Research by Crop

see also Cornell Fruit Resources

• Susan Brown’s research group studies apple genetics and uses marker assisted breeding and transgene technology to develop new apple varieties including the recently released SnapDragon and RubyFrost.
• Lailiang Cheng's research group is finding new ways to manipulate the sugar and acid content in apples in ways that enhance fruit quality.
• Awais Kahn explores mechanisms of disease resistance in apples; particularly to fire blight and apple scab using quantitative genetics and high-throughput methods for plant resistance phenotyping
• Kerik Cox’s research group investigates fungal pathogens of fruit crops such as apples, stone fruit, and bush berries, and how different management practices alter the pathogen life cycle 
• Terence Robinson’s program is dedicated to improving fruit production through identification of rootstocks most suitable for New York growers and development of orchard management practices that improve fruit size and quality
• Kenong Xu’s program is focused on characterization of regulatory networks in apple with an emphasis on those involved in stress resistance and fruit quality and longevity
• Yosef Al Shoffe researches management strategies for extending post-harvest storage of apples.

• Larry Smart’s research group investigates cultivation of willow and the genetics of biomass and yield to maximize its potential as a source of bioenergy
• Jerome Cherney investigates the profitable and sustainable production of forage crops for use as biofuels and livestock feed
• Joss Rose's research is directed at various aspects of plant cell wall biology and the formation and structure of cellulose microfibrils (the source of cellulosic ethanol).  His program has screened a range of perennial grasses for cell wall diversity.

• Jean-Luc Jannink’s primary focus is on developing statistical methods to use DNA markers in public sector small grains breeding
• Lukas Mueller's group coordinates the SOL Genomics Network which provides resources for genome analysis and genomic selection of solanaceous crop plants including tomato, potato, pepper, and eggplant.

see also the Cornell Field Crops site

• Jerome Cherney's research group is focused on finding ways to manage forage crops profitably and sustainably.  His work also includes exploration of forage crops for use as bioenergy
• Ginny Moore's research group works on genetic improvement of forage crops
• Camilo Parada-Rojas' research program focuses on linking pathogen population genomics, diagnostics, and on-farm trials to reduce disease losses in corn, soybean, small grains, and alfalfa across New York and the Northeast.

see also Cornell Fruit Resources

• Kerik Cox’s research group investigates fungal pathogens of fruit crops such as apples, stone fruit, and bush berries, and how different management practices alter the pathogen life cycle 
• Marvin Pritts’ research group focuses on berry production and how cultivation practices such as environment management with high and low tunnels can enhance growth in colder climates
• Courtney Weber's research group develops improved berry varieties with emphasis on disease and insect resistance, fruit quality, and beneficial phytochemicals

See also Cornell Fruit Resources

• Marc Fuchs’ program focuses on the biology, spread, and control of virus diseases of grapevine and assists with management of virus diseases of fruits and vegetables
• Justine Vanden Heuvel’s group researches how light and temperature influence flavor and aroma in wine grapes and how these environmental variables can be optimized during vineyard management to improve fruit quality
• Katie Gold's Grape Sensing, Pathology, and Extension Lab at Cornell (GrapeSPEC) studies the fundamental and applied science of plant disease sensing with hyperspectral imagery to improve integrated grape disease management. 
• Jason Londo’s research group looks to genetic sources of drought and cold tolerance in wild grapes species for use in breeding with cultivated grapes to produce no varieties that can be grown in more diverse environments. 
• Maddy Oravec's grape breeding program focuses on the genetic understanding and improvement of grapes, with an emphasis on fruit quality, environmental resilience, and biotic resistance.
• Lance Cadle-Davidson works on development of new grape varieties that are healthy, delicious, and resistant to grapevine fungal and oomycete diseases

See also the Cornell Hemp website

• Larry Smart’s research group is focused on breeding lines of industrial hemp for optimized performance in the northeastern United States
• Lynn Sosnoskie's specialty crop weed program evaluates weed management strategies for hemp.
• Alan Taylor is evaluating  strategies for improving the quality and purity of seed lots used for industrial hemp production
• Neil Mattson’s program is engaged in optimizing conditions for greenhouse hemp production
• Joss Rose's research group is developing protocols for characterizing medically significant metabolites such as cannabadiols
• Dan Buckley and Chris Smart's programs are characterizing the hemp microbiome and its role in enhancing yield and performance

• Michael Gore’s research group engages in genetic dissection of metabolic seed traits related to nutritional quality, and contribute to the development and application of field-based, high-throughput phenotyping tools for plant breeding and genetics research
• Mike Scanlon's research group investigates the developmental biology of leaves, revealing new strategies for optimizing leaf angles so light is more efficiently captured by the whole plant.
• Louis Longchamps' program works on digital sensing for improved cropping systems
• Ed Buckler’s research group uses genomics and statistical genetics to understand and dissect complex traits in maize and other crops, and develops software for relating genotype to phenotype
• Rebecca Nelson's program explores and characterizes natural genetic diversity for quantitative disease resistance in maize
• David Stern’s research group investigates assembly of RuBisCO, the enzyme that catalyzes the primary chemical reaction by which inorganic carbon enters the biosphere
• Wojtek Pawlowski's research group studies meiotic recombination using genetics, biochemistry and several advanced microscopy methods, such as restorative deconvolution, multiphoton excitation, and structured illumination microscopy.
• Klaas van Wijk’s research group investigates the development and repair of photosynthetic apparatuses in plants using different photosynthetic pathways
• Camilo Parada-Rojas' research program focuses on linking pathogen population genomics, diagnostics, and on-farm trials to reduce disease losses in corn, soybean, small grains, and alfalfa across New York and the Northeast.

• Taryn Bauerle's research group images very fine-scale spatial relationships between competing tree roots in a 3D space using X-ray computed tomography
• Neil Mattson’s program investigates how different environmental variables affect the growth of greenhouse crops.  Given that flower growers frequently grow many different cultivars and species in the same greenhouse, there is particular interest in identifying variables that benefit a wide range of plants.
• Frank Rossi’s research program addresses practical problems in turfgrass management with emphasis on environmental compatibility and economic feasibility
• Bill Miller’s program addresses floricultural crop production and postharvest physiology, especially with flower bulbs
• Mark Bridgen, Director of the Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center, focuses on new plant development, breeding, and propagation of herbaceous ornamentals and flowers

• Walter De Jong’s program works on genetic improvement of potato by conventional and molecular genetic means as well as identification of genes that control tuber color and shape
• Xiaohong Wang's research group is identifying nematode virulence factors that promote parasitism in potato.  RNA-silencing of nematode parasitism genes may prove an effective strategy for generating resistant cultivars.

• Adam Bogdanove's research group works on TAL effector proteins that are injected into host plants such as rice by pathogenic bacteria and activate expression of genes that determine susceptibility and resistance. TAL effectors are additionally being used as biotechnological tools for DNA modification.

• Mark Sorrells’ research group is engaged in genomic analysis of small grains and the mapping and characterization of candidate genes associated with stem rust resistance, nutritional quality and other kernel properties
• Louis Longchamps' program works on digital sensing for improved cropping systems
• Camilo Parada-Rojas' research program focuses on linking pathogen population genomics, diagnostics, and on-farm trials to reduce disease losses in corn, soybean, small grains, and alfalfa across New York and the Northeast.

• Joss Rose's research group is developing new protocols and computational tools to characterize cell wall proteins with particular emphasis on cell wall changes during fruit development and molecular interactions with pathogens
• Jim Giovannoni, Carmen Catala and their research groups are characterizing developmental changes associated with ripening, revealing new genetic targets for improving flavor in tomatoes.
• Lukas Mueller's group coordinates the SOL Genomics Network which provides resources for genome analysis and genomic selection of solanaceous crop plants including tomato, potato, pepper, and eggplant.
• Chris Smart's research program engages in detection of fungal, oomycete, and bacterial pathogens of vegetables. Genome sequences of pathogens both to identify sources of inoculum and to distinguish among pathogen isolates with different levels of virulence.
• Greg Vogel's vegetable breeding program focuses on combining disease resistance and introgression of heirloom traits into modern tomato varieties.

• Sarah Pethybridge’s program focuses on understanding the epidemiology and control of fungal diseases of processing vegetables including beans, beets, carrots and potatoes
• Chris Smart's research program engages in detection of fungal, oomycete, and bacterial pathogens of vegetables. Genome sequences of pathogens both to identify sources of inoculum and to distinguish among pathogen isolates with different levels of virulence.
• Michael Mazourek’s program is focused in part on development of specialty vegetables such as small, extra sweet squash and peppers with altered taste profiles for enhancement of the aesthetic and culinary appeal of New York produce.
• Anu Rangarajan, Director of the Cornell Small Farms Program, researches sustainability of vegetable production with a focus on reduced tillage systems in both organic and conventional production (news)
• Phillip Griffiths’ research is focused on genetic improvement of snap bean and brassica crops, with particular focus on traits conferring resistance to plant diseases.
• Greg Vogel's vegetable breeding program focuses on combining disease resistance and introgression of heirloom traits into modern tomato varieties.
• Casey Barickman's research centers on understanding how environmental stressors such as temperature, water, salinity and light affect the physiological performance, growth and development, yield, and quality of vegetable crops.