Acknowledgments
We are incredibly grateful to the numerous funding agencies who have generously supported our research projects over the years. Our sincerest thanks to: United States Department of Agriculture - National Institute of Food and Agriculture - Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (USDA-NIFA-AFRI), USDA-NIFA-Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI), USDA-Biotechnology Risk Assessment Grants Program (USDA-BRAG), Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Virginia Catalyst, Virginia Apple Research Program, Virginia Agricultural Council, Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science, Virginia Tech. Your invaluable support fuels our ongoing commitment to advancing knowledge and innovation in our field.