Department of Plant

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Department of Plant Soil Science

• Dr.Govind C. Sharma, Chairperson
• Degree Offered
• B.S. in Forestry , environmental Science, and
  Horticulture
• M.S. in Plant and Soil Science Ph.D. in Plant
  and Soil Science
• Voice [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• E-mailgsharma_at_aamu.edu
• Mailing Address P.O. Box 1208 Normal, AL 35762
• http//saes.aamu.edu/sps/IndexSPS.html

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Department of Plant Soil Science

• The Department of Plant and Soil Science, in the
  land-grant tradition, undertakes teaching,
  research and extension functions and offers 3
  B.S. degrees with two majors each in Plant
  Science (Crop Science and Horticulture), Forestry
  (Forest Science and Forest Management) and
  Environmental Science (Soil Science and
  Environmental Science). The Department fulfills
  its instructional mission by also offering M.S.
  and Ph.D. degree programs in Plant and Soil
  Science.
• The Department undertakes applied food and fiber
  production, environmental science and resource
  management research applicable to the state of
  Alabama. Its mission includes basic and applied
  research that has a national as well as global
  impact in specializations in which it has
  specific capabilities. Under the University's own
  and national mandates, the Department assists
  developing countries via training, research and
  demonstration activities. It fulfills the public
  service (extension) aspects via applied research,
  hands-on training programs, specialized
  publications, and short courses for farmers,
  landowners, community residents, organizations
  and businesses.

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Faculty and Specialty

• Caula A. Beyl, Professor
• Ph.D. 1979, Purdue University
• Research Interests
• Dr. Beyl's research efforts involve several
  areas of stress or adaptation physiology,
  particularly regional adaptability of exotic
  fruit crops such as kiwi and Asian pear. She is
  also studying the effects of various levels of
  root constraint on hormonal content of exudate of
  peaches, growth regulator modification of stress
  tolerance, including acclimatization and cold
  stresses involvement of drought and light stress
  in dogwood anthracnose susceptibility use of
  remote sensing techniques to assess spread and
  severity of dogwood anthracnose, factors which
  influence water use of tissue cultured and
  acclimatized Prunus serotina adapting mushroom
  culture to space habitats and use of
  Agrobacterium rhizogenes to induce roots on
  jujube.
• E-mail cbeyl_at_aamu.edu

4
Faculty and Specialty

• Udai R. Bishnoi, Professor
• Ph.D. 1971, Mississippi State University
• Research Crop Production, Cropping Systems, Seed
  Physiology, and Quality of Crops
• Dr. Bishnoi's research addresses various aspects
  of the relationships among agronomic practices,
  soil management, tillage practices and inputs on
  crop production systems. His specific
  investigative competency includes intercropping,
  soil fertility and seed quality in relation to
  agronomic performance of field crops. His work in
  this area has included the development of
  agronomic practices for triticale, and studies on
  the influence of intercropping and seed quality
  in grain sorghum, soybean and mungbean
  production.
• E-mail ubishnoi_at_aamu.edu
• Phone [phone]

5
Faculty and Specialty

• George F. Brown, Associate Professor
• Ph.D. 1987, University of Tennessee
• Research Interests Forest Genetics, Virginia
  Pine Christmas Trees, Vegetative Propagation
• Dr. Brown's research includes the genetic
  improvement of Virginia Pine for the production
  of Christmas trees, improved cultural practices
  for fertility and soil management, and vegetative
  propagation techniques for clonal multiplication
  of select genotypes. Past research has included
  determining seed source differences,
  relationships of morphological characteristics
  over time, genetic resistance to pine tortoise
  scale, genetic variation in rooting response, and
  effects of physical and chemical factors on
  rooting of pines.
• Phone [phone]E-mail aamgfb01_at_aamu.edu

6
Faculty and Specialty

• Tommy L. Coleman, Professor
• Ph.D. 1980, Iowa State University
• Research Soil Pedology, Classification,
  Genesis, Conservation and Management Remote
  Sensing and GIS Applications in Soil Science
• Dr. Coleman's research addresses the use of
  remote sensing and geographic information system
  technology in soil science. His focus is the
  development of spectral signatures for
  differentiating soil types and use of computer
  simulation models and GIS to understand spatial
  variability in soil's chemical and physical
  properties. Another area of focus is the use of
  remote sensing and GIS to study the effects of
  land use and land management practices on inland
  wetlands and waterways.
• Phone[phone]
• E-mail tcoleman_at_aamu.edu

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Faculty and Specialty

• Thomas H. Green, Associate Professor
• Ph.D. 1993, Auburn University
• Research Forestry Operations, Physiological
  Ecology.
• Dr. Green's research includes investigations of
  the impact of forestry operations on stand and
  site quality, competitive interactions among
  forest species and interactions of environmental
  stresses on productivity of forest species.
  Current emphasis is on hardwood silviculture,
  hardwood stand productivity and competitive
  interactions among hardwood species. Past
  research has included physiological interactions
  of multiple environmental stresses, nutrient
  relations of forest trees and competition effects
  on southern pines.
• Voice Mail 256-372-4231
• E-mail tgreen_at_aamu.edu

8
Faculty and Specialty

• David A. Mays, Adjunct Professor
• Ph.D. 1961, Pennsylvania State University
• Research Soil Fertility, Constructed Wetland
  Environments, Waste Treatment
• Dr. Mays conducts research on crop production
  and soil fertility. His specific emphasis is
  efficient use of nutrients and use of waste
  materials as fertilizers. He also studies
  constructed and natural wetlands with the
  objective of developing techniques to expand
  wetland acreage and to use wetlands in the
  remediation of waste products
• Phone [phone]
• E-Mail dmays_at_aamu.edu

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Faculty and Specialty

• R. P. Pacumbaba, Professor
• Ph.D. 1970, Kansas State University
• Research Soybean Pathogens in Northern Alabama,
  Septoria Nodorum Blotch of Wheat, Cocoyam Root
  Rot Disease, Shiitake Propagation, and Soybean
  Mosaic Virus
• E-mail aamrpp01_at_aamu.edu
• Phone [phone]

10
Faculty and Specialty

• Chandra K. Reddy, Professor
• Ph.D. 1982, University of Florida
• Research Sustainable Agriculture Cropping
  Systems Farming Systems Natural Resource
  Management
• Dr. Reddy's research addresses efficient use of
  resources, profitability, natural resources
  conservation and management, and environmental
  quality. His specific current interests include
  identification and development of indicators and
  criteria for evaluation of sustainable land
  management systems and safe and judicious use of
  agricultural wastes by using modeling techniques.
  Another emphasis area of his research is
  international agriculture and institution
  development.
• Phone [phone] E-mail reddyc_at_aamu.edu

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Faculty and Specialty

• Zachary N. Senwo, Research Assistant Professor
• Ph.D. 1995, Iowa State University
• Research Soil Chemistry, Soil Biochemistry,
  Soil Fertility
• Dr. Senwo's research activities focus on soil
  enzymology chemistry and bio-availability of
  waste constituents in the soil-plant continuum
  carbon sulfur, nitrogen and phosphorus chemistry
  in agricultural ecosystems soil nutrient cycling
  with particular emphasis on organic forms.
• Phone [phone]
• E-mail zsenwo_at_aamu.edu

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Faculty and Specialty

• Govind C. Sharma, Department Chair Professor
• Ph.D. 1970, Kansas State University
• Research Plant Cell and Tissue Culture Plant
  Transformation.
• Dr. Sharma's research includes cereal
  protoplast, cell and tissue culture systems,
  callus initiation, plant regeneration, the
  process of morphogenesis, and developing gene
  introduction and plant transformation
  methodologies. Current emphasis is on cereals and
  cotton. His work in this area has included
  somatic embryogenesis, genotypic effects on
  callus initiation and plant regeneration, and
  detection of morphogenic events that lead to
  whole plant formation from undifferentiated
  tissues.
• Phone [phone]
• E-mail gsharma_at_aamu.edu

13
Faculty and Specialty

• Khairy M. Soliman, Professor
• Ph.D. 1975, University of California, Davis
• Research Plant Molecular Biology, Plant
  Genetics, Evolution, Gene Conservation and
  Utilization, Biological Stress
• Dr. Soliman's research is mainly focused on the
  application of recombinant DNA technology to crop
  improvement with special emphasis on major grain
  cereals, soybean, cotton and woody plants. At
  present a great deal of his efforts are directed
  toward the construction of physical and genetic
  linkage maps. Special emphasis is placed on genes
  of major economic importance such as those
  governing disease resistance protein quantity and
  quality, and biological stress, particularly
  stress related to the environments.
• Phone [phone]
• E-mail ksoliman_at_aamu.edu

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Faculty and Specialty

• Robert W. Taylor, Professor
• Ph.D. 1977, Michigan State University
• Research Dr. Taylor's past research focus was
  mainly in the areas of screening soybeans and
  Brady rhizobium for tolerance to soil chemical
  stresses studying the mechanism and kinetics of
  phosphate and zinc sorption on soil and mineral
  surfaces use of wastewater algal biomass as
  nitrogen fertilizer using N15-technique and
  effects of residual levels of sludge-borne toxic
  heavy metals and phosphate on soil pollution and
  phytotoxicity. His current interest focuses on
  the mechanism(s) of toxic heavy metal sorption on
  soil media particles using classical isothermic
  techniques coupled with cutting edge high
  technology methods such as synchrotron extended
  X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy
  (EXAFS).
• Phone [phone]E-mail rwtaylor_at_aamu.edu

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Faculty and Specialty

• Teferi D. Tsegaye, Associate Professor
• Ph.D. 1994, University of Maryland
• Research Soil Physics and Geostatistics
• Dr. Tsegaye's research efforts include
  developing an alternative experimental approach
  of field sampling to model and predict soil/plant
  properties using remotely sensed data and
  geostatistical techniques for application in GIS
  application of geostatistics to environmental and
  agricultural related issues nutrient and
  pesticide absorption and transport through soils
  and the mathematical estimation of the processes
  involved during such transport non-point source
  pollution models to estimate surface and
  sub-surface losses characterization of
  preferential and macro-pore flow phenomena in
  soils erosion mechanics and associated models of
  predicting erosional losses wetland hydrology
  tillage management systems and soil and water use
  management.
• Phone [phone] E-mail ttsegaye_at_aamu.edu

16
Faculty and Specialty

• Kenneth E. Ward, Assistant Professor
• Ph.D. 1989, Mississippi State University
• Research Integrated Pest Management in Forest
  Ecosystems, Insect Nutritional Ecology, Mating
  and Host-Finding Behaviors of Insect Herbivores
• Dr. Ward's past research projects include a
  study of nutritional performance in bagworm moths
  as a function of host type and affiliation,
  genetic variability in oviposition preference in
  cotton bollworm moths, and the interaction of
  mating and host-finding behaviors in cabbage
  looper moths. Current research plans include
  monitoring and studying insect populations in
  short rotation hardwood stands, including
  evaluations of insect nutritional performance and
  host resistance characteristics, and evaluation
  of quarantine methods for tree nursery stock
  infested with Japanese beetles.
• Phone [phone] E-mail aamkew01_at_aamu.edu

17
Faculty and Specialty

• Allan Zipf, Research Assistant Professor
• Ph.D. 1989, University of Montana
• Research Monocot Tissue Culture, Plant
  Transformation
• Dr. Zipf's research includes cereal protoplast
  and tissue culture systems, callus initiation and
  regeneration, cell suspensions and plant
  transformation. Current emphasis is on the
  transformation of oat explant, molecular markers
  in cotton and development of transformation
  strategies in conifers. Past research includes
  condensed tannin biosynthesis, RAPD markers in
  barley and alfalfa, plant virus purification and
  plant virus inhibitors and resistance.
•  Phone [phone]
• E-mail aamzip01_at_aamu.edu