This web site is intended for the use of all shareholders in the Oklahoma wheat continuum, from seed producer to end-user, from ag consultant to media representative.

Wheat Improvement research in Oklahoma is driven by an interdisciplinary team of scientists housed in OSU's Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, charged with developing highly-adapted winter wheat cultivars with marketable grain-quality.  This team is committed to strengthening the Oklahoma wheat industry by enhancing its genetic resources, a mission that could not be accomplished without contributions from other state, federal, and private researchers.

Agronomic research goals emphasize the improvement of resistance to leaf rust, stripe rust, soil-borne mosaic virus, aphids, and tolerance to low-pH, A1-toxic soils.  Selection has long been performed under a grain-only management system, but resources are being re-channeled toward selection in a dual-purpose environment under the GRAZEnGRAIN© breeding system.  Emphasis on grain quality has traditionally focused on physical kernel characteristics and breadmaking quality, but the arrival of Hard White Winter wheat to the southern Great Plains has turned our attention to a new set of traits, such as kernel color, sprouting tolerance, and noodle quality.

Program support is administered by the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station (OAES) through the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences.  Funding is derived from a partnership between the OAES, the Oklahoma Wheat Commission, and the Oklahoma Wheat Research Foundation.  This partnership ensures linkage of the Wheat Improvement Program to the collective needs of Oklahoma's wheat industry. Scientists located at the USDA-ARS Plant Science and Water Conservation Research Laboratory conduct genetic investigations critical to the program.

Program direction is provided by the OSU Wheat Genetics Chair, currently occupied by Brett F. Carver.  The original occupant of the Chair was Edward L. Smith, from 1989 to 1997.