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Crop Sciences |
Admissions | Faculty | Contact Us | Jobs | Monarch
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Crop Sciences |
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Frederic L. Kolb
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My research is in plant breeding and genetics on soft red winter wheat and spring oat, including variety and germplasm development. The overall goal of my research is to enhance the productivity and profitability of soft red winter wheat and spring oats. Several areas of emphasis include the improvement of yield, quality, and resistance to diseases. Much of my research is focused on scab (Fusarium head blight) resistance in wheat and barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) tolerance in wheat and oat.
Recent Cultivar Releases: The wheat variety Kaskaskia was released as a public variety in 1998. Kaskaskia has high yield potential, high test weight, and excellent winter hardiness. In addition, five soft red winter wheat lines have been released into commercial production as brand labeled varieties including the registration of a line for production in Canada. Two oat varieties, Rodeo and Chaps, were released in 1996. Both varieties have high yield potential. A third oat variety, Blaze, was released in 1998. Blaze also has quite high yield potential combined with good test weight, excellent BYDV tolerance, and good crown rust resistance. Another oat variety, Spurs, was released in 2003. Spurs has excellent yield potential, very good test weight and is tolerant to BYDV and moderately resistant to crown rust. These varieties will provide improved profitability to producers through higher returns per acre.
Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus: Several studies have been conducted on BYDV. The objectives in these studies are to increase our knowledge of BYDV tolerance in oat and wheat, develop materials that have better tolerance to BYDV, or develop germplasm that can be used to study the inheritance of BYDV and molecular markers associated with genes for BYDV tolerance. One project is aimed at developing and evaluating near-isogenic lines of oats that differ only in their level of BYDV tolerance. These lines will be quite useful as research tools both for studying BYDV and also for molecular marker mapping studies. Some of the genotypes developed in this project are already being used in several research projects studying BYDV in oats. In cooperation with Dr. Les Domier of the USDA-ARS, these near-isogenic lines and a recombinant inbred line population have been used to identify chromosomal regions in oat associated with BYDV tolerance.
Recently, oat lines with a high level of BYDV tolerance were developed from a four-way cross involving four parents with good BYDV tolerance. The lines under development from the 4-way oat cross represent another step of improvement in the tolerance of oats to this disease. We have selected a few of the best lines from this cross with an excellent level of tolerance to BYDV combined with good agronomic traits. These lines have very high levels of BYDV tolerance, are more tolerant than the lines developed previously, and will be released soon.
The effects of BYDV on grain yield and growth rate of wheat throughout the growing season have been examined. BYDV reduced yield in all eight cultivars studied (part of Thomas Hoffman's thesis research). Greenhouse experiments using an aeroponic mist box were conducted to study the effects of BYDV infection on root and shoot growth in wheat. BYDV affected the cultivars studied differently. BYDV reduced root length and root/shoot ratio.
Scab Resistance: A major emphasis in my research and breeding program is on scab resistance in wheat. Scab and septoria have become more severe as more farmers adopt conservation tillage practices. The additional plant residue on the surface harbors the spores for these diseases. Development of resistant varieties is important to reduce severe losses in yield and quality due to these pathogens. We are working on the development of scab resistant genotypes by using greenhouse evaluations and evaluations in a misted, inoculated field nursery to select for scab resistance. In addition, we are using molecular markers to identify chromosomal regions of wheat with quantitative trait loci for scab resistance. This research will continue to be an area of emphasis in my program due to the importance of scab resistance to the wheat producers of Illinois.
Since 2000 I have served as the Crop Sciences Teaching Coordinator. I teach CPSC 543 Principles of Plant Breeding each spring semester. The objectives for this course are for the students to learn to apply genetic principles to plant breeding, to understand tools used by plant breeders, and to understand plant breeding methods used with different plant species. Along with Dr. Cleo D'Arcy, I am responsible for CPSC 498, Senior Seminar, which is offered each spring semester and provides seniors in the department the opportunity to make an oral presentation on a topic of interest and to write a paper on another topic of their choice.
(2000 - 2005)
| 2001-present | Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics Dept. of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois |
| 2000-present | Crop Sciences Teaching Coordinator |
| 1993-present | Associate Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics Dept. of Agronomy and Dept. of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois |
| 1987-1993 | Assistant Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics Department of Agronomy, University of Illinois |
| 1987-1987 | Geneticist (Category II Scientist), USDA State College, Pa. |
| Ph.D.: Pennsylvania State University | Agronomy - Plant Breeding | 1987 |
| M.S.: Pennsylvania State University | Agronomy - Plant Breeding | 1983 |
| B.S.: Pennsylvania State University | Biology | 1976 |
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