Ahasanul Hoque Defends Plant Sciences Ph.D. Dissertation

Ahasanul Hoque successfully defended his Plant Sciences Ph.D. dissertation, “Genetic Analysis, Association Mapping and Genomic Prediction for Different Traits in a Diverse Flax Germplasm Collection”, on June 17, 2022, at North Dakota State University. His advisor is Md Mukhlesur Rahman, associate professor and leader of the oilseed (canola and flax) crops breeding program.

Hoque explored the molecular marker-based genetic diversity, marker-trait associations, and optimization of genomic prediction models for different traits in a flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) germplasm collection. He also investigated the inheritance pattern of qualitative traits considering diverse parents and wild relatives. He found that incorporation of Asian and European genotypes to NDSU parental stock expands its genetic base. In addition, specific traits can be improved without phenotyping by using a genomic prediction model. “The overall findings [of this research] will help the NDSU flax breeder to design a suitable breeding scheme for the improvement of flax,” says Hoque.

Hoque is from Nilphamari, Bangladesh, and completed his B.S. in Agriculture with honors and his M.S. in Genetics and Plant Breeding at Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh. He says that the NDSU Department of Plant Sciences equips students with cutting-edge plant breeding tools and techniques as well as professional skills to succeed in a career in agriculture.

During his time at NDSU, Hoque received the Charles and Linda Moses Presidential Graduate Fellowship in 2019 and 2020 and the Prem Jauhar Crop Science Research Award scholarship in 2018. He was inducted into the NDSU Chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the Honor Society of Agriculture, in 2018, and was awarded the Excellence Award for his first place presentation at the 35th Annual Plant Science Graduate Symposium in 2019. He also was a member of the Crop Science Society of America.

Hoque has accepted a position as an assistant professor in the Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding at Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh.

His graduate committee members were Rahman, Elias Elias, Xuehui Li, and Luis del Rio Mendoza.

Author: Kamie Beeson
Editor: Karen Hertsgaard