Donald Viands, Cornell University
Professor
Ithaca, New York
drv3@cornell.edu
Office:
(607) 255-3081
Expert In
Bio/Research
My research/extension objectives are to breed improved forage cultivars (primarily alfalfa and birdsfoot trefoil) for Northeast USA and promote their use by growers and seed companies. Although private breeding companies now provide most of the alfalfa cultivars in the USA, none of them focuses o...
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Bio/Research
My research/extension objectives are to breed improved forage cultivars (primarily alfalfa and birdsfoot trefoil) for Northeast USA and promote their use by growers and seed companies. Although private breeding companies now provide most of the alfalfa cultivars in the USA, none of them focuses on traits specifically needed in the Northeast. Because there are few forage breeders in North America, a large proportion of my research is cooperative, facilitated through the NE1010 Multistate Cooperative Research Project. This project includes research to improve forage species, compare breeding methods, evaluate new cultivars of several forage species for yield, and conduct QTL analyses. I am cooperating with other scientists in NE1010 to identify QTLs for forage yield and other agronomic traits. In 2005, I joined the Cornell biofuels research group. My project is leading efforts to evaluate perennial, herbaceous plant species and breed them for use as feedstocks for biofuels.
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