Dr. Anson Elliott, director of the William H. Darr School of Agriculture at Missouri State University, recently received $30,295 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund an expansion of the graduate programs in order to meet employment demands.

The students in the agriculture program have many opportunities to prepare for post-university life. In fact, Dr. Chin-Feng Hwang, associate professor in the State Fruit Experiment Station, and four students attended  the 66th American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) National Conference June 17-18 in Portland, Oregon.

All four students presented posters on their research. Mia Mann, plant science master’s student, was also selected to participate in the flash talk where students gave three-minute presentations on their research.

• Surya Sapkota, an MSU/University of Missouri collaborative Ph.D. student, presented a poster entitled “Genetic Study of Downy Mildew Resistance in Vitis aestivalis-derived ‘Norton’ Based Population”
• Logan Duncan, plant science master’s student, presented a poster entitled “Genetic Analysis of Dormant Rooting Potential in Vitis aestivalis–derived ‘Norton’ Grape”
• Mann presented a poster entitled “Interspecific Hybrid Identification and Linkage Map Construction of a Chambourcin x Cabernet Sauvignon Population”
• Brigette Williams, plant science master’s student, presented a poster entitled “Investigation into the Genetic Basis of Leaf Shape in Grapes”

Hwang was invited to serve as a moderator for a “Viticulture Pests and Diseases” session.

“This event provided an excellent opportunity for the students to update their research progress and interact with researchers worldwide,” said Hwang.

The overall goals of the MSU grape breeding program are to use genetic markers to rapidly deploy favorable alleles, accelerate breeding cycles for new cultivar release and train students in molecular genetic and genomic techniques required for their future careers.

“I am very grateful that our students represented MSU so well at the conference,” added Hwang.

For more information on the conference, contact Hwang at (417) 547-7538.