Larry Smart

Professor, School of Integrative Plant Science Horticulture Section Plant Breeding and Genetics Section

Larry is a plant geneticist and breeder whose lab uses genomic tools better understand hybrid vigor, sex determination and pest and disease resistance in shrub willow bioenergy crops. More recently, he has been leading Cornell’s hemp research and extension team and has initiated a long-term breeding and genomics program to develop new hemp cultivars for New York State. He received his B.S. in Biology at Cornell University, Ph.D. in Genetics at Michigan State University, and was an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow at UC-Davis.

Interests

Breeding and genomics

Industrial hemp

Willow bioenergy crops

Recent Research

My long-term research goals are to support the diversification, improved sustainability, and profitability of agriculture through our breeding programs. Those include genomics-assisted breeding of: shrub willow as a bioenergy crop, hemp for grain, fiber, and health and wellness products, and hop. We seek to gain fundamental understanding of the genetic basis for key traits using genomic approaches. We have focused on:

Expanding our basic understanding of perennial woody plant physiology, including sex determination, pest and disease resistance, and nutrient uptake.
Optimizing yield and chemical composition of biomass for bioenergy and biofuels production.
Understanding the genetic basis of key traits in hemp and breeding stable and uniform cultivars, including cannabinoid profile, sex determination, pest and disease resistance, flowering time, and yield.
Developing hop cultivars that are adapted to the New York growing environment for local production of craft beers, including disease resistance, flavor traits, and yield.

Recent Publications

Google Scholar profile and publications.

Gouker, F.E., Carlson, C.H., Zou, J., Evans, L.M., Smart, C.D., DiFazio, S.P., and Smart, L.B. (2021) Sexual dimorphism in the dioecious willow Salix purpurea. Amer. J. Bot. (in press).
Gouker, F.E., Fabio, E.S., Serapiglia, M.J., and Smart, L.B. (2021) Yield and biomass quality of shrub willow hybrids in differing rotation lengths and spacing designs. Biomass Bioenergy 146, DOI: 10.1016/j.biombioe.2021.105977.
Montes, F., Fabio, E.S., Smart, L.B., and Kemanian, A. A (2021) A semi-commercial case study of willow biomass production in the northeastern USA. Agronomy J. DOI: 10.1002/agj2.20603.
Stack, G.M., Toth, J.A., Carlson, C.H., Cala, A.R., Marrero-González, M.I., Wilk, R.L., Gentner, D.R., Crawford, J.L., Philippe, G., Rose, J.K.C., Viands, D.R., Smart, C.D., and Smart, L.B. (2021) Season-long evaluation of 30 high-cannabinoid hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivars reveals variation in cannabinoid accumulation, flowering time, and disease resistance. GCB Bioenergy 13:546-61. DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.12793.
Mi, R., Taylor, A.G., Smart, L.B., and Mattson, N.S. (2020) Developing production guidelines for baby leaf hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) as an edible salad green: cultivar, sowing density and seed size. Agriculture 10:617. DOI: 10.3390/agriculture10120617.
Sanderson, B.J., Feng, G., Hu, N., Grady, J., Carlson, C.H., Smart, L.B., Keefover-Ring, K., Yin, T., Ma, T., Liu, J., DiFazio, S.P., Olson, M.S. (2021) Sex determination through X-Y heterogamety in Salix nigra. Heredity DOI: 0.1038/s41437-020-00397-3.
Yang, W., Wang, W., Li, Y., Zhang, Z., Tong, S., Li, M., Zhang, X., Zhang, L., Ren, L., Ma, X., Zhou, R., Sanderson, B.J., Keefover-Ring, K., Yin, T., Smart, L.B., Liu, J., DiFazio, S.P., Olson, M.S., Ma, T. (2020) A general model for repeated turnovers of sex system in Salicaceae. Molec. Biol. Evol. DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa261.
Barnett, S.E., Cala, A.R., Hansen, J.L., Crawford, J., Viands, D.R., Smart, L.B., Smart, C.D., and Buckley, D.H. (2020) Evaluating the microbiome of hemp. Phytobiomes DOI: 10.1094/PBIOMES-06-20-0046-R.
Crowell, C.R., Bekauri, M.M., Cala, A.R., McMullen, P., Smart, L.B., and Smart, C.D. (2020) Differential susceptibility of diverse Salix spp. to Melampsora americana and Melampsora paradoxa. Plant Dis. DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-04-20-0718-RE.
Wang, W., Carlson, C.H., Smart, L.B., and Carlson, J.E. (2020) Transcriptome analysis of contrasting resistance to herbivory by Empoasca fabae in two shrub willow species and their hybrid progeny. PLoS One DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0236586.
Muklada, H., Davidovich-Rikanati, R., Wilkerson, D.G., Klein, J., Deutch-Traubman, T., Zou, J., Awabdeh, S., Sweidan, R., Landau, S.Y., Schwartz, A., Lewinsohn, E., Smart, L.B. (2020) Genotypic diversity in willow (Salix spp.) is associated with chemical and morphological polymorphism, suggesting human-assisted dissemination in the Eastern Mediterranean. Biochem. System. Ecol. 91:104081 DOI: 10.1016/j.bse.2020.104081.
Fabio, E.S. and Smart, L.B. (2020) Genetic and environmental influences on first-rotation shrub willow (Salix spp.) bark and wood elemental composition. BioEnergy Res. 13: 797 – 809. DOI: 10.1007/s12155-020-10122-x.
Zhou, R., Macaya-Sanz, D., Carlson, C.H., Schmutz, J. Jenkins, J.W., Kudrna, D., Sharma, A., Sandor, L., Shu, S., Barry, K., Tuskan, G.A., Ma, T., Liu, J., Olson, M., Smart, L.B., DiFazio, S.P. (2020) A willow sex chromosome reveals convergent evolution of complex palindromic repeats. Genome Biol. 21:38. DOI: 10.1186/s13059-020-1952-4.
Toth J., Stack G., Cala A., Carlson C.H., Wilk R., Crawford J., Viands D., Philippe G., Smart C.D., Rose J.K.C., Smart L.B. (2020) Development and validation of genetic markers for sex and cannabinoid chemotype in Cannabis sativa L. GCB Bioenergy 12:213-222. DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.12667.
Feng, G., Sanderson, B.J., Liu, J., Ma, T., Smart, L.B., DiFazio, S.P., Olson, M.S. (2020) Pathways to sex determination in plants: How many roads lead to Rome? Curr. Opin. Plant Biol. 54:61-68 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2020.01.004.
Weldon, W.A., Ullrich, M.R., Smart, L.B., Smart, C.D., and Gadoury, D.M. (2020) Cross infectivity of powdery mildew isolates originating from hemp (Cannabis sativa) and Japanese Hop (Humulus japonicus) in New York. Plant Health Prog. 21:47-53, DOI: 10.1094/PHP-09-19-0067-RS.
Nelson, N., Berguson, W.E., McMahon, B.G., Meilan, R., Smart, L.B., Gouker, F.E., Bloese, P., Miller, R., Volk, T.A., Cai, M., and Buchman, D. (2019) Discovery of geographically-robust hybrid poplar clones. Silvae Genet. 68: 101 – 110.
Wang, M., Zhang, L., Zhang, Z., Li, M., Wang, D., Zhang, X., Xi, Z., Keefover-Ring, K., Smart, L.B., DiFazio, S.P., Olson, M.S., Yin, T., Liu, J., Ma, T. (2019) Extensive gene flow and abundant trans-specific polymorphism across the non-bifurcating diversification of the tree model genus Populus. New Phytol. 225: 1370–1382 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16215.
Gouker, F.E., DiFazio, S.P., Bubner, B., Zander, M., and Smart, L.B. (2019) Genetic diversity and population structure of native, naturalized, and cultivated Salix purpurea. Tree Genet. Genomes DOI: 10.1007/s11295-019-1359-0.
Fabio, E.S., Leary, C.J., and Smart, L.B. (2019) Tolerance of novel inter-specific shrub willow hybrids to water stress. Trees DOI: 10.1007/s00468-019-01835-4.
Carlson, C.H., Gouker, F.E., Crowell, C.R., Evans, L., DiFazio, S.P., Smart, C.D., and Smart, L.B. (2019) Joint linkage and association mapping of complex traits in shrub willow (Salix purpurea L.). Ann. Bot. DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcz047.
Clifton-Brown J., Harfouche A., Casler M., Jones H. D., Macalpine W. J., Murphy-Bokern D., Smart L. B., et al. (2019) Breeding progress and preparedness for mass upscaling of perennial lignocellulosic biomass crops switchgrass, miscanthus, willow and poplar. GCB Bioenergy DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.12566.
Tuskan, G.A., Groover, A.T., Schmutz, J., DiFazio, S.P., Myburg, A., Grattapaglia, D., Smart, L., Yin, T., Aury, J.-M., Kremer, A., Leroy. T., Le Provost, G., Plomion, C., Carlson, J.E., Randall, J., Westbrook, J., Grimwood, J., Muchero, W., Jacobson, D., Michener, J.K. (2018) Hardwood tree genomics: Unlocking woody plant biology. Front. Plant Sci., 17 December 2018; DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01799.
Zhou, R., Macaya-Sanz, D., Rodgers-Melnick, E., Carlson, C.H., Gouker, F.E., Evens, L.M., Schmutz, J., Jenkins, J.W., Yan, J., Tuskan, G.A., Smart, L.B., and DiFazio, S.P. (2018) Characterization of a large sex determination region in Salix purpurea L. (Salicaceae). Molec. Gen. Genomics DOI: 10.1007/s00438-018-1473-y.
Fabio, E.S. and Smart, L.B. (2018) Differential growth response to fertilization treatments of ten elite shrub willow (Salix spp.) bioenergy cultivars. Trees. DOI: 10.1007/s00468-018-1695-y.
Fabio, E.S. and Smart, L.B. (2018) Effects of nitrogen fertilization in shrub willow short rotation coppice production-A quantitative review. GCB Bioenergy. 10:8 DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.12507.
T.A. Volk, B. Berguson, C. Daly, M. Halbleib, R. Miller, T. Rials, L.P. Abrahamson, D. Buchman, M. Cunningham, M. Eisenbies, E.S. Fabio, K. Hallen, J. Heavey, G. Johnson, Y. Kuzovkina, B. Liu, B. McMahon, R. Rousseau, S. Shi, R. Shuren, L.B. Smart, G. Stanosz, B. Stanton, B. Stokes, and J. Wright. (2018) Poplar and shrub willow energy crops in the United States: Field trial results from the multiyear Regional Feedstock Partnership and yield potential maps based on the PRISM-ELM model. GCB Bioenergy. DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.12498.
Carlson, C.H., Choi, Y., Chan, A., Serapiglia, M.J., Town, C.D., and Smart, L.B. (2017) Dominance and sexual dimorphism pervade the Salix purpurea L. transcriptome. Genome Biol. Evol. 9:2377-2394, DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx174.
Fabio, E.S., Volk, T.A., Miller, R.O., Serapiglia, M.J., Kemanian, A.R., Montes, F., Kuzovkina, Y.A., Kling, G.J. and Smart, L.B. (2017) Contributions of environment and genotype to variation in shrub willow biomass composition. Indus. Crops Prod. 108:149-161. DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2017.06.030.
Fabio, E. S., Kemanian, A. R., Montes, F., Miller, R. O., Smart, L. B. (2017) A mixed model approach for evaluating yield improvements in interspecific hybrids of shrub willow, a dedicated bioenergy crop. Indus. Crops Prod. 96:57-70. DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2016.11.019.
Fabio, E.S., Volk, T.A., Montes, F., Miller, R., Johnson, G.A., Amichev, B.Y., Van Rees, K., Hangs, R.D., Labrecque, M., Kuzovkina, Y.A., Ewy, R.G., Kling, G.J., and Smart, L.B. (2017) Genotype x environment interactions analysis of North American shrub willow yield trials confirm superior performance of triploid hybrids. GCB Bioenergy. 9: 445-459. DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.12344.
Carlson, C.H. and Smart, L.B. (2016) Electrical capacitance as a predictor of root dry weight in shrub willow (Salix; Salicaceae) parents and progeny. Appl. Plant Sci. 4: DOI: 10.3732/apps.1600031.

View all of Smart's publications:

Courses Taught

I aim to educate students and post-docs who will contribute to diversifying the agricultural systems workforce in their chosen professional endeavors.

I currently teach:

PLSCI 5030 Hemp Breeding and Genetics (Spring, 1st 7 weeks)

Contact Information

630 W. North Street
126 Jordan Hall
Geneva, NY 14456

(315) 787-2490

lbs33 [at] cornell.edu

School & Section

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Plant Breeding & Genetics Section

Graduate Fields

Horticulture

Plant Breeding

More information:
Education
- Doctorate
  Michigan State University
  1992
- Bachelor of Science
  Cornell University
  1987

Larry in the news

Larry Smart checks industrial hemp plants in a greenhouse

News

July 28, 2021

Hemp goes ‘hot’ due to genetics, not environmental stress

Growing hemp for CBD (cannabidiol) is a burgeoning industry, thanks to the compound’s use in treating everything from pain, anxiety and depression to easing cancer-related symptoms.

School of Integrative Plant Science
Horticulture Section
Crops

Graduate student works with middle school students.

Field Note

February 17, 2021

Brennan Hyden: Exploring willow’s potential as a sustainable bioenergy crop

Brennan Hyden is a Ph.D. candidate working in the lab of Larry Smart, professor of horticulture at Cornell AgriTech, where his work focuses on using willow as a sustainable bioenergy crop. For his excellence in bioenergy research, Hyden was...

Cornell AgriTech
School of Integrative Plant Science
Horticulture Section

Larry Smart

Contact Information

School & Section

Graduate Fields

More information:

Education

Larry in the news