2021 Plant Breeding’s Global Reach
February 18th, 2021
Plant breeders and germplasm have been globe trotting way before it was made cool to do so by the Coronavirus strain that has impacted us all. Texas A&M University's 2021 Plant Breeding Symposium will highlight some of these far-reaching plant breeding efforts in an attempt to virtually bring ideas together when we're supposed to be apart.
The 2021 symposium was all-virtual due to the Covid-19 pandemic protocols. Additionally, the symposium took place in the middle of a winter storm that froze Texas and shut down local electrical grids. Luckily, our campus still had power.
Keynote Speakers
Dr. Cedric Habiyaremye, Research Associate, Washington State University
Cedric leads and facilitates participatory breeding and agronomic research projects on quinoa, and millets in Rwanda, and assists quinoa variety and agronomic trials development in Malawi, Kenya. He is also a Rwanda Research Lead at Food Systems for the Future Institute, Founder & CEO of QuinoaHub Ltd, and Co-Founder of FarmWella SPC. He received his master's and Ph.D. degrees in Agronomy and Crop Science from Washington State University.
Dr. Pablo M. Granitto, Professor, National University of Rosario
Pablo M. Granitto received a Ph.D. in Physics from Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR), Argentina, in 2003 and was a Post-Doc at FEM-IASMA, Italy (2004-06). He is currently a full-time Researcher at CONICET and full professor at UNR. He leads the Machine Learning Group at CIFASIS, Rosario, Argentina. Since 2016 he is also director of CIFASIS and director of the PhD program in Informatics at UNR.
Dr. Amir Ibrahim, Wheat Breeder and Geneticist; Texas A&M University:
Dr. Ibrahim is a Regents Professor at Texas A&M University and a wheat and oat breeder/geneticist. Dr. Ibrahim received his B.S. (Hons) degree from the University of Gezira, Sudan in 1990, his M.S. from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon in 1994, and his doctorate from Colorado State University in 1998. Dr. Ibrahim also spent part of his career at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), and South Dakota State University.
Dr. Asheesh K Singh, Professor at Iowa State University
Dr. Asheesh K Singh (Danny) is a Professor, and Bayer Chair in Soybean breeding at Iowa State University. He obtained PhD from the University of Guelph in 2007. Thereafter, he worked as a durum wheat breeder in Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada from 2007-2013. In 2013, he joined ISU as an assistant professor and soybean breeder.
Tabare Abadie, Research Fellow, Corteva Agriscience
Tabare Abadie is a Senior Research Manager and Corteva Laureate. He started his scientific career in 1979 serving in several roles including Wheat and Barley breeder at INIA, Full Professor of Plant Breeder at the UDELAR ( both in Uruguay), and as a consultant for EMBRAPA ( Brazil) and other national and regional organizations in Latin America. Tabare joined Pioneer in 2003, where he served as Discovery Scientist, Lead of Molecular Breeding Deployment and of Lead of External Academic Outreach. He also developed and coordinated the Plant Sciences Symposia Series.
Student Speakers
LAHONG XU
Characterization of the localized immune responses at the single cell resolution in Arabidopsis roots
Texas A&M University
JALES FONSECA
Predicting grain sorghum hybrids using genomic and non-genomic hierarchical Bayesian models
Texas A&M University
BIN WU
Confirming host plants of crapemyrtle bark scale (Acanthococcus lagerstroemiae) by applying a real-time monitoring technique in feeding behavior study
Texas A&M University
KARANSHER SANDHU
Multi-trait Machine and Deep learning Models for Wheat Breeding Program
Washington State University
VIRGINIA VERGES
Genome-Wide Association Studies associated with Genomic Selection as a tool to increase Fusarium Head Blight resistance in wheat
University of Kentucky
PRISCILLA GLENN
Characterization of a natural mutation in FT-A2 and its effect on Yield
University of California at Davis
LOGAN QUINN
Genetic Analysis of Coleoptile Length and its Association with Plant Height in Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.)
Oregon State University
Undergraduate Division
Student Research Posters
Runshi Xie
Biological Parameters of Crapemyrtle Bark Scale (Acanthococcus lagerstromiae) on Different Lagerstroemia Species
Quiyu Fu
Identification of Rose Breeding Lines Carrying the Black Spot Resistance Gene Rdr1 for Validation and Breeding Purposes
Bin Wu
Applying the electrical penetration graph technique in efficiently confirming host plants of crapemyrtle bark scale (Acanthococcus lagerstroemiae)
Haramrit Gill
Identification of Genetic Determinants for a Flower Color Transition Phenotype in Tetraploid Roses
Rohith Vulchi
Cultural and Hormonal management of Palmer amaranth
Shakirah Nakasagga
Estimation of Biomass yield and Composition in perennial sorghum
Lahong Xu
Characterization of the localized immune responses at the single cell resolution in Arabidopsis roots