Research Project Archive

Welcome to the online home of one of the world’s largest hibiscus breeding programs. On this page you will find a gallery of unique hybrids developed in our program, existing varieties, information about hibiscus events, news about developing hibiscus varieties, opportunities to engage with the breeding program at Vernon and information on where to purchase hibiscus varieties bred here.  Hibiscus...

The Specialty and Organic Crop Breeding program at the Texas A&M AgriLife Center in Vernon aims to develop specialty crop cultivars that are uniquely suitable to organic cropping systems in Texas and beyond. The specialty program is led by Waltram Ravelombola, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences in...

Our research approach focuses on sustainable production of animal protein from agricultural ecosystems. The research program adopts a soil to sirloin or pasture to plate perspective, where the sustainability of the entire systems from soil conservation to animal production. Current research focuses on integrating molecular genomics of cattle and their gut bacteria with the latest...

The Vernon Center’s Forage Breeding Program produces cool-season perennial forage grasses that are resilient to climate change in the Southern Great Plains. The ornamental plant breeding program has developed an array of novel flower colors in winter-hardy and tropical hibiscus species. For information on licensing any of these plants, contact Janie Hurley at jhurley@tamu.edu or...

The ever-increasing pressure for land and water resources requires their efficient use to meet various agricultural and non-agricultural needs. The overall goal of the Agrohydrology research program is to develop and evaluate climate-resilient, regenerative agricultural strategies for conserving soil and water, enhancing crop water productivity, and protecting soil and water quality in diverse agroecosystems. We...

The Rangeland Ecophysiology research program aims to improve the understanding of leaf-, plant-, and stand-level physiological processes in rangeland settings. A greater understanding of the bio-physical mechanisms behind the interactions between plants, soils, the abiotic environment, livestock, and wildlife enhances our ability to predict how vegetation will respond to future changes in climate and land...

The Natural Resource Economics research program addresses the connections and interdependence between human economies and agriculture within the Texas Rolling Plains and Texas High Plains regions. This program considers the economic impacts resulting from the decisions made by producers and policy makers related to agriculture and natural resource management. The overall objective of the program...

The grazing ecology & management project includes ranch-scale and multi-county assessments to determine best practices for rangeland management. The team works to regenerate soil health and ecosystem function in North American grazing ecosystems. Project objectives: Determine the extent that grazing strategies influence key ecosystem services.The team takes into account soil carbon sequestration, soil fertility and...

The overarching goal of the Environmental Soil Science program is to protect water resources while maintaining agricultural production goals. We are evaluating several agricultural management practices and their impact on environmental and economic sustainability. Sustainability often starts with a healthy and functional soil ecosystem. Some of the practices evaluated include conservation tillage systems, diversified cropping...

The wheat breeding program works to design wheat varieties that can be adapted for different regions and management programs in Texas. Through breeding improvements and better management practices, wheat yield has increased from 20 bushels per acre in the 1960s to 30 bushels per acre today. The wheat breeding program in Vernon is run in...