Savoy is a medium maturing, medium height line maturing about one day earlier than AGS 2035 in Georgia. The variety has good resistance to races of leaf rust, stripe rust and powdery mildew in the southeast and Georgia. It has good resistance in the field to current biotypes of Hessian fly in Georgia and soil-borne mosaic virus with acceptable milling and baking quality. The variety is marketed exclusively by Crop Production Services
Breeder
Dr. Jerry Johnson
Dr. Jerry W. Johnson is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Georgia in the Department of Crop and Soil Science where he has been leading the successful small grain breeding program and educating UGA graduate students since 1977.
Born in Perry, Ga., Dr. Johnson was raised on a family farm growing peanuts, cotton, corn, and swine. Prior to his appointment at UGA, Dr. Johnson was the small grain breeder at the University of Maryland.
His research focuses on the development of small grain cultivars and germplasm with superior productivity, disease and insect resistance, and milling and baking quality. He has released or co-released more than 33 small grain cultivars. The program identifies, incorporates and evaluates potential cultivars for their agronomic suitability and capacity to resist economically important pests such as leaf rust, powdery mildew, and Hessian fly. This research also emphasizes the identification and utilization of marker-assisted selection of genes resistant to important diseases and insects.
Dr. Johnson, named a Fellow in the American Society of Agronomy and the Crop Science Society of America, is the recipient of numerous state and national awards, including the Georgia Crop Improvement Association Superior Service Award (1993), Georgia Superintendent Friend of Education Award, American Society of Agronomy Career Research Award - Southern Branch (2000), University of Georgia Alumni Association Outstanding Faculty Award (2003), and Georgia Seedsmen Association Outstanding Service Award (2009).
Dr. Johnson graduated from Purdue University with a M.S. and a Ph.D. in Plant Breeding and Genetics. He earned a B.S. degree in Agronomy from the University of Georgia and an associate degree from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
Affiliations
- University of Georgia
- The Department of Crop and Soil Science