The Cotton Breeding , Genetics and Genomics Program at New Mexico State University has a history of 75 years in developing Acala cotton germplasm and cultivars with high fiber quality and Verticillium wilt tolerance. Our research continues in that tradition, with emphasis on developing high fiber quality and high yielding Acala cultivars, and incorporating high levels of resistance to pink bollworm, bollworm, herbicides, Verticillium wilt, and root-knot nematodes in Acala and Pima cotton for New Mexico and the southwest region. We are continuing to work on developing a practical hybrid cotton seed production system based on cytoplasmic male sterility and a haploid-producing system based on semigamy. Tools in quantitative, qualitative and molecular genetics are integrated into our breeding program. A significant portion of our effort involves developing functional molecular markers and identifying genes or quantitative trait loci ( QTLs ) for fiber quality, yield, agronomic traits, male fertility restoration, insect, disease and nematode resistance, and drought and salt tolerance in order to develop efficient marker-assisted selection strategies. Molecular mapping, physical mapping, candidate gene approach, and gene expression profiling are combined to locate and isolate candidate genes or QTLs of agronomic importance. Breeding for glandless cotton as a triple purpose (fiber, food, and feed) crop has become increasingly important in the program.

I teach Molecular Analysis of Complex Traits (AGRO/HORT 516), Genetics and Society (AGRO 303G), and Genetic Techniques Laboratory (GENE 305L). I am a member of both the Plant and Environmental Sciences graduate faculty and Molecular Biology Graduate Program faculty.

I currently serve as an editor or associate editor, or on the editorial board for the following journals: The Crop Journal; Journal of Cotton Science (National Cotton Council, US); Cotton Science (China Cotton Society); Molecular and Genetic Genomics; BMC Genomics; International Journal of Genomics; and PLOS ONE.