line cultivar developed through self-pollination for genetic uniformity. The pioneering variety is also widely used as a parent for hybrid seed development.

Bush Delicata

‘Bush Delicata’ was Cornell’s 2002 All-American Selection winner for squash. It is sweet, fine-textured squash rich in Vitamin A. Bred by Molly Jahn, ‘Bush Delicata’ incorporates a tolerance to powdery mildew – which ensures increased yields – with a compact bush habit to revolutionize growing methods. Like all delicata squash, its edible, tender rinds mean you will want to enjoy them close to harvest.

Harlequin, Festival, and Celebration

‘Harlequin’, ‘Festival’, and ‘Celebration’ winter squashes are hybrid powdery mildew-resistant acorn squashes with colorful stripes and splashes. Enjoy them as you would any acorn squash — sweet, delicious, and excellent for storing.

 

Habanada

‘Habanada’, bred by Michael Mazourek and aptly named for its habanero-like flavors and lack of fiery heat (“haba-nada”), provides the essence of a habanero beloved by chili enthusiasts. With a robust habanero aroma that mellows into a fruity sweetness when ripe, the light green fruits gradually transition to vibrant orange. It is best to enjoy the pepper intact as the white ribs inside contribute significantly to its flavor profile. While cultivating ‘Habanada’ requires more patience than bell peppers, it thrives with the additional growing degree days high tunnels provide.

Hendrix

‘Hendrix’, Cornell’s take on Jimmy Nardello’s pepper, excels both as a fresh green pepper and when fully ripened to a vibrant red. Offering exceptional flavor and ease of preparation, ‘Hendrix’ peppers have easily detachable stems and are easier to deseed compared to the curling Nardello variety. Abundant and early-bearing, ‘Hendrix’ peppers continue to thrive throughout the growing season until the first frost.

Blushing Hearts

‘Blushing Hearts’ are a delightful apple-sized, heart-shaped variety that evolve in color from pearly white to vibrant hues of yellow, orange, and finally red as they ripen. With a mild flavor profile that is maintained throughout the ripening stages their thick-walled, juicy fruit can be enjoyed as the gradual blush of rouge reaches peak ripeness. These sturdy, compact plants thrive in various settings, including containers and fields.

Picket

‘Picket’ peppers stand out as the most dependable and highly productive choice, boasting consistent, long-lasting stripes. Their robust nature simplifies harvest and makes them ideal for reaching markets at their most visually striking stage.

Pepper Architecture Germplasm

Pepper Architecture Germplasm is characterized by hybrids featuring a consistently straight trunk and minimal lateral branching below a distinctive fork 12-16 inches above the crown. With a pedigree enriched with New Mexico and Northeast adapted genetics, this line exhibits early maturity, cold hardiness, and prolific fruiting of 3–4 inch peppers, alongside vigorous and sturdy growth. Serving as an exceptional parent in breeding programs, Pepper Architecture Germplasm presents a valuable opportunity to infuse vigor and structural integrity into chile genetics.

Phytophthora capsici resistant (PcapR) Bell Pepper Breeding Lines

Managing Phytophthora blight is challenging as once farmland is infested, farmers have little option but to use sprays to manage the disease – which will persist in the soil for years once infected. Enter the PcapR Bell Pepper Breeding Lines from Molly Jahn and Michael Mazourek, offering a promising solution for growers combating Phytophthora blight. These lines consistently demonstrate resistance against every strain of the pathogen with which they have been tested. When utilized as parental lines in hybrid breeding, these resistances can be transmitted to the resulting progeny.

Salt and Pepper

‘Salt and Pepper’ is a mini cucumber tailored for Northeastern organic growers. This innovative cultivar blends powdery mildew and other disease resistances from Cornell germplasm with the exceptional eating qualities of a cold-tolerant heirloom. The striking white skin with black spines creates a visually stunning “salt and pepper” aesthetic, reflecting its unique heritage and organic grower-centric design.

Platinum

‘Platinum’ is a medium-sized, white-skinned cucumber with a mild taste. It demonstrates excellent resistance to powdery mildew and potyvirus, along with moderate resistance to downy mildew. The lack of bitterness in ‘Platinum’ makes it a kitchen favorite and aids in resisting striped cucumber beetles.

Silver Slicer

‘Silver Slicer’ stands out for its exceptional flavor and complete lack of bitterness. While its cultivation demands skill, its taste is unmatched. Resistant to powdery mildew, ‘Silver Slicer’ thrives in early-season conditions on the East Coast, allowing for harvest before downy mildew becomes a concern. Its bitter-free foliage also deters striped cucumber beetles, enhancing its appeal for growers seeking a resilient and flavorful cucumber variety.

Marketmore 76

‘Marketmore 76’ is the quintessential slicing cucumber and remains a top choice for home gardeners due to its resistance, wide adaptability, and classic slicing qualities. ‘Marketmore 76’ has resistance to a spectrum of diseases including cucumber mosaic virus, cucumber scab, downy mildew, and powdery mildew.

Marketmore 97

‘Marketmore 97’ was created for growers facing intense disease pressure and seed companies seeking to enhance their breeding programs with heightened resistance. ‘Marketmore 97’ is fortified against a range of diseases, including Alternaria leaf spot, Ulocladium leaf spot, target leaf spot, watermelon mosaic virus, papaya ringspot potyvirus, and zucchini yellow mosaic virus.

DMR 401

‘DMR 401’ stands as the first practical cucumber equipped to combat the new strain of downy mildew, allowing growers to extend their production deep into the fall. With both powdery mildew resistance and downy mildew resistance, it ensures resilience against disease while consistent watering maintains optimal fruit shape. Boasts yields akin to market favorites like ‘Marketmore 97’ and ‘Marketmore 76’.

In a 2017 experiment by Margaret McGrath, ‘DMR 401’ emerged as the undeniable champion, outperforming all others in both yield and disease resistance. ‘DMR 401’ not only doubled the fruit production of its closest competitor but also delivered superior marketable fruit, making it the ultimate choice for growers seeking reliability and quality.

Powdery mildew, a major disease responsible for reducing the yield of susceptible varieties, often leads to the death of the plants or shriveled, weak peduncles (pumpkin handles). This disease underscores the importance of resistant varieties to the success of New York State agriculture. Cornell’s suite of inbred pumpkin lines encompasses dozens of powdery mildew resistant varieties with diverse sizes and growth habits. The enhanced traits and variation in Cornell’s breeding lines offer flexibility in hybrid parent selection to plant breeders along with the essential resistances.

Robin’s Koginut

‘Robin’s Koginut’ is a distinctive culinary pumpkin combining the best traits of butternut and kabocha-like squashes. This productive variety yields pumpkins that store for months and feature a piriform shape with elegant ribbing. When cooked, ‘Robin’s Koginut’ is sweet like butternut yet holds maintains the firmness of kabocha. Named in collaboration with Robin Ostfeld, the late organic farming guru of Blue Heron Farm in the Finger Lakes of NY.

Gouda

‘Gouda’ is a conveniently sized, better-tasting, and a longer-storing version of the New England heirloom pumpkin Long Island Cheese. Perfectly sized for a CSA box, ‘Gouda’ pumpkins are ideal for soups, pies, and purees, offering a less-sweet alternative to ‘Robin’s Koginut’.

Multi-Harvest Beans

The Multi-Harvest Pole Beans offer an opportunity for continuous harvesting throughout the season. Unlike bush beans, pole beans continue to set pods as they climb upwards, ensuring that a missed harvest isn’t the end of the season. This multi-harvest capability provides unparalleled flexibility. At the top of the plant, you will discover snap beans with flavors akin to edamame, boasting excellent eating quality and ease of shelling at the fresh shelling stage. These beans can also be left to dry down on the plant, resulting in particularly delicious dry beans that can be stored for future meals.

Pole Snap Beans

Pole Snap Beans offer a consistent and reliable harvest of tender, flavorful pods, making them ideal for snap bean enthusiasts who appreciate the crispness and flavor of freshly picked pods. Like their Multi-Harvest counterparts, these beans continue to produce pods as they climb upwards, ensuring a prolonged harvesting season.

Blush

‘Blush’ peas offer a unique addition to the Rainbow Flatsnap Pea Collection with their soft, rouge-colored pods. This gentle hue adds a touch of elegance and subtlety to the mix, complementing the vibrant colors of the other varieties.

Cardinal

‘Cardinal’ boasts a rich red color, derived from the same anthocyanin antioxidants found in acai, cranberries, and cherries along with the added antioxidant benefit of quercetin. ‘Cardinal’ peas retain their red color when cooked, adding a burst of color packed with nutritional benefits to your salad, snack, or favorite dish.

Beauregarde and Merlot

‘Beauregarde’ and ‘Merlot’ have striking purple pods that stand out in any garden and kitchen. These peas are a nutritional powerhouse, rich in the same anthocyanin found in blueberries that is renowned for its antioxidant properties. Perfect for fresh snacking, salads, or adding a pop of color to your meal, these varieties have a taste reminiscent of the tannins in red wine and will retain their vibrant purple coloring when cooking.

Greenwave and Epistro

‘Greenwave’ and ‘Epistro’ are green-podded varieties carefully selected to complement the other vibrant peas in the Rainbow Flatsnap Pea Collection. Adding a classic green hue to the mix, these varieties balance the bright reds, pinks, and yellows. ‘Greenwave’ and ‘Epistro’ were selected to have similar qualities and maturation times as the other varieties in the collection to ensure a harmonious and colorful harvest.

Ringo and Zap

‘Ringo’ and ‘Zap’ grow vibrant yellow pods, providing a striking contrast to the other colorful varieties in the Rainbow Flatsnap Pea Collection. When planted alongside ‘Beauregarde’, ‘Merlot’, or ‘Cardinal’, the bright yellow color of ‘Ringo’ and ‘Zap’ adds a cheerful touch and ensures a diverse and colorful mix of peas in your garden.

U.S. National Plant Germplasm System: GRIN-Global

Martha Mutschler-Chu has deposited numerous tomato breeding lines and onion double haploid lines into the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System: GRIN – Global.

C.M. Rick Tomato Genetics Resource Center

Martha Mutschler-Chu deposited a group of acylsugar breeding lines, bred from S. pennellii LA0716, into the C.M. Rick Tomato Genetics Resource Center.