New plant breeder joins University of Florida

Dr. Heqiang “Alfred” Huo is a new breed of plant breeder who will soon join the accomplished team at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

He’s among the select few who will be using the revolutionary technology known as CRISPR and applying it to lilies and orchids. The biotechnology could be a shortcut to creating the new varieties of plants that the horticulture industry depends upon.

UF/IFAS already ranks among the top three land-grant universities nationally in numbers of plant breeders, cultivars developed and cultivars licensed for commercial propagation. Royalties from these new cultivars are six times what they were less than a decade ago.

Read more at FNGLA.