CEEM Potato Late Blight Project
The final phase of the CEEM project ended on June 30, 2005. Much of the work carried out during this period was based on the External Review Committee’s recommendations developed at the external review meeting held in Mexico, August 2002, and endorsed by CEEM’s international partners.
Previous CEEM progress reports detailed projects implemented at Cornell University, Eastern Europe, and Mexico with new sources of support. In the final report we outlined the implementation steps to identify new funding to sustain critical research that relates to controlling the damaging effects of the potato late blight disease in Eastern Europe and Mexico. The focus is to build strategies and synergies for collaborative research on potato late blight control with a strong base of support from national and international donors. (See pubications.)
Entry information and forms for the 2007 New York Corn Performance Trials for GRAIN. The aim of this program is to help evaluate hybrids in comparison with other new varieties over a range of environments in New York.
The plant breeding extension program seeks to serve farmers, seed producers and distributors and consumers with improved cultivars for production in New York State. The department conducts field trials of hybrid corn, cereal grains, and forages and publishes annual results and recommendations.
The Forage Breeding Project focuses primarily on breeding and genetic research of alfalfa and on evaluating legume and grass cultivars for forage yield and quality. Forage yield evaluation consists of harvesting 4-5000 plots at least three times per growing season. Breeding objectives on alfalfa are to improve yield, quality, and persistence.
In addition to the more traditional forages-as-feed research, we have begun the evaluation of perennial grasses and legumes as feedstocks for biofuel production.
Jahn Lab
The Jahn group focuses on gene discovery, the analysis of genome structure and function and the relevance of this information for the improvement of useful plants.
The McCouch group investigates natural variation in the genus Oryza, focusing on how it evolved, how it is distributed in both domesticated and wild Oryza species, how it conditions complex phenotypes and how it can be efficiently utilized in rice improvement.
New York Seed Improvement Program
Organic Seed Partnership (OSP)
The Organic Seed Partnership will enhance and expand a set of existing complementary, regionally-focused activities to create a strong national network aimed at developing and delivering improved vegetable varieties selected for superior performance in organic systems.
The Public Seed Initiative (PSI) is a joint cooperative effort between Cornell University Departments of Plant Breeding and Horticulture, the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, Inc, and the USDA—Agricultural Research Service’s Plant Genetic Resources Unit in Geneva, NY.
Small Grains Breeding and Genetics Project
The Cornell Small Grains Project has a history more than 90 years of developing innovative approaches to crop improvement. Our research program utilizes appropriate technologies encompassing molecular genetics, physiology, pathology, and breeding to develop strategies that contribute to the development of superior crop varieties.
Vegetable Breeding Institute (VBI)
Wojtek Pawlowski's Lab
We study meiosis, a specialized cell division that reduces the chromosome number in the nucleus from 2n to 1n and leads to the production of gametes. Meiosis is essential for accurate transmission of genetic material from parents to the progeny and is the most important source of genetic variation.
USDA- Agricultural and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) project – Enhancing Education and Research for Plant Disease Resistance-
The Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics was awarded a grant through the USDA- Agricultural and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program entitled "Enhancing Education and Research for Plant Disease Resistance". Cornell researchers on the project include Dr. Michael Mazourek, project director and co-PI's Mark Sorrells, Walter De Jong, Martha Mutschler, Susan McCouch, Lukas Mueller and Rebecca Nelson.