Job Description
General Summary The Breeding Group is responsible for developing commercial tomato and jalapeno pepper hybrid varieties that are relevant to manufactured products. Tomato varieties must have desirable paste/dice manufacturing traits, superior quality characteristics, and resistance to pathogens, high yields, and grower friendly traits. The successful candidate should have working knowledge of general combining ability, genetic gain and heritability of desired traits, and a good understanding of molecular testing methods and/or knowledge in molecular biology is a plus. The incumbent is expected work within a team environment and will need to interact with the Technical Services Group as well as ----Seeds personnel. The Plant Breeder is also expected to interact with seed dealers, growers, and non-Ca----processors to promote the new ----tomato/pepper varieties.
Principal Accountabilities 1. Tomato/Jalapeno Pepper Hybrid Development (50%): Hybrid development includes the selection of inbred lines with desirable traits to be combined into hybrid crosses and evaluation of these hybrids for commercialization into established varieties with desired characteristics. 2. Commercial Variety Evaluation (30%): Commercial variety evaluation includes testing of proprietary varieties to determine their suitability for use in ===== manufacturing and consumer products. 3. Molecular testing (10%): Provide leadership in using molecular markers as a tool to identify traits both in tomato and Jalapeno pepper germplasm to be incorporated into elite CSC varieties. 4. Customer Relations (10%): Maintain/enhance relationship with the Sacramento Agricultural operations as well as with the supply Chain personnel to ensure that the objectives of the Breeding Program are in line with ====== needs in producing high quality paste and Salsa with TDC in mind. In addition, build and maintain relationship with non-======= users to promote and ensure acceptance of non-proprietary tomato and Jalapeno hybrids nationally as well as internationally.
Job Complexity • Developing a new hybrid tomato/Jalapeno pepper variety is part art and part science. It requires selection of the right inbreds to be used in hybrid development, which must have high yields, high solids, disease resistance, field horticultural characteristics, plus others. • After the hybrid is made, it requires field evaluation to determine if the new hybrid carries the desired traits. Generally, 300 to 600 new crosses are made annually which need to be evaluated and tested individually to identify the best variety for our products, for the processors, and for the growers. Tomato germplasm has many traits, but it is the selection of the correct traits combined into one variety that makes a successful variety.
Job Specification • Minimum of a MS degree in Plant Breeding with minimum of 5 years experience • Knowledge in experimental design and statistical analysis • Experience in tomato and/or peppers or in vegetable breeding is a plus • Good understanding of molecular testing methods is a plus • Good oral and written communication skills, and management skills are required • Computer skills (MS Office) are required
Working Conditions Hybrid evaluation takes place in the field where air temperatures can easily exceed 100 Farenheit degrees. During the summer production season, time in the field can reach 80 to 90% of a work day.
May require lifting tomato boxes of 40 to 50 pounds. Day trips to remote field locations are required to evaluate hybrids during the growing season. Some international travel will be required to evaluate inbreds as well as experimental hybrids grown under unique environments.
Qualified candidates please submit resume to:bschaffer@mrportland.com
(202325)
