Apomixis is a reproductive strategy that enables plants to form seeds asexually, producing offspring genetically identical to the mother plant. This phenomenon has enormous agricultural potential by stabilizing traits and preserving hybrid vigour. Currently, the production of hybrid seeds is accomplished through carefully controlled and labor-intensive crosses.
Anne Francis Jarrell (Buell Lab) was awarded a USDA NIFA Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, for her project titled Investigating the genetic basis of russeting, an understudied market trait in U.S. potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars. (Proposal number 2024-13114). The fellowship is for 3 years and includes a stipend, plus research, publication, and travel costs associated with the project.
The objective of her project is to identify genetic determinants of russeting, a potato skin trait characterized by a rough, brown outer surface of the tuber. While "russets" make up a majority of U.S. potato acreage, little research has gone into what causes their formation and the benefits that it may provide to growers, such as enhanced disease resistance and resistance to skinning injuries. Findings from this will help answer questions about the biological role of russeting and facilitate marker-assisted selection for or against russeting in potato breeding programs.
We're proud of our awesome graduate students and want to recognize their excellence!
The Institute for Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics has a vibrant graduate program that offers both a Master's degree and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics.
Professor Brian Schwartz has been honored as the Inventor of the Year at UGA’s 2026 Research Awards.
Schwartz is recognized for exceptional success in developing commercially impactful turfgrass cultivars that have transformed industry practice. As lead turfgrass breeder at UGA’s Tifton campus, Schwartz plays a central role in one of the world’s premier public warm-season turfgrass breeding programs
C. Robin Buell, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar Chair in Crop Genomics at the University of Georgia, has been named the 2026 Southeastern Conference Professor of the Year, the conference’s highest faculty honor.
Buell becomes the fourth UGA faculty member to receive this award, which recognizes scholarly excellence and transformational impact in teaching, research and service at SEC institutions. UGA faculty have claimed three of the last five awards. An internationally recognized leader in plant genomics, bioinformatics and computational biology, Buell is a professor of crop and soil sciences in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Her work has been instrumental in the development of massive genomic datasets that are used by scientists worldwide to improve crop resilience and productivity.
Wayne Parrott, Distinguished Research Professor in the department of crop and soil sciences, director of the Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics and interim director of the Center for Applied Genetic Technologies in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, along with Olin Rhodes (UGA Athletic Association Professor of Applied Ecology in the Odum School of Ecology and director of the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory) have been named University Professor in recognition of their extraordinary impact on the University of Georgia.
In addition to teaching for almost 40 years in the department of crop and soil sciences, Parrott has played an instrumental role in shaping UGA’s study abroad programs. In the mid 1990s, he co-founded one of the university’s earliest study abroad programs, Agroecology of Tropical America. Parrott later served as chair of the risk management board for all UGA study abroad programs, helping the university establish core risk management protocols. He received the Study Abroad Director of the Year Award and Richard Reiff Award for Campus Internationalization in recognition of his enduring impact on UGA’s global initiatives.