Crop & Soil Sciences: Personnel: Faculty
Paul Raymer
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Academic Rank: | Professor |
| Academic History: | Ph.D., University of Illinois, 1984 | |
| Area of Expertise: | Plant Breeding and Genomics | |
| Campus: | Griffin | |
| Office Location: | 19 Turf Science Building | |
| Email: | praymer@uga.edu | |
| Phone: | 770/228-7324 | |
| Fax: | 770/412-4734 | |
| Shipping Address: | Crop & Soil Sciences Griffin Campus The University of Georgia 1109 Experiment Street Griffin, GA 30223 |
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Research, Teaching, and Extension Work
I direct the turfgrass breeding and genetics research program at the Griffin Campus. Primary emphasis is placed on the development of improved cultivars of seashore paspalum, tall fescue, zoysiagrass, and creeping bentgrass for a range of fine-turf and environmental applications. Breeding goals are to develop cultivars for high-stress environments with improved salt tolerance, drought tolerance, disease resistance, and insect resistance. Research areas include breeding methodology, herbicide resistance systems, genetics of salt tolerance and disease resistance traits, and development of molecular markers for important traits such as salt tolerance. This program has state and federal support and is also funded by external grants from the USGA, EPA, University, and industry. The UGA turfgrass breeding program is interdisciplinary and works closely with scientists from a range of disciplines including stress physiology, weed science, plant pathology, entomology, and molecular genetics.
I teach an undergraduate course entitled Undergraduate Research Methods and a graduate level course entitled Plant Breeding Practicum as well as train and direct graduate students in turfgrass breeding and genetics research.