Breeding lead for cucumber and pepper sweet breeding programs

Breeding lead for cucumber, sweet pepper and squash breeding programs.

• Assisting in field breeding operations that include preparing seed for planting and planting field trials using GPS operated tractor• Managing database and analyzing data • Assisting in molecular breeding projects

• Characterized genetic variation present in synthetic derived wheat lines for agronomic traits (grain yield and yield components), biotic stresses (greenbug and wheat rusts), and abiotic stress (drought tolerance)• Conducted multi-environmental yield trials under irrigated and dryland conditions in regional and international locations• Conducted molecular studies using SNP markers to validate the source of resistance to greenbug and wheat rusts• Estimated heritability, variance components, genetic gain, and other quantitative genetic parameters and utilized their knowledge to accelerate the process of product delivery • Worked as a team member in association mapping project designed to identify alleles for yield components and analysed phenotypic data• Actively utilized high-through phenotyping tools to characterize for abiotic stresses in on-going association mapping project• Participated in all types of breeding operation that includes establishing crossing blocks, pollination, planting, harvest, and post-harvest field operations

• Worked as a teaching assistant (TA) for the graduate level course "Experimental Designs in Agriculture (SCSC 660)" taught by Dr. Amir Ibrahim. As a TA, I assisted graduate students with their class assignments, evaluated their assignments, developed answer keys, and reported scores to the course instructor.

• Worked closely with multidisciplinary team involving breeder, agronomist, physiologist, pathologists, and statistician• Professional training in running a wheat breeding program

• Worked as a team member in developing new planting geometry system for dryland regions of the U.S. Great Plains • Characterized sorghum plants for grain yield, harvest index, and total biomass produced in different planting geometries under different water levels • Determined transpiration efficiency in grain sorghum • Studied plant micro-climate using physiological tools • Studied plant development characteristics at different growth stages, root traits and architecture in different planting geometries