Dan E. Parfitt

Education: 

• Professional postdoctoral researcher, North Dakota State University; Agronomy Department, 1979ñ1981
• Ph.D., University of WisconsinñMadison; Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics (Horticulture), 1979
• M.S., University of WisconsinñMadison; Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics (Horticulture), 1977
• B.S. (Natural Science, with honors), University of WisconsinñMadison. Biochemistry, 1973
• Staff research associate, Clinical Cancer Center, University of WisconsinñMadison; 1973ñ1974

Research interests and expertise:  Pistachio breeding: Germplasm evaluation, development of markers, and study of genetic diversity in fruit and nut crops, biocontrol yeast for control of fungal pathogens of pistachio.

Current projects: 

• Pistachio breeding. Co-PI. Craig Kallsen. California Pistachio Commission
• Biocontrol yeast. Co-PI. Sylvia Hua. USDA-ARS
• W-6 Regional Research Project. Management and Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources
• AES Hatch Project. Horticultural Crops: Pistachio, Genomics, and Biocontrol Products

Outreach and Extension:

• I contact California users of plant germplasm from the National Plant Germplasm system and report the results through the W-6 project.
• Outreach activities include answering queries from growers and presenting occasional presentations at professional meetings and to growers or the general public.

External activities that contribute to scholarship:

• American Society for Horticultural Science, Fruit Breeding Working Group member
• American Society for Horticultural Science, Temperate Tree Nut Crops Working Group member
• American Society for Horticultural Science, Genetics and Germplasm Working Group member
• W-6 Technical Committee, 1982ñpresent
• Juglans Crop Germplasm Committee, 1984ñpresent
• Minor Nut Crop Germplasm Committee, 2008ñpresent
• UC Davis Genetics Graduate Group Admissions Committee, 2005ñpresent
• UC Davis Pistachio Workgroup, 1980sñpresent
• American Association for the Advancement of Science, member
• American Society for Horticultural Science, member
• American Pomological Society, member

Prizes, Awards, Honors

• 6 pistachio patents

Keywords:

• Pistachio
• Plant breeding
• Genetics
• Fruit trees
• Nut trees