Breeding Soft Red Winter Wheat for Kentucky
The UK Wheat Breeding Project is led by David Van Sanford, Ph.D. This project is focused on developing soft red winter wheat cultivars for Kentucky and the mid-south. Funding for this effort is provided by the Kentucky Small Grain Growers Association (kysmallgrains.org). Research projects are designed to address impediments to breeding progress such as disease resistance, efficient use of nitrogen fertilizer and adaptation to climate change. Graduate student education and training takes place in the field, lab and classroom. Dr. Van Sanford teaches PLS 664 Plant Breeding, PLS 676 Quantitative Genetics, and IPS 625 Transdisciplinary Research in Plant and Soil Sciences.