Plant Breeding & Genetics

This consortium includes faculty members from OSU Departments of Horticulture, Crop & Soil Science, Botany & Plant Pathology, and Forest Ecosystems & Society. The goal is to investigate hemp as it relates to:

  • Germplasm collection and characterization
  • Breeding for commercially-desirable traits
  • Genetic mapping and genotype-phenotype association
  • Reproductive and seed physiology
  • Seed certification and testing 

             

Current Research Projects

Double Haploid Development: OSU Faculty-Patrick Hayes, Daniela Carrijo-Resende

The objective of this project is to develop a technique for the production of doubled haploid hemp plants. The advantage of using doubled haploid plants in a breeding program is that they can be produced in a significantly shorter time compared to conventional inbred lines, and thus, help to accelerate the development of new varieties. There are many doubled haploid production techniques that have been reported for other species, the most common one being anther culture. Therefore, we are currently focusing on anther culture methods for producing hemp doubled haploids. This technique involves culturing the anthers (male structure of the flower containing the developing pollen grains) on a nutrient medium in controlled conditions. We are testing a variety of nutrient media and culture conditions with the goal of producing plants directly or indirectly (via callus, a non-differentiated tissue potentially capable of generating a plant).

Hemp Comparative Genomics: OSU Faculty-Kelly Vining, Brian Knaus

Our ongoing work harnesses the power of genome sequencing to ask fundamental questions about how genes are regulated in hemp. By mapping genes on chromosomes, we look at how many copies of individual genes exist in hemp genomes, and can compare gene order (synteny) among different hemp plants. By making these comparisons, we can learn which gene variants underlie differences in cannabinoid synthesis, terpene synthesis, and disease resistance. 

Faculty

Kelly Vining

Kelly Vining

Associate Professor
Horticulture
Faculty leader of the Plant Breeding & Genetics Research Consortium

Andrew Altishin

Program Manager, Seed Certification
Crop & Soil Science

Stephen Baluch

Stephen Baluch

Asst. Professor (Sr Res)
Crop & Soil Science

Ryan Contreras

Ryan Contreras

Associate Professor
Horticulture

 

 

Sabry Elias

Sabry Elias

Professor (Sr Res)
Crop & Soil Science | Seed Lab

  

 

 

Brian Knaus

Brian Knaus

Research Associate
Horticulture