Noah DeWitt
Former Crop Science - PhD
Bio
- Degree Program: Ph.D. Crop Science, minor in Genetics
- Previous Degrees: B.S. Plant Genetics, University of Florida
- Advisors: Dr. Gina Brown-Guedira, Dr. J Paul Murphy
- Dissertation: Exploring and Predicting Genetic Causes of Yield Variation in Winter Wheat.
- Dissertation Date: 2022-03-11
Research
The USDA Eastern Regional Small Grains Genotyping Lab assists public small grains breeding programs in the Eastern US with marker and whole-genome genotyping, coordinating cooperative variety trails and genomic selection through the SunGrains program alongside the NC Small grains breeding program led by Dr. J Paul Murphy. To help improve these services, I’m working on using molecular and quantitative approaches to better understand the genetic architecture of wheat yield and developmental traits. My research focuses on characterizing variants impacting plant growth and development (including the B1 awn suppressor), studying their impact on yield in combination with weather data, and using them to help improve genomic selection models.