Jorge A. daSilva
Associate Professor
Texas AgriLIFE Research
Department: Soil & Crop Sciences
Research Specialty: Molecular Genetics and Plant Breeding
956.968.5585
Email: jadasilva@ag.tamu.edu
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Overall Research Interests:
Dr. da Silva’s research program is focused on high-biomass crops such as sugarcane and Miscanthus. Using genetic and molecular biology tools such as marker-assisted breeding, this program is developing high-producing sugarcane varieties for the Texas sugar industry, and new biomass crops for the biofuels industry in the Southeastern U.S. Working closely with industry, the program seeks to produce varieties with high yields per acre, drought and cold tolerance and resistance to disease and insect pests.
Research Projects:
Sugarcane varieties for the Texas sugar industry:
The main goal of this research program is to generate commercial varieties for increased sugar yields. The project involves field activities such as field selection of breeding lines, yield competition trials and laboratory analysis. The program emphasizes the development of varieties with tolerance to stresses such as drought, cold and the Mexican rice borer, the most serious pest of sugarcane in the mainland U.S.
High biomass crops for the Southeastern U.S.:
The goal of this program is the development of a new crop system specifically designed for use in the production of bio-fuels. New high-biomass varieties of sugarcane and Miscanthus are being developed that can be grown in a wide region of Texas and the southeastern United States.
Jorge da Silva's presentation on MISCANE (Miscanthus x sugarcane hybrids) at the 2008 Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioenergy. Download here.
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