MSU Student Awarded Billy Moore Soybean Doctoral Fellowship
The Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board (MSPB) proudly announces John North, doctoral student at Mississippi State University (MSU), as the recipient of the Billy Moore Soybean Doctoral Fellowship. MSPB created the fellowship in honor of Billy Moore, Ph.D., emeritus professor of extension plant pathology at MSU. Recognized as a preeminent authority on Mid-South soybean diseases and their control, and as a longtime supporter of Mississippi soybean farmers, Moore is a perfect role model for future soybean scientists.
Jeff Gore, Ph.D.; and Angus Catchot, Ph.D.
Catchot and Gore will be North's co-advisors
in his Ph.D. program.
“It is a true honor to be the recipient of the Moore Fellowship,” North says. “I am looking forward to working with MSPB on future research of soybeans and will work diligently to increase my knowledge as well as that of others during my tenure at MSU.”
North’s doctoral research will focus on evaluating the effect of different seed treatments and seeding rates applied with precision planting technology, as well as timing of plant loss on soybean yield, especially in high-yield environments. He hopes this research will provide farmers with new information that can be used to reach higher levels of yield, and provide them with critical information needed to make replanting decisions when stands are reduced by diseases or insects early in the season.
“Many Mississippi farmers achieve yields well above the state average, and although these yields are very good, we may not be maximizing the full potential of the soil on every acre,” North adds. “If this research identifies only modest gains of 5 percent yield improvement on 50 percent of the planted acres, that would be a 1.25-bushel increase on approximately 1 million acres, or 1.25 million additional bushels. At $10 per bushel, this would equal $12.5 million in additional returns to farmers across the state of Mississippi.”
North received both his undergraduate degree in agronomy with a concentration in integrated pest management and his master’s degree in entomology from MSU.