Dr. Brummer is the Director of the Plant Breeding Center. His research program focuses on developing cultivars and germplasm of alfalfa and other crops for forage and bioenergy uses. His research has focused primarily on investigating ways to improve biomass yield, from traditional breeding method enhancements to the use of molecular markers. His current research projects include improving yield through the use of high density, genome-wide SNP markers to implement genomic selection. He is also using QTL mapping to understand the causes of autumn-induced dormancy, so that additional fall yield can be produced without sacrificing needed levels of winter hardiness. In addition to yield, selecting alfalfa for adaptation to heat, drought, and salinity are components of his program.
Department: Plant Sciences
Website: Charles Brummer
Email: ecbrummer@ucdavis.edu