Meet the Texas Peanuts Research Team- Dr. John Cason

Because research is so important to the Texas Peanut Producers Board, we have allocated $217,000 this year toward research specific to Texas. We are excited about what is to come from this, and we would like you to meet the team handling our research projects this year. First up is Dr. John Cason.

After growing up in Abilene, John received his B.S. in Animal Science and M.S. of Agriculture from Tarleton State University. His Master’s thesis was entitled, Marker Assisted Selection in the Transfer of Root-Know Nematode Resistance in Peanut. John recently graduated from Texas A & M with his Ph.D. in plant breeding, and his dissertation was entitled Introgression Pathway for Drought Tolerance in Peanut.

He is currently employed by Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Stephenville, where his current research interests focus on variety development, quality characteristics, and disease resistance/drought tolerance identification in wild species peanut, as well as development of introgression pathways for cultivated peanuts for use by Texas/Southwestern growers.

John’s current activities involve the maintenance and use of the wild species peanut germplasm collection as well as cultivated peanut variety development and release. Some of his responsibilities include crossing, location selection, experimental design, seed preparation, planting, plot maintenance, irrigation scheduling, application of pesticide, chemigation, and individual plot application.

John also schedules and conducts harvest on the Stephenville Research and Extension Center Farm, as well as cooperators’ locations across Texas.  He is in charge of plot processing, shelling and grading, and statistical analysis of statewide breeding trials, as well as breeder seed increase and shelling.  Local cooperator interaction and speaking at field days and scientific meetings is also a current responsibility that John engages in on a regular basis.  

We greatly appreciate the work John does on behalf of Texas Peanut Producers.