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GU welcomes Grow Pro Genetics to campus

Published: April 13, 2021

GU welcomes Grow Pro Genetics to campus

Greenville University is pleased to announce a new partnership that will benefitbiologystudents, put an underutilized facility on campus to work, and bring product development to Greenville.

Grow Pro Genetics, with a wheat breeding program based in Hamel, Illinois, will soon begin working in GUs greenhouse. Grow Pro staff focus on breeding soft red winter wheat.

Mutual Benefits

Crop breeding involves very precise crossing of particular strains of a plant with other strains of that plant, in this case, wheat, explains GUsEric Nord, professor of biology and department chair. Grow Pro has several hundreds of lines that theyre working on, trying to get the desirable traits from one line crossed into another line.

After the crosses, Grow Pro will test thousands of offspring over several generations. Their use of the greenhouse on GUs campus provides greater environmental control over the delicate breeding process during winter months.

Nord believes the collaboration will benefit students. He sees potential for hands-on demonstrations andsummer internship opportunities. Having students see innovation and applied biology in a corporate context is a bonus.

Grow Pro is developing a product, he says. They use knowledge of biological processes to develop that product. Having that as a showcase for students is a great opportunity.

Connection, Collaboration

Its really exciting how we can connect, collaborate, and provide opportunities for students, says Greenville University President Suzanne Davis of the partnership.

Thats true especially when the collaboration involves innovation, one of GUs core values.

Agriculturaland biotechnology industries continue to evolve in an effort to meet growing demands around the world. Kenneth Davis, Grow Pro commercial director, believes the future is bright for creative problem solvers in todays market: By building on the connectivity of our increasingly globalized networks, the next generation of innovation may be closer than we think.

Alumni Ties

Nord traces the beginning of the partnership back to conversations with GU alumEli Gravert11, manager of Grow Pros research station in Hamel. An experienced researcher, Gravert frames his work as creating a food-secure world through sharing knowledge and developing product techniques. Before joining Grow Pro, Gravert managed field trials for global ag-tech leader Syngenta.

Grow Pro will lease half of GUs greenhouse space, an arrangement that will fund some capital improvements to the greenhouse. Members of GUs campus community can also expect to see tighter controls on greenhouse access.

For more information about this collaboration, contacteli.gravert@growprogenetics.com.

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