ACTIVE RESEARCH PROJECTS
ACTIVE RESEARCH PROJECTS
Sorghum Grain for Improved Health
2021-2026
Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research
This project combines plant biology, breeding, genetics, and bioinformatics and engages key industry partners in order to (1) reveal the underlying mechanisms of beneficial metabolite production in sorghum grain using ‘omics’-based approaches and computational biology and (2) apply this information to optimize sorghum hybrids for food and feed end-uses with the assistance of genomics-enabled breeding. This proposal leverages a unique public-private partnership to expand the understanding of secondary metabolites in sorghum and to utilize this applied research to develop a series of nutritionally optimized hybrids for human health and animal feed (pet and livestock).
Wheat Resistance to Fusarium Head Blight
2019-2026
USDA US Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative
The overarching project goal is to develop and release wheat cultivars and cultivar development resources to respectively mitigate short- and long-term threats of FHB epidemics in the Atlantic Coastal Plain and greater southeastern US. This proposal utilizes doubled haploid technology to quickly produce high-yielding varieties that contain known sources of FHB resistance.
Sorghum as a Profitable Southeastern Dryland Crop
2024-2027
USDA Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education
This project will use on-farm trials in three states (GA, NC, and SC) to determine sorghum’s fit as a dryland rotational crop by quantifying its regional productivity, water-use efficiency, carbon sequestration potential, nematode suppressive ability, and overall profitability. This project aims to address the SARE sustainability goals to increase long-term profit, improve health and productivity of farmland, and enhance quality of life for farmers in underserved communities.
Wheat Hessian fly resistance screening
2024-2026
USDA Agricultural Research Service
The objective of this coordinated project is to improve resistance of winter wheat germplasm adapted to the eastern United States to the Hessian fly pest that is an increasing threat to wheat production. We plant hundreds of wheat varieties in the field in early October (well before frost) to measure which varieties that resist fly infestation. We aim to improve host resistance in areas where warmer winters are conducive to multiple Hessian fly life cycles, which leads to greater crop damage and the development of increasingly virulent Hessian fly populations.