Archives of Crop Science

Dr. Daryl T. Bowman was born in Somerset Kentucky and raised on a dairy and tobacco farm. After high school, spent 4 years in the US Navy. Obtained BS and MS degrees from the University of Georgia. Went to Louisiana State University for the PhD. All degrees were in Agronomy with emphasis on plant breeding and minors in statistics and entomology. Became leader of the Official Variety Testing Program at North Carolina State University in 1981 through 2012. Crops tested included grain sorghum, corn, corn silage, cotton, barley, oats, wheat, burley tobacco, flue-cured tobacco, and soybeans. Added responsibility of cotton breeding in 1987. Taught two plant breeding labs and a lecture course on breeding for disease and insect resistance. In 2005 took on additional responsibility of directing the North Carolina Crop Improvement Association and the North Carolina Foundation Seed Producers. Research interests include variety testing methodology and statistical aspects. In the cotton breeding arena interests include drought tolerance, breeding methodology, and insect resistance.

Dr. Arthur Ragauskas held the first Fulbright Chair in Alternative Energy and is a Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science, the International Academy of Wood Science and TAPPI. In 2014, he assumed a Governor's Chair for Biorefining based in University of Tennessee's Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, with a complementary appointment in the UT Institute of Agriculture's Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries and serves in the US Energy and Environmental Sciences Directorate, Biosciences Division, at ORNL. His research program is directed at understanding and exploiting innovative sustainable bioresources. This multifaceted program is targeted to develop new and improved applications for nature's premiere renewable biopolymers for biofuels, biopower, and bio-based materials and chemicals. His research program has been sponsored by NSF, USDA, DOE, GA Traditional Industry Program, a consortium of industry partners, and several fellowship programs. Dr. Arthur is the recipient of the 2014 TAPPI Gunnar Nicholson Gold Medal Award and the ACS Affordable Green Chemistry award and his students have won several awards, including the ACS graduate research award.

Dr. Michael D. Orzolek is currently Professor Emeritus of Vegetable Crops, Department of Horticulture, The Pennsylvania State University. He was hired in 1981 with a three-way appointment - 60% Extension, 22% Research and 18% Teaching. Since his retirement in July, 2012, Dr. Orzolek kept active conducting applied field research and moving his office to the Horticulture Research Farm, Rock Springs, PA. He had conducted extensive research on stand establishment, plastic mulches, high tunnels, plant nutrition, weed management and tillage systems. Dr. Orzolek currently work for Stoller USA, Houston, TX as the Director of Research and Development for Horticultural crops. Dr. Orzolek formerly was Extension Vegetable Specialist at the University of Delaware (1974-81). He received his B.S. in Biology from Alliance College, M.S. in Horticulture from West Virginia University, and Ph.D. in Horticulture/Botany from the University of Maryland.

Dr. Jorge has been recognized for his excellence in research, being granted the immigrant status as an Outstanding Researcher/Professor by the U.S. government. He currently has the Texas Governor's Office Superiority Hiring position at Texas A&M Agrilife Research of Professor. A total of 27 grants funded since 2000 until present, from state and federal agencies in Brazil; the private sector in the U.S. on Bioenergy, such as and Chevron Technology Ventures; BP-Biofuels; Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers, Inc.; Ceres, Biotechnology and USDA-AFRI-NIFA. Research Interests include Research & development in sugarcane and sorghum genetic breeding for sugar and energy production; Wide Hybridization involving Sugarcane, Sorghum and Miscanthus. Integration of sugarcane genetic breeding and biotech/crop production.

Dr. Roger Leakey is now Vice-Chairman of the 'International Tree Foundation', a UK-based charity supporting African community tree planting and agroforestry projects for livelihood and environmental benefits. Dr. Roger has a DSc and BSc from the University of Wales, a PhD from University of Reading and agricultural diplomas (NDA and CDA) from Seale-Hayne Agricultural College. He holds a number of Fellowships in learned societies (including the Royal Geographical Society), universities and international research centers. He was Professor of Agroecology and Sustainable Development of James Cook University, in Cairns, Australia (2001-2006) and a former Director of Research at the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (1993-1997). Dr. Roger was a Coordinating Lead Author in the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) which was approved by 58 governments in 2008. He has published over 300 scientific papers, and eight books, including a popular science one entitled "Living with the Trees of Life – Towards the Transformation of Tropical Agriculture" (CABI, 2012) spanning experience working in many countries of north, central and south America and the Caribbean; Africa; the Middle East; and south, south-east Asia and Oceania. A book entitled "Multifunctional Agriculture: Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in Africa" is in press (Elsevier). Dr. Roger's research interests include domestication and cultivation of unconventional tropical tree crops in agroforestry/multifunctional farming systems.

Dr. Mariana Amato is a Associate Professor in Agronomy and Crop Science, University of Basilicata since 2002. On January 7, 2014 passed the Italian national selection for Full Professor in Agronomy, Crop Science and Horticulture. She is the Coordinator for International Relations, Erasmus and ECTS of the School of Agriculture, Forestry, Food and Environmental Sciences, Universita della Basilicata, Italy since 2012. Dr. Amato graduated from the University of Napoli-Master Degree in Agriculture in 1984 with honors. She received her Ph.D. in Crop and Soil Science in 1991 from Michigan state University, USA. Dr. Amato's Research topics include Agronomy, Sustainable agriculture in protected areas, Environmental certification in agriculture, Soil biophysics, Plant root systems, Sustainable soil management techniques, Soil stability in rural and peri-urban areas, Root water uptake, Spatial variability of soil-root properties, Simulation models of plant-root-soil relationships, Methodology for root, soil and water measurements, Non-destructive soil and roots techniques, Geophysical methods in agriculture, Soil tillage, Education in Agronomy and Soil Science.

Dr. Silvia Liliana Falasca is a Professor of Climatology since 1982 in the School of Agronomy of Buenos Aires University (UBA), in Agrarian Sciences of Lomas de Zamora University (UNLZ). She is also an Associate Professor of Nontraditional crops for bioenergy in the Master of Science: Renewable Energies in the National Technological University (UTN) of Argentina and also the director of the Program on the Environment and Agricultural Production in the Center of Research and Environmental Studies (PREMAPA) at the School of Humanities, National University of the Centre of the province of Buenos Aires (UNICEN). Dr. Falasca's Research topics include: Agronomy, Climatology, Development of Agroclimatic zoning models, Halomorphic soils, Agro-ecological zoning, Physical geography, Geographic information systems, Agriculture, Forestry, Non-traditional energy crops, Halophytes species, Green Energy, Ecology, Environmental management, Land use.

Dr. Myoung-Gun Choung is currently a Professor at Kangwon National University in Korea and chief of the Department of Herbal Medicine Resources. Dr. Myoung-Gun Choung was born (1966) in South Korea. He obtained BS, MS and Ph.D degrees from the Yeungnam University in Korea. All degrees were in Agronomy with emphasis on plant breeding and chemical analysis. He worked a agricultural researcher of Rural Development Administration(RDA) in Korea from 1997 to 2003. He is a researcher who is making the utmost efforts at the forefront of research on growing, developing, supplying, and enhancing availability of new breeds of plants that are major food crops in Korea that are not produced enough inside the country and have to be imported from other countries such as rice, soybean, peas, kidney beans, and potatoes. Dr. Choung's research interests include plant breeding and metabolomic analysis of nutritional and functional compounds for plants.

Dr. Akwasi A. Boateng is the Lead Scientist of the thermochemical biomass conversion program at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the principal research arm of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). He leads the research on catalytic and non-catalytic pyrolysis for the production of fungible transportation fuels from agricultural residues and energy crops. Dr. Boateng is also the co-leader of the ARS biochar initiative. Both research activities are national priority efforts in the agency's critical mission of meeting America's fuel independence and solving the global environmental sustainability issues. Prior to joining ARS in 2003 Dr. Boateng held engineering faculty positions at 2 universities followed by a 10-year tenure in the high-temperature mineral/materials processing industry where he held various positions in process/product development rising to chief process engineer. Dr. Boateng received his PhD from the University of British Columbia; he is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a senior member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. He has authored about 120 publications over 100 of which are peer-reviewed including 5 patents. His research interests include biofuels, biochar, biomass including energy crops and its conversion, renewable energy and climate change pertaining to the nexus of food, energy and water.

Dr. Todd P. West is originally from Madison, He received his BS degree in Biology from the University of Wisconsin, Platteville. He received his master’s and doctoral degrees from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Dr. Todd is currently an Associate Professor at North Dakota State University and director of the NDSU Woody Plant Improvement Program. This program focuses on the development of new woody cultivars suited for USDA hardiness zone 3 and 4. To date over 50 new cultivars have been released from this program for the ornamental nursery trade. His research interests include plant physiology, plant hormonal interactions, propagation, biotechnology and plant hardiness.

Dr. Alagu Manickavelu is an Associate Professor of Division of Plant Genetic Resources at Kihara Institute for Biological Research, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan. Dr. Alagu received his PhD in Plant Breeding and Genetics from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, India. He worked as a post-doctoral fellow at Chiba University, Japan, then joined Yokohama City University as Associate Professor. He has worked extensively on rice and wheat (molecular characterization, QTL mapping, map-based cloning, functional genomics and bioinformatics), and has developed parental genetic stocks with specific traits in both crops. Recently he has successfully completed the technical co-operation project by developing wheat genetic material utilizing both genomic and phenomic approach. In between working period of Japan, spent brief time in ICARDA and contributed a role of Breeder-cum-biotechnologist for the mandate crops of dry land areas. Dr. Alagu's research interests include Plant Molecular Genetics, Plant Breeding, Genomics and International Agriculture.

Dr. Francesco Di Mariais Associate Professor at the Dipartimento di Ingegneria of the University of Perugia, Italy. Starting from the 2002 his research activity was mainly focused on energy recovery from biomasses, residues and waste by thermal and biological treatments. Main processes investigated were combustion, gasification, pyrolysis and anaerobic digestion. Together with the aspects concerning the energetic recovery of these materials he started to investigate the material recovery and the possible suitable disposal options. Due to the environmental relevance of these activities he developed also several studies based on Life Cycle Assessment approaches. Since 2000 Dr. Francesco was principal investigator of 5 national and European projects (LIFE+ EMaRES, LIFE12 ENV/IT/000411), and of more than 10 projects financed by private and public companies. In the 2012 he was the promotor and responsible of the LAR5 Laboratory (Reuse, Recycle, Recovery of Waste and Residues) of the Dipartimento di Ingegneria of the University of Perugia. His research activity is documented by more than 150 scientific publications both on National and International conferences and on International Journals.

Dr. San-Ji Gao worked at The Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University in July, 1996 and was as a professor of Sugarcane Pathologist and Geneticist in September 2014. Dr. Gao focuses on sugarcane genetic breeding and molecular pathology. His overall research goal is controlling and preventing sugarcane diseases by improving the sugarcane disease-resistance through the use of conventional hybrid breeding and molecular genetics tools. His major research focuses are interesting in (1) Molecular diagnosis of the main sugarcane pathogens in China and on the evaluation of disease-resistance of sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids); (2) Molecular biology on causal pathogens of sugarcane, such as molecular variation, genetic diversity and population genetic structure at gene or genomic levels. Molecular interactions between causal agents and sugarcane hosted plant also are focused; and (3) improving the disease-resistance for elite germplasms and clones of sugarcane through molecular genetic approaches.

Dr. Qiang-Sheng Wu is currently Professor at College of Horticulture and Gardening, Yangtze University, China and also is the Lead Direction at Institute of Root Biology, Yangtze University. He received his BS degree in Horticulture from Jiangxi Agricultural University and obtained the PhD degree of Pomology from Huazhong Agricultural University. Dr. Wu focused on arbuscular mycorrhizal research in fruit trees. He concerns the functioning and physiology of arbuscular mycorrhizas in plant and soil, especially in citrus plants. Recently, Dr. Wu worked on root hairs, drought tolerance by mycorrhization, common mycorrhizal network, and glomalin-related soil protein released by extra radical hyphae. Obtained the Fourth SCOPUS Young Research Award. Dr. Wu's Research interests include : Physiological mechanisms of citrus plants colonized by mycorrhizal fungi under drought, salt stress and temperature stress; Mycorrhizal symbiosis and root hairs in citrus plants; Glomalin-related soil protein functionings released by extraradical hyphae of arbuscular mycorrhizas in rhizosphere of citrus.

Dr. Zhi Liu is a professor of molecular biology, genomics and proteomics at Hunan Agricultural University. He received his BA and MA from Hunan Agricultural University in 1996 and 1999, and Ph.D. in plant molecular breeding at Nanjing Agricultural University in 2002. He subsequently performed post doctoral research in molecular regulation of plant secondary metabolism at Nanjing University from 2002 to 2004, and then he started his career in Hunan Agricultural University as an associate professor and he became a professor since 2010. He is a member of the International Cotton Genome Initiative (ICGI) and the Chinese Cotton Society. Dr. Liu's research interests focus mainly on the molecular mechanism in plant tolerant to abiotic stresses with integrative “omics” methods and plant molecular breeding.