The Section of Plant Breeding and Genetics is globally recognized for developing innovative approaches to crop improvement. Section faculty conduct “translational research” that bridges the gap between fundamental research and its implementation in applied breeding programs, leading to superior crop varieties.
- Faculty involved in breeding specific crops are found on the SIPS Research by Crop page
- Research and resources focused on state and national needs are listed on the Plant Breeding & Genetics Outreach & Extension page
Global food security initiatives with Cornell leadership
Many Plant Breeding & Genetics Faculty are jointly appointed in Cornell's Department of Global Development
Rebecca Nelson serves as the Scientific Director for the McKnight Foundation's Collaborative Crop Research Program, a competitive grants program that funds agricultural research in developing countries.
Genomic Open-source Breeding informatics initiative (GOBii) are a team of developers, statisticians, bioinformaticists and breeders with multiple Plant Breeding & Genetics faculty participating
The NextGen Cassava Breeding project seeks to modernize partner cassava breeding institutions in Africa and use cutting-edge tools for improved cassava varieties with involvement from multiple Plant Breeding & Genetics faculty
The Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (BGRI) is an international consortium, led in part by Cornell faculty, working to reduce the world’s vulnerability wheat rust and enhance world wheat productivity
The Rice Diversity Project is a collaborative effort directed by Susan McCouch and others to explore the genetic basis of variation in rice and its wild ancestors, identifying genes that can enhance the performance of modern cultivars.
At the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Crop Improvement, we equip National Agricultural Research Institutes with the power to define unique goals and drive crop improvement to reduce malnutrition, hunger and provide equitable benefits to women and youth.
International agriculture news
Learn more about our work to address global challenges in food security and sustainability
News
“I am honored to serve the legacy of CALS in this capacity,” Byrne said. “CALS is a college focused on collaborative and innovative solutions to the most critical issues facing our planet and our place as humans thriving upon it.” In this new...
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An anonymous gift of $2.65 million to support Cornell and partner research in Tanzania will improve distribution of new and more resistant varieties of cassava while empowering women and marginalized groups in the East African nation. Cassava is...
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Brown leads the oldest apple breeding program in the United States, located at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, New York, part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Her work supports the state’s robust apple industry — valued at $262...
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As hunger rose in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Rick and Laura Pedersen responded by sharing the bounty of their farm with their local food bank in upstate New York. “It’s distressing to think about that many people in our community...
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An international community of hunger fighters called the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (BGRI) joined forces starting in 2005 to confront climate change and diseases that threatened wheat — one of the world’s most important crops. For 15 years...