Ohio is a leading producer of both agronomic and horticultural crops. OSU maize and wheat breeding programs have existed for over 100 years. The soybean breeding program started prior to 1920 and tomato breeding was initiated in the 1940s.
OSU breeding programs support traditional plant agriculture and emerging bioproducts industries, conduct fundamental and applied research, and contribute to undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate education. All crop breeding programs at OSU emphasize product quality and resistance to biotic stresses (primarily phytopathogens).
Maize, wheat, and tomato research programs are based at the Ohio Agricultural
Research and Development Center (OARDC) Wooster Campus. The soybean research and ornamentals programs are located at both the Columbus and Wooster campuses. The wheat breeding program cooperates closely with the USDA-ARS
Regional Soft Wheat Quality Laboratory
and the maize breeding program cooperates closely with the ARS Corn and Soybean
Research Group
(OSU-ARS Maize Virology
Program). The tomato breeding program cooperates closely with the Van der
Knaap laboratory (tomato fruit developmental biology;
and the Dept. of Food Sciences. The soybean breeding program cooperates closely with the Ohio Crop Performance Trials (OSU Extension) and ARS Corn and Soybean Research Group (above ref.). Germplasm preservation and distribution of ornamental crops (priority genera: Begonia, Coreopsis, Lilium,
Phlox, Rudbeckia and Viola) is carried out by the USDA Ornamental Plant
Germplasm Center (Columbus;
).
The primary investment by the state of Ohio is through a line item in the state budget to the OARDC. Substantial support has been received from the Ohio
Soybean Council (soybean), the Midwestern Canners Assoc. (tomato). Recently, an 11.5 million dollar award was made by the Ohio Department of Development to create the Ohio Bioproducts Innovation Center (OBIC). Funds from OBIC have been used to enhance high-throughput genotyping at the Molecular and Cellular
Imaging Center at the Wooster Campus. Direct OARDC support for technicians has declined precipitously in the last several years and additional operating costs are now borne directly by breeding programs.
• Find genetic solutions to the problems that limit profitability of wheat production in Ohio and beyond
• Develop cultivars for farmers
• Develop enhanced germplasm for breeders
• Determine genetics of key traits such as disease resistance, flour improvement and adaptation
• Develop efficient mapping and marker–assisted selection (MAS) methods
• Development of varieties
– High yield, resistance to Phytophthora
– Modified oil for industrial and food applications
– Specialty varieties for tofu production
• Quantitative Genetics & Breeding Methods
– Genetic gain by stages
– Use of exotic germplasm
– Statistical methods
– Involved in mapping and genomics projects
• QTL Discovery and Molecular Breeding
– Maize Streak Virus, Gray Leaf Spot,
Northern Corn Leaf Blight
• Value-added grain compositional traits
(protein, oil, starch)
• Selection of maize genotypes with improved
grain nutritional (carotenoids,
QPM) and physical characteristics
• Introgression of desirable traits in exotic
(temperate/tropical) breeding populations
• Developing breeding strategies that optimize discovery and introgression of new genes from wild relatives
• Development of genetic resources to study bioactive compounds and human nutrition, mechanisms of disease resistance, and the discovery of molecular markers
• Understand the genetic processes that are under selection during the domestication of plants and the breeding of elite varieties
• Leverage emerging DNA sequence data and comparative biology to gain insight into the fundamental genetic changes that have been imparted through targeted selection in plant breeding
The OSU graduate plant breeding and genetics curriculum provides graduate education leading to understanding of the concepts, principles, and methodology of crop improvement. Graduate education is achieved by offering courses in plant breeding concepts and methodology, experimental design, data analysis, and population genetics.
Additional core courses in underlying disciplines will contribute to knowledge of genetic and physiological processes and environmental influences that result in the expression of phenotypic variation.
Following are the core and allied courses for students pursuing graduate degrees in the breeding and genetics areas of the Horticulture and Crop Science graduate program:
• Genetics and Molecular Biology – Mol Gen 500
• Introduction to Biochemistry – Biochem 511
• Field Crop Breeding – H&CS 625
• Data Analysis I and II – Stat 528 and 529
• Research Methods – H&CS 604
• Tech. of Experimental Design – H&CS 887
or Analysis and Interpretation of Biological Data – Mol Gen 650
Increased local funds have been made available on a competitive basis and OSU breeders have been successful in obtaining them. Examples include the OARDC
Research Enhancement Competitive Grants Program (SEEDS;
) and AgBioScience Innovation Grants programs
(AgBio;
). SEEDS supports diverse programs that will foster enhanced research productivity and
AgBIO promotes an entrepreneurial culture within the agbioscience university setting. OSU breeding programs are now encouraged to commercialize their research products.
Multidisciplinary research is also strongly valued and supported, as illustrated by long-standing programs such as the Maize Virology Program and new initiatives sponsored by
SEEDS and AgBio grants.
• Selection of improved Sweetbay Magnolia and Ornamental Pear Annuals
• Enhancement of Petunia flower longevity using transgenic approaches
(
).
•
•
•
•
(3) University
(1)National Programs
(1) Peace Corps
(1) Industry
The above courses plus the following:
• Advanced Plant Breeding – H&CS 825
• Plant Genetics and Molecular Biology – Mol Gen 622
• and Plant Genetics and Molecular Biology – Mol Gen 623
• or Systems of Genetic Analysis – Mol Gen 700
• or DNA Transactions – Mol Gen 701
• or Genetics of Animal Populations – An Sci 721
• or Agricultural Genomics – Plant Pathology 703
The Ohio State University breeding programs have long been known for their responsiveness to local, national and international needs. OSU plant breeders value and engage interdisciplinary cooperators to form effective, problem solving teams. Overarching themes such as product quality and host-resistance have been conducive to, and have benefited from, these cooperative relationships. OSU breeders have stressed the importance of integrating genetic research with their breeding programs so that they might simultaneously advance academic and practical goals. In an environment of “molecularization” and “privatization,” core breeding programs have retained their commitment to the land-grant “missionorientation.”
We are now at a crossroads between our desire to continue variety and germplasm development and the institution’s ability to support that effort. New strategies to more closely link core competencies of the breeding programs with market opportunities and value-added product development are being implemented.
These strategic goals must be pursued with an increasing mindfulness of the environmental context. The redirection of breeding programs will encounter obstacles (e.g., policies, culture, reward systems) beyond the funding limitations.
How emergent priorities will mesh with the demands of traditional audiences also will be revealed. It will be necessary to examine and address the possible impacts
(both positive and negative) of these new directions.
We conclude the following:
• Public breeders can and should respond to the challenge of increasing farm profitability
• Closer integration of biotechnological, breeding, and social sciences will become increasingly critical
• Efficiency can be gained by identifying important problems, and developing specific technologies, in areas that are under-served by the private sector
• Increased integration of breeding activities into commercialization streams is inevitable
• The future of applied breeding at OSU will lie in successfully developing funding mechanisms at the seam of the basic/applied research interface
• A stable base of public funding is vitally needed to educate scientists needed by the private sector and maintain our responsiveness to the needs of our local constituents
• Public breeders can and should direct their research toward helping to ensure that agriculture is increasingly in harmony with the environment
• We must continue to exploit our unique strengths in breeding/germplasm development in order to continually improve our graduate education and research programs
For more information, contact:
Dr. Richard Pratt, Professor
Dept. of Horticulture and Crop Science
OSU-OARDC
1680 Madison Avenue
Wooster, OH 44691-4096
Tel: 330-263-3972
Fax: 330-263-3887 e-mail: pratt.3@osu.edu