Texas A&M: Optimizing Genetics to Advance CEA
May 30, 2024 According to AgriLife Today, Texas A&M hired Krishna Bhattari, Ph.D as an assistant professor in May of 2024. A plant breeder for controlled environment horticulture, Bhattari’s research uses genetics and genomes to develop new crops for CEA production. He will continue his research at the Texas A&M Research and Extension Center in Dallas.
Director of the Dallas Center, Daniel Leskovar, Ph.D, believes hiring Bhattari is crucial to growing the CEH program at Texas A&M. “His expertise in plant breeding and phenotyping tools will provide very valuable synergy to our growing CEH multidisciplinary programs at Texas A&M University,” he says. “Specifically, his expertise in plant breeding and genetics focused on developing new fruits and vegetable cultivars with improved resource use of efficient traits, disease and abiotic stress resistance, and with high nutritional and sensorial quality will ultimately benefit consumers, as well as the controlled environment growers and industry.”
Texas is quickly becoming a leader in CEA production. To Bhattari, this puts Texas A&M in a critical position to help indoor growers maximize their potential. According to his research, the key to improving flavor and nutrition in crops comes from identifying plant genes. By implementing plant breeding programs at the University, he can help create fruits and vegetables that are distinct in the marketplace. “The idea is to give controlled environment growers options and to optimize those options,” says Bhattari.
To learn more about Texas A&M’s AgriLife program, click here.
