Carlos UrreaPhD
Dry Bean Specialist
Extension Specialist
Office: 308-632-1230
In 2005, I joined the University of Nebraska Department of Agronomy and Horticulture as the Dry Bean Breeding Specialist at the Panhandle Research, Extension, and Education Center in Scottsbluff. Since then, I have advanced from assistant professor to full professor, handling research and extension responsibilities. My research focuses on developing well-adapted dry bean (six market classes) and chickpea cultivars/germplasm with high yield potential, multiple disease resistance, drought/heat tolerance, water use efficiency, enhanced nutrition/bioavailability, and desirable agronomic and cooking characteristics to enhance the sustainability and competitiveness of the dry bean industry in Nebraska and beyond. My breeding program is multifaceted and includes the use of genetic markers; laboratory, greenhouse, and field research (on-station and in growers’ fields); participation in multi-state/regional breeding trials; international collaborations; shuttle breeding efforts in Puerto Rico; and winter nurseries in New Zealand, Puerto Rico, and Chile.
My extension efforts focus on the timely dissemination of my latest findings, cultivar/germplasm releases, and research plans to the Nebraska dry bean industry and the bean breeding community. This includes participation in the annual Nebraska Bean Tour and the Nebraska Bean Commission research planning meetings; presentations at domestic and international meetings; and publications in referred journals (70 articles), the Bean Improvement Cooperative Annual Report, the Bean Bag (Nebraska bean industry publication), the StarHerald newspaper, and online at http://cropwatch.unl.edu/varietytest/drybeans.
I continue to secure external funds to support my research and extension efforts. I have mentored two Ph.D. and two MSc. graduate students and continue providing local and international undergraduate students with opportunities to learn about plant breeding and educational opportunities at the University of Nebraska. I am active in/serve in leadership positions in several bean breeding organizations and will host the joint North American Pulse Improvement Association (NAPIA) and Bean Improvement Committee (BIC) biennial meeting in Lincoln, Nebraska, later this year.
My extension efforts focus on the timely dissemination of my latest findings, cultivar/germplasm releases, and research plans to the Nebraska dry bean industry and the bean breeding community. This includes participation in the annual Nebraska Bean Tour and the Nebraska Bean Commission research planning meetings; presentations at domestic and international meetings; and publications in referred journals (70 articles), the Bean Improvement Cooperative Annual Report, the Bean Bag (Nebraska bean industry publication), the StarHerald newspaper, and online at http://cropwatch.unl.edu/varietytest/drybeans.
I continue to secure external funds to support my research and extension efforts. I have mentored two Ph.D. and two MSc. graduate students and continue providing local and international undergraduate students with opportunities to learn about plant breeding and educational opportunities at the University of Nebraska. I am active in/serve in leadership positions in several bean breeding organizations and will host the joint North American Pulse Improvement Association (NAPIA) and Bean Improvement Committee (BIC) biennial meeting in Lincoln, Nebraska, later this year.