Plant Breeding

The peanut and small grains plant breeding programs at the North Florida Research & Education Center are internationally recognized for developing cultivars that have world-wide economic importance. The major focus of the peanut program is developing cultivars with high pod yield and grade that have pest and disease resistance and unique oleic acid chemistry. The small grains breeding program is directed at improving forage and grain production, through better disease and insect resistance and adaptation to other environmental stresses in the southern U.S.

Dr. Ron Barnett with the Wheat Plant Breeding Program Dr. Ron Barnett with the Oats Plant Breeding Program
Dr. Ron Barnett with the Triticale Plant Breeding Program
Dr. Ron Barnett, Plant Breeding Program, April 2003.

The new forage breeding program is developing new forage bahiagrass for use across the southeastern U.S. All programs have strong regional breeding ties with other land grant plant breeding programs. Specific aspects of these programs include:

  1. Breeding improvement and cultivar development of peanut, wheat, oats, rye, triticale, bahiagrass and ryegrass.
  2. Environmental studies on plant-pest interactions, crop production systems, and several physiological aspects (i.e. drought stress, photoperiod, winter survival, and cold tolerance) of peanut, small grains and bahiagrass.

More Information

For more information on Plant Breeding, or contact Ann Blount or Barry Tillman (Ron Barnett and Dan Gorbet are emeritus faculty of the plant breeding program.)