David M. Francis
Associate Professor
Department of Horticulture and Crop Science

210 Williams Hall 1680 Madison Ave. Wooster, OH 44691 Phone: 330-263-3893 Fax: 330-263-3887

Email: francis.77@osu.edu

WEBSITE at www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/tomato/
at OSU since 1995

ASSIGNMENT: 100% Research 0% Extension 0% Teaching

EDUCATION:

BA 1984 Pomona College
PhD 1991 University of California, Davis

POSITIONS HELD:

1999-present Assistant Professor, Department of Horticulture &
Crop Science, OSU/OARDC

1995-1999Research Scientist, Department of Horticulture &
Crop Science, OSU/OARDC

1991-1995 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Vegetable Crops, U. C. Davis

1985-1991 Gradaduate Research Assistant, Vegetable Crops, U. C. Davis

1984-1985 Research Technician, Pathology, USC, School of Medicine

AWARDS AND HONORS:

Mid-America Food Processors Association Tomato Achievement Award. 2002.

Indiana Horticulture Society Red Tie Award 2002.

RESIDENT INSTRUCTION:

Current Courses Taught: HCS 825 "Advanced Plant Breeding", HCS 604.3 "Molecular Methods"


MAJOR RESEARCH INTERESTS:

My research aims to define the genetic basis of field resistance, humid environment adaptation, and fruit quality, while contributing innovative strategies for crop improvement. The tomato breeding and genetics program has strengths in both the basic and applied sciences. Emphasis is placed on translating the results of plant genomics through the development of techniques for genetic mapping in breeding populations. Individual projects stress multi-disciplinary approaches to breeding for disease resistance and end-product quality, understanding the genetic determinants of nutritional quality in tomato fruit, mechanisms of plant resistance to disease, population genetics of plant pathogens, and the evolution of tomato and its wild relatives. We provide fundamental knowledge related to the genetic and molecular mechanisms that control disease resistance, tomato fruit quality, and the domestication of plants. Knowledge gained from these studies has directly resulted in the release of tomato varieties with improved disease resistance, enhanced processing quality, and enhanced nutritional value. Processing tomato hybrids released by the program are used commercially and rank among the best in the Great Lakes industry for factory quality grade.

PROJECT FUNDING:
Mid-America Food Processors Association
Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems
USDA/NSF Microbial Genome Initiative
USDA/NRI Plant Genome

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

Yang, W., E. J. Sacks, M. L. Lewis Ivey, S. A. Miller, and D. M. Francis. 2005. Resistance in Lycopersicon esculentum intraspecific crosses to Race T1 strains of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria causing bacterial spot of tomato. Phytopathology (in press).

Yang, W. and D. M. Francis. 2005. Marker Assisted Selection for Combining Resistance to Bacterial Spot and Bacterial Speck in Tomato. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. (in press).

Francis, D. M. and S. A. Miller. 2005. Ohio 9834 and Ohio 9816: processing tomato breeding lines with partial resistance to race T1 of bacterial spot. HortScience (in press).

Coaker G., B. Willard, M. Kinter, E. J. Stockinger, and D. Francis. 2004. Proteomic analysis of resistance to bacterial canker of tomato. Molecular Plant Microbe Interactions. 17:1019-1028.

Coaker G., and D. Francis. 2004. Mapping, genetic effects, and epistatic interaction of two bacterial canker resistance QTLs from Lycopersicon hirsutum. Theor Appl Genet. 108:1047-1055.

Yang, W., X. Bai, E. Kabelka, C. Eaton, S. Kamoun, E. van der Knaap, and D. Francis. 2004. Discovery of single nucleotide polymorphisms in Lycopersicon esculentum by computer aided analysis of expressed sequence tags. Molecular Breeding. 14: 21-34.

E. Kabelka, W. Yang, and D. M. Francis. 2004. Improved Tomato Fruit Color within an Inbred Backcross Line Derived from Lycopersicon esculentum and L. hirsutum Involves the Interaction of Loci. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 129:250-257.

Coaker, G.L. and Francis, D.M. 2004. Measuring the Effect of Quantitative Trait Loci on Vascular Morphology and Development in the Tomato Stem. Acta Hort. (ISHS) 637:309-316 http://www.actahort.org/books/637/637_38.htm

Ramirez-Rosales, M. Bennett, M. McDonald, and D. Francis. 2004. Effect of fruit development on the germination andvigor of high lycopene tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) seeds Seed Sci. & Technol., 32: 775-783.

Nuray, U. Z., Clinton, S. K., Francis, D.M., Schwartz, S.J. 2004. Bioavailability of lycopene isomers from sauces prepared from different tomato varieties, in Pigments in Food, more than colours, Dufosse, L. (Ed.) ISBN 2-9521516-0-1, Pigments Publishing pp 295-299.

Hackett, M.M., Lee, J.H., Francis, D. and Schwartz, S. 2004. Thermal stability and isomerization of lycopene in tomato oleoresins from different varieties. J. Food Sci., 69(7) 536-541.

Francis, D. M., A. R. Miller, Z. Chen, A. M. Bongue Bartelsman, C. A. Barringer. 2003. State of the art of genetics and breeding of processing tomato: a comparison of selection based on molecular markers, biochemical pathway, and phenotype for the improvement of fruit color and juice viscosity. In Proceedings of the Eighth International ISHS Symposium on the Processing Tomato. Bieche, B., Branthome, X., eds. Acta Horticulturae 613: 273-282.

Huitema, E., V. G. A. A. Vleeshouwers, D.M. Francis and S. Kamoun. 2003. Active defense responses associated with nonhost resistance of Arabidopsis thaliana to the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora infestans. Molecular Plant Pathology. 4: 487-500.

Kleinhenz, M.D., J.C. Scheerens, D. M. Francis, T.J.K. Radovich, D. G. French,. A.Gazula, A. Wszelaki, A. Sanchez-Vela, A.A. C. McIntyre, J. Delwiche, P. Ling, K. Amisi, and D. J. Doohan. From Farm to Consumer Linking Crop Physiology and Production with Buyer-oriented Quality. I. Vegetables. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Quality in Chains. Tijskens, L.M.M. and H.M. Vollebregt, Eds. Acta Horticulturae 604: 95-103.

Scott, J.W., D. M. Francis, S. A. Miller, G. C. Somodi, J. B. Jones. 2003. Tomato bacterial spot resistance derived from PI 114490; inheritance to race T2 and relationship across three pathogen races. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 128:698-703.

Qu, S., G. Coaker, D. Francis, B. Zhou, and G.L. Wang. 2003. Development of a new transformation-competent artificial chromosome (TAC) vector and construction of tomato and rice TAC libraries. Molecular Breeding. 12: 297-308.

Burnham, K.D., A.E. Dorrance, D.M. Francis, R.J. Fioritto, and S.K. St. Martin. 2003. Rps8, A New Locus in Soybean for Resistance to Phytophthora sojae Crop Science 43: 101-105.

Burnham, K. D., D. M. Francis, A. E. Dorrance, R. J. Fioritto, and S.K. St. Martin. 2002. Genetic diversity and patterns among phytophthora resistant soybean plant introductions based on SSR markers. Crop Science. 42: 338-343.

Coaker, G. L., T. Meulia, E. Kabelka, A. Jones, and D. M. Francis. 2002. A quantitative trait locus controlling stem morphology and vascular development in Lycopersicon esculentum X Lycopersicon hirsutum (Solanaceae) crosses is located on chromosome 2. Am. J. of Botany. 89: 1859-1866.

Kabelka, E., B. Franchino, and D. M. Francis. 2002. Two loci from Lycopersicon hirsutum LA407 confer resistance to strains of Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis. Phytopathology. 92:504-510.

Francis, D. M., Kabelka, E., Bell, J., Franchino, B., and D. St. Clair. 2001. Resistance to bacterial canker of tomato in Lycopersicon hirsutum LA407. Plant Disease 85:1171-1176.

Nguyen, M., Francis, D., and S. Schwartz. 2001. Thermal isomerisation susceptibility of carotenoids in different tomato varieties. J. Sci. Food. Agric. 81:910-917.

Sacks, E. J., D. M. Francis. 2001. Genetic and Environmental Variation for Tomato Flesh Color in a Population of Modern Breeding Lines. J. Amer. Soc. Hot. Sci. 126 (2):221-226.

Francis, D.M., S. A. Barringer, R.E. Whitmoyer. 2000. Ultrastructural Characterization of Yellow Shoulder Disorder in a Uniform Ripening Tomato Genotype. HortScience 35(1): 1114-1117.

Francis, D.M., S. A. Barringer, R.E. Whitmoyer. 2000. Ultrastructural Characterization of Yellow Shoulder Disorder in a Uniform Ripening Tomato Genotype. HortScience. 35(1):1114-1117.

Scott, J.W., S. A. Miller, R. A. Stall, J. B. Jones, G. C. Somodi, V. Barbosa, D.M. Francis, F. Sahin. 1997. Resistance to race T2 of the bacterial spot pathogen in tomato. Hort Science 32:724-727.

Francis, D. M. and D.A. St. Clair. 1997. Population Genetics of Pythium ultimum.
Phytopathology, 87:454-461.

Francis, D. M., Aitken, K. S., and D. A. St. Clair. 1995. The relationship between mating system and Lyt element abundance in Lycopersicon and Solanum. Genetics 140:418-419.

Francis, D. M., Ghelen, M. F., and D. A. St. Clair. 1994. Genetic variation in homothallic and hyphal swelling isolates of Pythium ultimum var. ultimum and Pythium ultimum var. sporangiferum. Mol. Plant Microbe Interactions 7:766-775.

Young*, R. J., D. M. Francis*, D. A. St. Clair, and B. H. Taylor. 1993. A dispersed family of repetitive DNA sequences exhibits characteristics of a transposable element in the genus Lycopersicon. Genetics . 137:581-588 (* indicates Co-principal authors).

Francis, D. M. and D. St. Clair. 1993. Outcrossing in the Homothallic Oomycete, Pythium
ultimum, Detected with Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) Markers and Restriction
Fragment Length Polymorphisms (RFLPs). Current Genetics 24:100-106.

Francis, D. M. and R. W. Michelmore. 1993. Two Classes of Chromosome Sized Molecules are
Present in Bremia lactucae. Exp. Mycol. 17:284-300.

Michelmore, R. W., P. A. Anderson, H. Witsenboer, R. V. Kesseli, I. Paran, D. M. Francis, O. Ochoa. 1993. Molecular markers and genome analysis in the manipulation of lettuce
downy.mildew. in Advances in Molecular Genetics of Plant-Microbe Interactions Vol. 2. E. W. Nester and D. P. Verma, eds. Kluwer Academic Publishers. pp. 517-523.

Michelmore, R. W., R. V. Kesseli, D. M. Francis, I. Paran, M. G. Fortin, and C.-H. Yang. 1992. Strategies for Cloning Plant Disease Resistance Genes. in Molecular Plant Pathology (vol. II): A Practical Approach. Oxford University Press. pp 233-288.

Francis, D. M, S. H. Hulbert, R. W. Michelmore. 1990. Genome Size and Complexity of the
Obligate Fungal Pathogen, Bremia lactucae. Exp. Mycol. 14:299-309.

VARIETY AND GERMPLASM RELEASE:

(Five commercial licenses for hybrid tomatoes)
Francis, D. M. 2002. Ohio OX 323 processing tomato. (licensed)

Francis, D. M. 2002. Ohio OX 325 processing tomato. (licensed)

Francis, D. M. and J. Scheerens. 2002. Ohio Bicentennial Tomato.

Francis D. M. and S. Berry 1999. Ohio OX 23 processing tomato. (licensed)

Francis, D. M. and Stan Z. Berry. 1999. Ohio 9241, Ohio 9242, and Ohio E3259: Tomato Breeding Lines for the Improvement of Color and Lycopene Content.

Francis, D. M. and S. Miller. 2001. Ohio 9834 and Ohio 9816: processing tomato breeding lines with partial resistance to race T1 of bacterial spot.

Francis, D. M., S. Berry, T. Aldrich, K. Scaife, W. Bash. 2002. Ohio OX 150 processing tomato. Report of the Tomato Genetics Cooperative Vol 52. released 1998 (licensed).

Francis, D. M., S. Berry, T. Aldrich, K. Scaife, W. Bash. 2000. Ohio OX 52 processing tomato. Report of the Tomato Genetics Cooperative Vol 50. released 1998 (licensed).

Francis, D. M. and Wencai Yang. 2003 Tomato germplasm with resistance to bacterial speck and partial resistance to race T1 of bacterial spot developed through marker assisted selection for coupling phase recombination of Pto and Rx3.

Last modified: 5/7/2008