Plant Sciences, Cereal & Food Sciences News

NDSU Extension Agronomist Retires
North Dakota State University Extension agronomist Joel Ransom retired on February 1, 2021, after serving at NDSU for 18 years.

In Memory of Lyle Lindberg
Retired North Dakota State University ag research technician Lyle Lindberg passed away on January 22, 2021, in Fargo, ND.
Peters Honored by Sugarbeet Board
Dr. Tom Peters was awarded the 2020 Sugarbeet Distinguished Service Award by the Sugarbeet Research and Education Board of Minnesota and North Dakota for excellence in research, education, and service to sugarbeet growers and industry.

Peder Schmitz Defends Ph.D. Dissertation
Peder Schmitz successfully defended his Plant Sciences doctoral dissertation, Strategies for Improving Wheat and Soybean Production Systems in North Dakota, on December 21, 2020 at North Dakota State University. He was advised by Drs. Joel Ransom and Hans Kandel.

Eddy Rodolfo Ixcotoyac Cabrera Defends M.S. Thesis
Eddy Rodolfo Ixcotoyac Cabrera successfully defended his Plant Sciences Master’s thesis, Mapping the Ur-5 Conferring Resistance to Common Bean Rust, on December 3, 2020 at North Dakota State University. He was advised by Dr. Juan Osorno.

Peter Beerbower Defends M.S. Thesis
Peter Beerbower successfully defended his genomics and bioinformatics M.S. thesis on December 7, 2020. His thesis is titled Mapping Ur-6, a Bean Rust Resistance Gene in Common Bean. He is advised by Dr. Phil McClean.

Venkata Ganaparthi Defends M.S. Thesis
Venkata Ganaparthi successfully defended his Plant Sciences Master’s thesis, Transfer of FHB Resistance Genes into Winter Wheat, on November 18, 2020 at North Dakota State University. He was advised by Dr. Francois Marais.
Peters Elected to Sugar Beet Board
Tom Peters was elected to the Executive Committee of the American Society of Sugar Beet Technologists.

Five in Plant Sciences Receive Agriculture and Extension Faculty/Staff Awards
Five Department of Plant Sciences employees were honored at the 2020 Agriculture and Extension Faculty/Staff Awards program on December 10, 2020. Assistant professor Bingcan Chen, professor Todd West, professor Harlene Hatterman-Valenti, Extension agronomist Hans Kandel and grant coordinator Cora Crane received their awards during a COVID-19 friendly virtual program.

North Central Weed Science Society Looks Back and Forward at Historic 75th Annual Meeting
The North Central Weed Science Society celebrated its 75th Annual Meeting virtually on November 30-December 2, 2020. Past and present North Dakota State University weed scientists participated and were honored during the historic meeting.

Virtual Reality in Wheat Quality Research and Outreach
Dr. Senay Simsek is using virtual reality tools to enhance the research and outreach of her wheat quality and carbohydrate chemistry program.

Student Honored by North Dakota Academy of Science
Horticulture Master’s student Binu Rana won an award at the 2020 North Dakota Academy of Science annual meeting for her poster presentation, Season Extension Using Supplemental Soil Heat in a North Dakota High Tunnel for Warm Season Vegetable Production.
Maite Cristina Alava Vargas Defends M.S. Thesis
Maite Cristina Alava Vargas successfully defended her cereal science M.S. degree on December 2, 2020. The title of her thesis is Stone Milling of Hard Red Spring Wheat: Effect of Settings on Flour, Dough and Bread Quality. Her advisor is Dr. Senay Simsek.

2020 Crop Variety Releases Announced
The North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station released new crop varieties ND Crown chickpea, ND Dawn yellow field pea, ND Dickey soybean, ND Frohberg hard red spring wheat, ND Heart oat, ND Noreen winter wheat, and ND Twilight black bean in 2020. The North Dakota County Seed Increase Program distributed ND Dawn, ND Dickey, and ND Heart for the first time in the spring of 2020 and ND Noreen in the fall of 2020.

Woody Plant Improvement Program Celebrates 60th Plant Release
The 60th woody plant release from the NDSU Woody Plant Improvement Program led by Dr. Todd West was introduced by the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station and the North Dakota State University Research Foundation. KoolKat™ Katsura Tree is a single plant seedling selection originating from a population of Cercidiphyllum japonicum acquired in 1999 from the Lesny Zaklad Doswiadgzalny W. Rogowie Arboretum in Rogów, Poland. A unique characteristic is its early fall dormancy, which aids in increasing its winter hardiness.

Students Honored at Cereals and Grains Association Meeting
Ana Magallanes López won the award for Best Relationship to the Theme in the Student Research Video Competition at the annual meeting of the Cereals and Grains Association, and Jayani Maddakandage Dona was a finalist for the Best Student Research Award in the Cereal and Grain Nutrition Division.
McClean Named Dr. Charles Mode Endowed Professor
Dr. Phillip McClean has been named the North Dakota State University College of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Natural Resources Dr. Charles Mode Endowed Professor of Genomics Research. McClean is a professor of dry bean genetics and genomics in the Department of Plant Sciences and the director of the Genomics and Bioinformatics program. The Mode Professorship was established in 2017, when Dr. Charles Mode determined to “enhance the salary, benefits, research operations, and laboratory for named professors and to supplement stipends to help fund research and graduate students.”

Chen Recognized by American Oil Chemists’ Society
Dr. Bingcan Chen is the recipient of the 2020 American Oil Chemists’ Society Young Scientist Research Award. The award recognizes a young scientist who has made a significant research contribution in oils, fats, lipids, proteins, surfactants or related materials.

Deckard Honored with Mary McCannel Gunkelman Award
Dr. Ed Deckard was awarded the 2020 Mary McCannel Gunkelman Award for making NDSU a happy place for students. Deckard has taught in the Department of Plant Sciences for 50 years and was nominated for the award by six students.

Pradeepika Chintha Defends Ph.D. Dissertation
Pradeepika Chintha successfully defended her Plant Sciences doctoral dissertation, Functional Bioactive Compounds from Sweet Potatoes for Human Health Benefits, on October 8, 2020 at North Dakota State University. She was advised by Dr. Kalidas Shetty.
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