Crop Physiology
The Plant Physiology program studies how the plant functions in its environment, and then uses this knowledge to establish crop management alternatives for increased economic yield and environmental friendliness. They also use this information to establish screening procedures to be used in varietal improvement.
Faculty/Staff
| Name | Specialty | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Fernandez, Carlos | Crop Production, Cropping Systems Modeling | Corpus Christi |
| Geric, Tom | Cotton Physiology | Temple |
| Heitholt, James | Soybean Yield Physiology | Dallas |
| Ocumpaugh William | Forage Physiology | Beeville |
| Payne William | Crop Stress Physiology | Bushland |
| Piccinni, Giovanni | Plant Stress Physiology | Uvalde |
| Rouquette, Monte | Forage Physiology | Overton |
| Schubert, Mike | Peanut Physiology | Lubbock |
| Tarpley, Lee | Plant Physiology | Beaumont |
| Vietor, Donald | Forage Physiology | College Station |
Research Interests
The Crop Physiology program has research and extension interests in the following areas:
- Develop and evaluate systems for cycling and conserving nutrients in livestock and municipal biosolids through production and transplanting of turfgrass sod.
- Develop management strategies for the enhancement of switchgrass as a biofuel.
- Optimization of crop water use and stress tolerance for cropping systems, Texas High Plains
- Determining the physiological mechanisms for legume tolerance to high pH soils.
- Develop strategies to introduce and maintain legumes in perennial grass swards.
- Develop alternate forage-based enterprises for forage-livestock producers in South Texas.
- Web-based decision support system for crop management Crop physiology, management, and simulation modeling
- Automated weather data collection, inspection, archiving, and Internet posting
- Targeted crops: cotton and grain sorghum
- Crop responses to water deficits and irrigation
- Crop responses to seeding rates, row spacing, narrow rows
- Crop responses to plant growth regulators
- Genetic variability of soybean and wheat response to abiotic stress
- Yield of soybean, wheat, and vegetable crops as affected by soil-applied organic amendments.