Scholars

Professor

Positions:

Professor, Soil and Crop Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Professor, Weslaco Research and Extension Center, Texas A&M AgriLIFE Extension, Texas A&M AgriLife Research

overview

Using cutting-edge technologies in molecular biology and plant genetics, my Sugarcane Breeding program at Texas A&M AgriLife Research has developed energy cane cultivars with high biomass yield, in partnership with Chevron Technologies Venture and BP Biofuels, that can be grown in a wider region of Texas and the United States, specifically designed for use in the production of bio-fuels. This program has also optimized efficient capabilities for scaling up production of feedstock planting stock. In addition, applying Next-Generation DNA sequencing techniques my program has identified and isolated genes controlling stress resistance, such as cold, which could prevent losses to the $3.8 billion US sugar industry and is developing DNA markers to tag important genes controlling cell wall composition and disease resistance.

education and training

Ph.D. in Plant Breeding, Cornell University - (Ithaca, New York, United States) 1993

selected publications

Academic Articles38

Khuimphukhieo, I., Marconi, T., Enciso, J., & da Silva, J. A. (2023). The use of UAS-based high throughput phenotyping (HTP) to assess sugarcane yield. 11, 100501-100501.
Bhattarai, G., Shi, A., Kandel, D. R., Sols-Gracia, N., da Silva, J. A., & Avila, C. A. (2022). Author Correction: Genome-wide simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers discovered from whole-genome sequence comparisons of multiple spinach accessions.. Scientific Reports. 12(1), 14381.
Pokhrel, P., Rajan, N., Jifon, J., Rooney, W., Jessup, R., da Silva, J., Enciso, J., & Attia, A. (2022). Evaluation of the DSSAT-CANEGRO model for simulating the growth of energy cane (Saccharum spp.), a biofuel feedstock crop. 62(1), 466-478.

SDG 7
Gautam, S., Solis-Gracia, N., Teale, M. K., Mandadi, K., da Silva, J. A., & Vales, M. I. (2021). Development of an in vitro Microtuberization and Temporary Immersion Bioreactor System to Evaluate Heat Stress Tolerance in Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.).. Frontiers in Plant Science. 12, 700328.

SDG 13
Bhattarai, G., Shi, A., Kandel, D. R., Sols-Gracia, N., da Silva, J. A., & Avila, C. A. (2021). Genome-wide simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers discovered from whole-genome sequence comparisons of multiple spinach accessions.. Scientific Reports. 11(1), 9999.

Chapters4

Gul, A., Diepenbrock, C. H., Breseghello, F., Minella, E., Munkvold, J. D., Paterson, A. H., ... Sanchez, J. I. (2019). Mark E. Sorrells: Plant Breeder, Geneticist, Innovator, Mentor. Plant breeding reviews. PLANT BREEDING REVIEWS, VOL 42. 1-38.
Lam, E., Carrer, H., da Silva, J. A., & Kole, C. (2016). Compendium of Bioenergy Plants SUGARCANE Preface. COMPENDIUM OF BIOENERGY PLANTS: SUGARCANE. XI-XIV.
Park, J., & da Silva, J. A. (2016). Hybridization of Sugarcane and Other Grasses for Novel Traits. COMPENDIUM OF BIOENERGY PLANTS: SUGARCANE. 15-30.
Ming, R., Moore, P. H., Wu, K., D'Hont, A., Glaszmann, J. C., Tew, T. L., ... Paterson, A. H. (2006). Sugarcane Improvement through Breeding and Biotechnology. Plant breeding reviews. PLANT BREEDING REVIEWS, VOL 27. 15-118. Wiley.