Larry is a plant geneticist and breeder whose lab uses genomic tools to better understand hybrid vigor, sex determination, and pest and disease resistance in shrub willow bioenergy crops. More recently, he has been leading Cornell’s hemp research and extension team and has initiated a long-term breeding and genomics program to develop new hemp cultivars for New York State. He received his B.S. in Biology at Cornell University, Ph.D. in Genetics at Michigan State University, and was an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow at UC-Davis.
Course Overview
How do genes get passed between generations? What is the relationship between the environment plants live in and their genetic makeup? In this course, you will gain an understanding of how plant characteristics are passed between generations by drawing conclusions about plant genetics based on both trait observation and genetic data. You will apply the rules of genetics to determine whether a trait arises from a single gene or multiple genes. Since hemp is a field crop, it is also important to consider the interactions between genetics and the environment. You will discover how to determine whether plant traits vary because the plants have different genes or because they were grown in different environments.
Key Course Takeaways
- Explore how genes influence observable plant traits and how to locate genes within a chromosome
- Classify traits as quantitative or qualitative, and evaluate the impact of the environment on the expression of a trait
- Examine the genotype dynamics for a managed population such as a hemp breeding program in order to select for specific traits
How It Works
Course Length
2-weeks
Effort
3 to 5 hours of study per week
Format
100% online, instructor-led
Course Author
Lawrence Smart
Professor
Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics, School of Integrative Plant Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University
Who Should Enroll
- Horticulturists
- Agronomists
- Plant, seed, and greenhouse technicians
- Growers
- Consultants
- Seed purveyors
- Plant breeders and breeding companies
- Entrepreneurs
- CBD product developers
- Agriculture regulators
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100% Online
100% Online
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