The blueberry breeding program of the University of Georgia was established in 1944 at the Coastal Plain Experiment Station in Tifton, Georgia, currently known as the University of Georgia Tifton Campus. Establishing the public breeding program was in response to the failed commercialization venture in Florida, which was undermined by the poor and variable fruit quality from wild plant stock in early 1900’s.
For most of 36 hours in late September, 44 University of Georgia graduate students hunkered down in the university’s Complex Carbohydrate Research Center and other locations around Athens scanning, analyzing and mapping data for UGA’s first Bayer-sponsored Hackathon.
The three-day hackathon tasked students with collaborating on data analysis to predict future crop yields and present their findings. The competition was a collaboration with Bayer Crop Science, the UGA Graduate School, and the Institute for Plant Genetics and Genomics (IPBGG) in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Our students continue to make an impact on national and international stages, earning recognition for their leadership, research excellence, and academic accomplishments. From prestigious professional associations to competitive conferences, their hard work and dedication are shining through. Here are some recent highlights:
Highlights from the National Association of Plant Breeders (NAPB)
- Ashmita Upadhyay was elected to the NAPB Graduate Student Working Group.
- Saptarshi Mondal was featured on NAPB’s X profile.
Achievements at CANVAS 2025
(Jointly hosted by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America)
- Saptarshi Mondal – 1st place in Crop Physiology and Metabolism (15-minute Oral Competition).
- Kamalpreet Kaur Dhillon – 2nd place in Turfgrass Breeding, Genomics, Physiology, and Molecular Biology (Poster Competition).
- Kamalpreet Kaur Dhillon and Saptarshi Mondal – Recipients of the Chris Stiegler Turfgrass Science Student Travel Award and Fellowship.
From UGA
- Aidan Bobholz was featured by the UGA Graduate School.
- Tanner Hamerling received scholarships to attend the International Plant Trialing Conference in Bloomington, MN—an event held only once every 5–10 years.
IPBGG members David and Soraya Bertioli are internationally recognized pioneers in peanut genetics, whose groundbreaking work has reshaped the future of agriculture.
Originally from Brazil, the couple moved to Georgia in 2013 to establish the Wild Peanut Lab, a hub of innovation dedicated to unlocking the genetic secrets of wild peanut species. Their expertise was instrumental in a major genome mapping project, where they traced the lineage of a disease-resistant wild peanut—collected in 1934 in Bolivia—through 251 cultivated varieties across 29 countries. Their work not only bridges continents and centuries but also holds the key to more resilient, sustainable peanut crops worldwide.
Robin Buell, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar Chair in Crop Genomics and Professor in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
The NAS is dedicated to:
- Recognizing and elevating outstanding science
- Fostering the broad understanding of science
- Overseeing the National Research Council in producing and promoting the adoption of independent, authoritative, trusted scientific advice to the government for the benefit of society