Keith Merrill
Former Graduate
- Email: krmerril@ncsu.edu
- Degree Program: Ph.D., Crop Science, minor in Statistics
- Previous Degrees: B.S. Genetics and Biotechnology, Brigham Young University; M.S. Genetics and Biotechnology, Brigham Young University
- Advisor: Dr. Gina Brown-Guedira
- Completion Date: December 2014
Research
My research is part of the Triticeae Coordinated Agricultural Project (T-CAP). I am doing association mapping in a panel of eastern soft red winter wheat breeding lines and cultivars for resistance to Powdery Mildew, Leaf Rust, Stripe Rust, Leaf Blotch, and Hessian Fly, with ~6500 SNP loci from the iSelect wheat 9K chip. I am also working on developing individual SNP assays for significant QTL for use by breeders in marker-assisted selection. Additionally, I am working on several genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) projects, including library preparation, data analysis, and genetic mapping using GBS results. Further, as part of the T-CAP, I am also mentoring an undergraduate student in the laboratory and field with regard to experimental design, data collection and handling, and data analysis.