Wheat Improvement Team
About the program
Wheat Improvement research in Oklahoma is driven by an interdisciplinary team of scientists
housed in OSU's Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, charged with
developing highly-adapted winter wheat cultivars with marketable grain-quality. This team is committed to strengthening the Oklahoma
wheat industry by enhancing its genetic resources, a mission that could not be accomplished
without contributions from other state, federal, and private researchers.
Wheat Breeding
Program support is administered by the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station (OAES)
through the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. Funding is derived from a partnership between the OAES, the Oklahoma Wheat Commission, and the Oklahoma Wheat Research Foundation. This partnership ensures linkage of
the Wheat Improvement Program to the collective needs of Oklahoma's wheat industry.
Scientists located at the USDA-ARS Plant Science and Water Conservation Research Laboratory
conduct genetic investigations critical to the program.
Program direction is provided by the OSU Wheat Genetics Chair, currently occupied
by Brett F. Carver. The original occupant of the Chair was Edward L. Smith, from 1989
to 1997.