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ARS Home Northeast Area Geneva, New York Plant Genetic Resources Unit (PGRU) People







Benjamin  Gutierrez    Geneticist Plants /ARSUserFiles/48103/BenGutierrez2.jpg **Benjamin Gutierrez** Apple & Tart Cherry Curator Plant Genetic Resources Unit ben.gutierrez@usda.gov (315) 787.2439 **Overview** I am a PGRU geneticist and curator of the PGRU Apple (*Malus*) and Tart Cherry (*Prunus*) collections. Apples are one of the most valuable and beloved fruits in the world, with a fascinating evolutionary and domestication history. Tart cherries have amazing fruit quality traits for fresh eating and processing. We maintain 3,000+ field accessions, including named cultivars and landraces, pre-breeding lines, and apple and cherry wild relatives. My goal is to ensure these resources are available for research and cultivar development for generations to come! We use molecular techniques and trait characterization to explore the diversity within our collection and to facilitate germplasm utilization. Currently, my research is focused on metabolite diversity, including aroma in grapes and phenolics in apple and tart cherry, and using aerial phenotyping to record phenological data in germplasm collections. Learn more about our Apple and Tart Cherry Collections. Looking for plant germplasm? Review our distribution policy for germplasm requests. PGRU frequently hosts summer interns. Contact me for more information.  **Education** B.S. in Biology and Botany, 2012, Utah Valley University, Orem, UT
Ph.D. in Plant Breeding and Genetics, 2017, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY   Publications(Clicking on the reprint iconReprint Icon  will take you to the publication reprint.)A haplotype resolved chromosome-scale assembly of North American wild apple Malus fusca and comparative genomics of the fire blight Mfu10 locus-(Peer Reviewed Journal) Mansfeld, B., Yocca, A., Ou, S., Harkness, A., Burchard, E.A., Gutierrez, B.L., Van Nocker, S., Gottschalk, C.C. 2023. A haplotype resolved chromosome-scale assembly of North American wild apple Malus fusca and comparative genomics of the fire blight Mfu10 locus. The Plant Journal. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.16433.A haplotype resolved chromosome-scale assembly of North American wild apple Malus fusca and comparative genomics of the fire blight Mfu10 locus-(Pre-print Publication) Mansfeld, B., Yocca, A., Ou, S., Harkness, A., Burchard, E.A., Gutierrez, B.L., Van Nocker, S., Gottschalk, C.C. 2023. A haplotype resolved chromosome-scale assembly of North American wild apple Malus fusca and comparative genomics of the fire blight Mfu10 locus. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.03.22.533842.The USDA National Plant Germplasm System apple collection within the context of global crop conservation strategies-(Peer Reviewed Journal) Volk, G.M., Dempewolf, H., Bramel, P., Meakem, V.M., Gutierrez, B.L. 2022. The USDA National Plant Germplasm System apple collection within the context of global crop conservation strategies. Journal of American Pomological Society. 76(2):50-58.The U.S. National Plant Germplasm System...Preserves Genetic Diversity for All People for All Time-(Trade Journal) Kinard, G.R., Bassil, N.V., Hummer, K.E., Reinhold, L.A., Aradhya, M.K., Smith, J.L., Kluepfel, D.A., Galarneau, E.R., Gutierrez, B.L. 2022. The U.S. National Plant Germplasm System...Preserves Genetic Diversity for All People for All Time. Fruit Gardener. March and April 2022/page 12-15.Conserving fruit and nut germplasm in the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System: foundation for our food supply-(Trade Journal) Kinard, G.R., Bassil, N.V., Hummer, K.E., Reinhold, L.A., Aradhya, M.K., Smith, J.L., Galarneau, E.R., Gutierrez, B.L. 2022. Conserving fruit and nut germplasm in the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System: foundation for our food supply. Pomona. Volume LV, No. 1, Winter 2022:31-33.Phenological diversity in wild and hybrid grapes (Vitis) from the USDA-ARS cold-hardy grape collection-(Peer Reviewed Journal) Gutierrez, B.L., Schwaninger, H.R., Meakem, V.M., Londo, J.P., Zhong, G. 2021. Phenological diversity in wild and hybrid grapes (Vitis) from the USDA-ARS cold-hardy grape collection. Planta. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-03783-x.Tannins phenotyping in the Vitaceae reveals constellations of compositions intimately linked to genera and species-(Peer Reviewed Journal) Brillouet, J., Romieu, C., Bacilieri, R., Nick, P., Trias-Blasi, A., Maul, E., Solymosi, K., Szelak, P., Jiang, J., Sun, L., Ortolani, D., Londo, J.P., Gutierrez, B.L., Prins, B.H., Reynders, M., Vancaekenberghe, F., Maghradze, D., Marchal, C., Sultan, A., Thomas, J., Scherberich, D., Fulcrand, H., Roumeas, L., Billerach, G., Salimov, V., Musayev, M., Ul Islam Dar, H., Peltier, J., Gaudeul, M., Grisoni, M. 2022. Tannins phenotyping in the Vitaceae reveals constellations of compositions intimately linked to genera and species. Annals Of Botany. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcac077.Origin of domesticated apple-(Book / Chapter)Botany, taxonomy, and origins of the apple-(Book / Chapter) Volk, G.M., Cornille, A., Durel, C., Gutierrez, B.L. 2021. Botany, taxonomy, and origins of the apple. In: Korban, S.S., editor. The Apple Genome. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. p. 19-32.Phenotypic evaluation of fire blight outbreak in the USDA Malus collection-(Peer Reviewed Journal) Dougherty, L.E., Wallis, A., Cox, K., Zhong, G., Gutierrez, B.L. 2021. Phenotypic evaluation of fire blight outbreak in the USDA Malus collection. Agronomy Journal. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11010144.Genome-wide association mapping identifies novel loci underlying fire blight resistance in apples-(Peer Reviewed Journal) Thapa, R., Singh, J., Gutierrez, B.L., Arro, J., Khan, A. 2021. Genome-wide association mapping identifies novel loci underlying fire blight resistance in apples. The Plant Genome. https://doi.org/10.1002/tpg2.20087.A key ‘foxy’ aroma gene is regulated by homology-induced promoter indels in the iconic juice grape ‘Concord’-(Peer Reviewed Journal) Yang, Y., Cuenca, J., Wang, N., Liang, Z., Sun, H., Gutierrez, B.L., Xi, X., Arro, J., Wang, Y., Fan, P., Londo, J.P., Cousins, P., Li, S., Fei, Z., Zhong, G. 2020. A key ‘foxy’ aroma gene is regulated by homology-induced promoter indels in the iconic juice grape ‘Concord’. Horticulture Research. 7(67). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41438-020-0304-6.Preserving the future with the USDA Plant Genetic Resource Unit tart cherry, grape, and apple germplasm collections-(Peer Reviewed Journal) Gutierrez, B.L., Battaglia, K., Zhong, G. 2020. Preserving the future with the USDA Plant Genetic Resource Unit tart cherry, grape, and apple germplasm collections. Journal of American Pomological Society. http://www.pubhort.org/aps/74/v74_n2_a4.htm.Discovery and molecular characterization of a novel trichovirus infecting sweet cherry-(Peer Reviewed Journal) Brewer, E., Cao, M., Gutierrez, B.L., Bateman, M., Li, R. 2020. Discovery and molecular characterization of a novel trichovirus infecting sweet cherry. Virus Genes. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11262-020-01743-7.From phenotyping to phenomics: Present and future approaches in grape trait analysis to inform grape gene function-(Book / Chapter)Linkage and association analysis of Dihydrochalcones Phloridzin, Sieboldin, and Trilobatin in Malus-(Peer Reviewed Journal) Gutierrez, B.L., Zhong, G., Brown, S., Arro, J. 2018. Linkage and association analysis of Dihydrochalcones Phloridzin, Sieboldin, and Trilobatin in Malus. Tree Genetics and Genomes. 14:91. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-018-1304-7.Increased Phloridzin content associated with russeting in apple fruit-(Peer Reviewed Journal) Gutierrez, B.L., Zhong, G., Brown, S. 2018. Increased Phloridzin content associated with russeting in apple fruit. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 65(8):2135-2149.Genetic diversity of dihydrochalcone content in Malus germplasm-(Peer Reviewed Journal) Gutierrez, B.L., Brown, S., Zhong, G., Chao, C.T. 2018. Genetic diversity of dihydrochalcone content in Malus germplasm. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 65(5):1485-1502.Genetic diversity of dihydrochalcone content in Malus germplasm-(Peer Reviewed Journal) Gutierrez, B.L., Zhong, G., Brown, S. 2018. Genetic diversity of dihydrochalcone content in Malus germplasm. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 65(5):1485-1502. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-018-0632-7.Genotyping-by-sequencing markers facilitate the identification of quantitative trait loci controlling resistance to Penicillium expansum in Malus sieversii-(Peer Reviewed Journal) Norelli, J.L., Wisniewski, M.E., Fazio, G., Burchard, E.A., Gutierrez, B.L., Levin, E., Droby, S. 2017. Genotyping-by-sequencing markers facilitate the identification of quantitative trait loci controlling resistance to Penicillium expansum in Malus sieversii. PLoS One. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0172949.  ProjectsManagement and Development of Apple, Cold-Hardy Grape, and Tart Cherry Genetic Resources and Associated InformationIn-House Appropriated (D)Accession Number:443957  ARS News ArticlesNo news articles listed for this employee.  **Plant Genetic Resources Unit (PGRU) News** An Apple Detective Rediscovered 7 Kinds Of Apples Thought To Be Extinct -- NPR* Fire Blight Spreads Northward, Threatening Apple Orchards--NYTimes* Preserving the Future: the National Collection of Tart Cherry, Grape, and Apple in Geneva, NY* Conservation of clonal crops with Dr. Ben Gutierrez | NPGS Seminar Series* Cryopreservation of Dormant Apple Buds* *Goes to Non-Federal Site


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