March 5, 1998
by John Zakour
Geneva, NY - An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but apple rootstocks bring Dr. Johnson running. Dr. William (Bill) C. Johnson has joined the USDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit (PGRU) at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, NY, as Plant Geneticist. His research focus will be on apple rootstock development.
"This position promotes the cooperative effort between USDA and Cornell in rootstock breeding and should have a national and worldwide impact," said Philip Forsline, acting research leader of the PGRU unit. "Bill is well-schooled to make this a successful venture. He is trained in state-of-the-art genetics techniques, which include both genetic transformation and classical breeding." Forsline also noted, "Bill will work closely with the Department of Horticultural Sciences to continue the evaluation of rootstocks from the Cummins/Aldwinckle cooperative program. He will also be developing a breeding program that will use new sources of germplasm maintained here at PGRU."
Johnson will have a courtesy assistant professor appointment in the horticultural sciences department, and department chairman Hugh Price said, "I look forward to having Bill join the Cornell pomology team and providing leadership to the apple rootstock breeding program. He brings experience in genetics and molecular biology which will have a significant impact on the next generation of Geneva rootstocks."
Herb Aldwinckle, former department chairman of plant pathology, was instrumental in hiring Johnson with whom he will be working closely. Aldwinckle stated, "After a very productive and enjoyable time working with Jim Cummins on developing disease-resistant apple rootstocks, I'm very pleased that the program is continuing with the help of the USDA. I met Bill Johnson during his interview at Geneva, and am very impressed with his academic background and research. He brings a lot of excellent modern knowledge about genetics that will be invaluable to the program. Jim Cummins and I made a lot of progress, but there are still major problems with apple rootstocks that remain to be solved."
Johnson said he was attracted to the Geneva position because it allows him to "have a very applied breeding program while keeping one foot in the door of basic research." He went on to say, "In the short term, I see my primary duty as one of management and evaluation of existing rootstock germplasm. In the longer term, my primary efforts will be in developing novel rootstock cultivars that will significantly impact US apple production."
When asked what he found most exciting about his new position, Johnson said, "Rootstock breeding is a wide open field and it can have such a profound impact on fruit production. There are basic research areas, that are very poorly understood, such as the ability/inability of two genotypes to form compatible graft unions, rootstock effects on plant and fruit characteristics, and the genetic control of root. On the applied end of the research spectrum, there are serious shortcomings in all apple rootstocks currently in use, so growers are very interested in new varieties. Perhaps what I find most exciting of all is that I will be able to use a very wide range of germplasm in my breeding program. The options are greater because rootstock varieties are not limited by the need for quality fruit, and because graft compatibility is generally much less constraining than sexual compatibility."
Johnson received his B.S. in Plant Breeding in 1991 and his Ph.D in Genetics in 1997, from the University of California, Davis. His dissertation was on improving the efficiency of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) breeding programs using molecular markers. While at Davis, Johnson was a teaching assistant for classes in both Plant Genetics and Plant Breeding. He has published numerous papers and presented many posters on plant genetics and molecular markers.
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Contact: Linda McCandless, Communications Services
Telephone: (315) 787-2417
e-mail: llm3@cornell.edu
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