Specialty Crops

Hong An smiling.

Nov. 21, 2023

Hong An

Educational background Ph.D., Plant Genetics and Breeding, Huazhong Agricultural University…

Tian Peng posing.

Oct. 13, 2022

Peng Tian

Tian has an extension appointment in plant disease diagnosis. His responsibilities include management of Plant Diagnostic Clinic at University of Missouri and participation in Missouri Integrated Pest Management program and National Plant Diagnostic Network. His extension program provides identification services of plant disease, weed and insect as well as disease management recommendations to growers, agricultural professionals, agribusinesses, and the various commodity groups in the state. His research program focuses on identification of new plant diseases and development of innovative assays to characterize and differentiate viral and fungal pathogens in specialty crops to address current plant health problems and ensure the…

Jay Thelen smiling.

Sep. 7, 2019

Jay J. Thelen

Educational background Ph.D. Biological Sciences, University of Missouri Courses taught Biochemistry 4272/7272: Biochemistry…

Kirbu Krishnaswamy

April 4, 2019

Kiruba Krishnaswamy

Krishnaswamy is an Assistant Professor of Sustainable Food Systems Engineering at the University of Missouri, Columbia. She has a joint appointment in the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering and the Division of Food, Nutrition, and Exercise Sciences. Her research program Food Engineering and Sustainable Technologies integrates convergence sciences with engineering principles to address the interconnected challenges of food and nutrition security. She uses a circular food systems approach to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Krishnaswamy obtained her B.Tech. in Food Process Engineering from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, India. She obtained the Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship for her graduate…

Derek Brake smiling.

Sep. 17, 2018

Derek Brake

Educational background Ph.D. Ruminant Nutrition, Kansas State University M.S. Animal Science (Ruminant Nutrition), Kansas State University Courses taught AnSci 4332/7332: Ruminant Nutrition AnSci 4975/4975W/7975: Beef Production…

Leszek Vincent smiling.

Aug. 22, 2018

Leszek Vincent

Leszek Vincent has research interests in Medicinal Plant Science (Pharmacognosy) and enjoys facilitating and contributing to interdisciplinary collaborative research with colleagues on the MU campus and elsewhere involving medicinal plants. Much of this medicinal plant research is focused on plant species indigenous to southern Africa but also includes North American species. The biochemistry of terpenoids (essential oils) is of particular interest. This research is firmly built upon a long-standing career in Plant Systematics (Taxonomy). The systematics of the awesome Asteraceae (Compositae) family (daisies) is his prime interest, especially the systematics of the cosmopolitan genus Senecio. Vincent enjoys teaching plant science…

Chin-Feng Hwang smiling.

Aug. 21, 2018

Chin-Feng Hwang

Educational background Ph.D., Botany, University of Iowa M.S., Botany, University of Iowa…

Sherry Flint-Garcia posing.

July 30, 2018

Sherry Flint-Garcia

My lab is interested in several aspects of genetic diversity in maize.  Artificial selection has impacted maize diversity during its domestication from teosinte (Zea mays ssp. parviglumis) to landrace varieties, and during plant breeding from landrace varieties to modern inbred lines. One specific research project is examining the impact of artificial selection on protein and amino acid composition of maize kernels.  A more broad interest is diversifying the genetic base of maize by utilizing landraces and teosinte, the ancestor of maize. Educational background Ph.D., Genetic Area Program, University of Missouri B.S., Biology, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota…

Portrait of Kerry Clark

Feb. 27, 2018

Kerry Clark

Kerry Clark was a soybean breeder from 1993-2012 and continues to work on the Feed the Future Soybean Innovation Lab, which is trying to improve soybean yields and production across sub-Saharan Africa. She runs a mechanization development and fabrication training team that includes three equipment designers from Ghana. This team has trained over 200 manufacturers in 12 African countries and has helped build service provision businesses so that small-holder farmers can have access to modern farming methods. Clark is also part of a multi-state collaboration working to improve available cover crop varieties for U.S. farmers. She teaches soil pedology, genesis,…

Jan. 10, 2018

Xi Xiong

Educational background Ph.D., Crop Science with an emphasis in Horticulture, Oklahoma State University…