Plant Breeding
Crop improvement occurs when a plant breeder alters the genetic composition of a variety to enhance or decrease expression of important crop characteristics. Improvement can rely on classical recombination breeding techniques, or molecular techniques for specific goals.
The targeted improvements are usually in relation to the output potential of the grain (i.e., high and stable yield) or to minimize yield losses or reduce production costs (due to disease, lodging…). In grain production, such as wheat, other characteristics, such as milling quality and bread making quality (protein content, protein quality and alpha-amylase activity) are also considered. Other improvements are related to the growing awareness and concern about food safety among consumers, composition and contamination of crop products.
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- AgriLife crop releases
- Plant Breeding Bulletin June 09, video embedded
- Plant Breeding Bulletin July 09 | Watch Video
- Plant Breeding Bulletin August 09
- Plant Breeding Bulletin September 09, video embedded
Faculty/Staff/Graduate Students/Internships
| Name | Specialty | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Baring, Mike | Peanut | College Station |
| Burow, Mark | Peanut | Lubbock |
| Chandra, Ambika | Turf grass | Dallas |
| DaSilva, Jorge | Sugarcane Breeding | Weslaco |
| Dever, Jane | Cotton Breeding | Lubbock |
| Engleke, Milt | Turfgrass | Dallas |
| Hague, Steve | Cotton Breeding | College Station |
| Hays, Dirk | Abiotic stress genetics-wheat | College Station |
| Ibrahim, Amir | Wheat | College Station |
| Jessup, Russell | Perennial grass | College Station |
| Murray, Seth | Corn | College Station |
| Nelson, Lloyd | Ryegrass Breeder | Overton |
| Peterson, Gary | Grain Sorghum, Breeding and Genetics | Lubbock |
| Rooney, Bill | Sorghum Breeding & Genetics | College Station |
| Rudd, Jackie | Wheat | Amarillo |
| Smith Gerald | Legume Breeding | Overton |
| Smith, Wayne | Plant Breeding | College Station |
| Stelly, David | Plant Breeding, Genetics, Molecular & Environmental Plant Sciences | College Station |
| Tabien, Rodante | Plant Breeding - Rice | Beaumont |
| Xu, Wenwei | Corn Breeding and Genetics | Lubbock |
- Plant Breeding Graduate Students at Texas A&M University
- Plant Breeding Internships at Texas A&M University College Station, Texas
- Maria Ypina
Maria Ypina is a Plant Breeding Intern in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences during the summer of 2009. Maria recently earned her Associate of Science degree from Lone Star Cy-Fair College and currently plans to pursue a B.S. degree in Biology at Texas A&M University. She also is interested in cytology and the application of biological sciences for solving practical problems facing society. Maria will work in the Corn Breeding and Genetics with Dr. Seth Murray, the Plant Molecular Cytogenetics Laboratory with Dr. Dave Stelly, and the Cotton Breeding program with Dr. Wayne Smith.
- Maria Ypina
Research Interests
- Development of superior germplasm/cultivars which will enhance the productivity, improve the product quality, and/or decrease production costs associate with cotton production in Texas
- Improvement of sugarcane for sustainable productivity in South Texas. Research activities focus on the tolerance and resistance to abiotic (drought and cold) and biotic stress; the development of sugarcane clones with improved performance and quality (high sucrose content); the introgression of exotic germplasm and the application of molecular techniques in plant breeding.
- Breeding of forage and turf grasses specializing in the development of cool season perennial forage and turf grasses for north central Texas
- Basic and practical needs related to plant reproductive genetics or biology, evolution, chromosome biology and cytogenetic manipulation, genomics, genetic barriers to introgression, or other processes that impact our ability to genetically analyze, manipulate and improve plants.