Richard Boyles

Assistant Professor of Plant Breeding & Genetics
Plant and Environmental Sciences Department, PeeDee Research and Education Center

Office: 210 Pitner Center
Phone: 843-519-0488

Email: rboyles@clemson.edu

Educational Background

Ph.D. Genetics
Clemson University 2016

B.S. Biological Sciences
University of South Carolina 2012

Research Interests

My research focuses on cereal crop improvement using a combination of traditional and advanced plant genetics and breeding approaches. My interests are (1) to develop crop varieties and hybrids with superior performance in the region, (2) to broaden the current gene pool that exists in regional breeding populations, and (3) to identify useful genes and alleles for important traits in grass row crops including grain yield and quality components.

Publications

BOOK CHAPTERS
Boyles R*, Rhodes DH, Yerka MK, Hayes CM, Brenton ZW, Behnke M, Emendack Y, Sanchez J (2024) Progress in, Targets of, and Resources for Mining Alleles in Sorghum Candidate Genes, In: Kole C, Pradhan SK, Tiwari VK (Eds.) Allele Mining for Genomic Designing of Cereal Crops (pp. 182-209). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

Mason E, Roberts T, Boyles R, Acuna A, Arguello M, Ballesteros D, Subramanian N (2021) Molecular breeding for improving waterlogging resistance in wheat. In: Alam M, Hossain M, Henry R, Seneweera S, Rakshit S (Eds.) Molecular breeding in wheat, maize, and sorghum: Strategies for improving abiotic stress tolerance and yield (pp. 90-115). Boston, MA: CAB International Publishing.


REFEREED JOURNAL ARTICLES SINCE 2020
Mergoum M, Johnson JW, Sutton S, Lopez B, Bland D, Buck JW, Buntin GD, Mailhot DJ, Harrison SA, Murphy JP, Mason RE, Sutton RL, Babar MA, Ibrahim AMH, Boyles R, Brown-Guedira GL, Baik BK, Chen Z, Marshall D, Cambron SE, Chen X, Cowger C. GA 071518-16E39: A New Adapted Soft Red Winter Wheat Cultivar to Georgia and the USA Southeast Region. Journal of Plant Registrations 19(1):e20405. doi:10.1002/plr2.20405

Mergoum M, Johnson JW, Sutton S, Lopez B, Bland D, Buck JW, Buntin GD, Mailhot DJ, Harrison SA, Murphy JP, Mason RE, Sutton RL, Babar MA, Ibrahim AMH, Boyles R, Brown-Guedira GL, Baik BK, Chen Z, Marshall D, Cambron SE, Chen X, Cowger C. Registration of GA 09436-16LE12: A new soft red winter wheat cultivar adapted to the USA Southeast region. Journal of Plant Registrations 19(1):e20403. doi:10.1002/plr2.20403

Shakiba E, DeWitt N, Babar MA, Boyles R, Mergoum M, Sutton R, Lyerly J, Murphy JP, Harrison, S (2024) Soft red winter wheat elite germplasm screening and evaluation for stripe rust in the US southeast region. Agriculture 14(12):2140. doi:10.3390/agriculture14122140

Yu J, Wei J, Guo T, Mu Q, Alladassi M, Mural R, Boyles R, Hoffmann Jr L, Hayes C, Sigmon B, Thompson A, Salas-Fernandez M, Rooney WL, Kresovich S, Schnable J, Li X. Genetic and environmental patterns underlying phenotypic plasticity in flowering time and plant height in sorghum. Plant, Cell & Environment. doi:10.1111/pce.15213

Windsor N, Boatwright JL, Boyles R, Bridges W, Rubiales D, Thavarajah D (2024) Biofortifying dry pea (Pisum sativum L.) for improved performance and nutrition. Legume Science 6(3):e250. doi:10.1002/leg3.250.

Ballén-Taborda C†, Lyerly J, Smith J, Howell K, Brown-Guedira G, DeWitt N, Ward BP, Babar MA, Harrison SA, Mason RE, Mergoum M, Murphy JP, Sutton R, Griffey CA, Boyles R* (2024) Identifying superior parental combinations through simulation of progeny performance in winter wheat. Crop Science 64(4):2195-2211. doi:10.1002/csc2.21266.

Babar MA, Harrison SA, Blount A, Barnett RD, Johnson J, Mergoum M, Mailhot DJ, Murphy JP, Mason RE, Shakiba E, Ibrahim AM, Sutton R, Simoneaux B, Boyles R, DeWitt N, Stancil B, Marshall D, Fountain M, Klos KE, Khan N, Wallau M, Jordan Jr HG, Ma X, Arbelaez J (2024) Registration of 'FL12034-10' oat: A new dual-purpose disease resistant cultivar for Florida and southern United States. Journal of Plant Registrations 18(2):254-261. doi:10.1002/plr2.20362

Kumar N, Boatwright JL, Boyles R, Brenton ZW, Kresovich S (2024) Identification of pleiotropic loci mediating structural and non-structural carbohydrate accumulation within the sorghum bioenergy association panel using high-throughput markers. Frontiers in Plant Science 15:1356619. doi:10.3389/fpls.2024.1356619.

Patil NY, Hoffmann Jr L, Winans N, Perumal R, Hayes CM, Emendack Y, Boyles R, Dahlberg J, Klein RR, Klein PE, Rooney WL (2024) Registration of sorghum backcross-nested association mapping (BC-NAM) families in a BTx623 or RTx436 background. Journal of Plant Registrations 18:204-219. doi:10.1002/plr2.20286

Kumar N, Boatwright JL, Sapkota S, Brenton ZW, Ballén-Taborda C, Myers MT, Cox WA, Jordan KE, Kresovich S and Boyles R* (2023) Discovering useful genetic variation in the seed parent gene pool for sorghum improvement. Frontiers in Genetics 14:1221148. doi:10.3389/fgene.2023.1221148

DeWitt N, Lyerly J, Guedira M, Holland JB, Ward BP, Murphy JP, Boyles R, Mergoum M, Babar A, Shakiba E, Sutton R, Ibrahim A, Tiwari V, Santantonio N, Van Sanford DA, Howell K, Smith JH, Harrison SA, Brown-Guedira G. Bearded or smooth? Awns improve yield when wheat experiences heat stress during grain fill. Journal of Experimental Botany 74(21):6749-6759. doi:10.1093/jxb/erad318.

Boyles R*, Ballén-Taborda C, Brown-Guedira G, Costa J, Cowger C, DeWitt N, Griffey CA, Harrison SA, Ibrahim A, Johnson J, Lyerly J, Marshall DS, Mason RE, Mergoum M, Murphy JP, Santantonio N, Saripalli G, Sutton R, Tiwari V, Van Sanford D, Winn ZJ (2023) Approaching 25 years of progress toward Fusarium Head Blight resistance in southern soft red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L). Plant Breeding 143:66-81. doi:10.1111/pbr.13137

Schoen A, Wallace S, Holbert MF, Brown-Guidera G, Harrison S, Murphy JP, Santantonio N, Van Sanford D, Boyles R, Mergoum M, Rawat N, Tiwari V (2023) Reducing the generation time in winter wheat cultivars using speed breeding. Crop Science 63(4):2079–2090. doi:10.1002/csc2.20989

Babar MA, Harrison SA, Blount A, Barnett RD, Johnson J, Mergoum M, Mailhot DJ, Murphy JP, Mason RE, Ibrahim A, Sutton R, Simoneaux B, Boyles R, Stancil B, Marshall D, Fountain M, Klos KE, Khan N, Wallau M, Jordan HG (2023) ‘FLLA09015-U1’: A broadly adapted dual-purpose oat cultivar for southern USA. Journal of Plant Registrations 17(2):228-233. doi:10.1002/plr2.20249

Wenndt A, Boyles R, Ackerman A, Sapkota S, Repka A, Nelson R (2023) Host determinants of fungal species composition and symptom manifestation in the sorghum grain mold disease complex. Plant Disease 107(2). doi:10.1094/PDIS-03-22-0675-RE.

Babar MA, Harrison SA, Blount A, Barnett RD, Johnson J, Mergoum M, Mailhot DJ, Murphy JP, Mason RE, Ibrahim A, Sutton R, Simoneaux B, Boyles R, Stancil B, Marshall D, Fountain M, Klos KE, Khan N, Wallau M, Jordan HG, Ma X, Arbalaez J (2023) ‘FLLA11019-8’: A new dual-purpose facultative oat cultivar for grain and forage production in the southern United States. Journal of Plant Registrations 17(2):238:246. doi:10.1002/plr2.20272

Kumar N, Boatwright JL, Brenton Z, Sapkota S, Ballén-Taborda C, Myers M, Cox WA, Jordan K, Kresovich S, Boyles R* (2023) Development and characterization of a sorghum Multi-parent Advanced Generation InterCross (MAGIC) population for capturing diversity among seed parent gene pool. G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics jkad037. doi:10.1093/g3journal/jkad037

Sapkota S, Boatwright JL, Kumar N, Myers M, Cox WA, Ackerman A, Caughman W, Brenton Z, Boyles R, Kresovich S (2022) Genomic prediction of hybrid performance for agronomic traits in sorghum. G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics jkac311. doi:10.1093/g3journal/jkac311

Ballén-Taborda C, Lyerly J, Smith J, Howell K, Brown-Guedira G, Babar MA, Harrison S, Mason RE, Mergoum M, Murphy JP, Sutton R, Griffey C, Boyles R* (2022) Utilizing genomics and historical data to optimize gene pools for new breeding programs: A case study in winter wheat. Frontiers in Genetics 13:964684

Winn Z, Lyerly J, Ward B, Brown-Guedira G, Boyles R, Mergoum M, Johnson J, Harrison S, Babar A, Mason RE, Sutton R, Murphy JP (2022) Profiling of Fusarium head blight resistance QTL haplotypes through molecular markers, genotyping-by-sequencing, and machine learning. Theoretical Applied Genetics 135:3177–3194. doi:10.1007/s00122-022-04178-w

Kumar N, Brenton Z, Myers M, Boyles R, Sapkota S, Boatwright JL, Cox A, Jordan K, Kresovich S (2022) Registration of the sorghum carbon-partitioning nested association mapping (CP-NAM) population. Journal of Plant Registrations 16:656-663. doi:10.1002/plr2.20229

Boatwright JL, Sapkota S, Jin H, Schnable J, Brenton Z, Boyles R, Kresovich S (2022) Sorghum Association Panel whole-genome sequencing establishes cornerstone resource for dissecting genomic diversity. The Plant Journal 111:888-904.

Mergoum M, Johnson J, Buck J, Buntin D, Sutton S, Lopez B, Mailhot D, Chen Z, Bland D, Harrison S, Murphy JP, Mason RE, Sutton R, Babar A, Brown-Guedira, Ibrahim A, Boyles R, Baik B-K, Marshall D, Griffey C, Cambron S, Chen X, Cowger C (2022) A new soft red winter wheat cultivar ‘GA 08535-15LE29’ adapted to Georgia and the U.S. southeast region. Journal of Plant Registrations 16:597-605. doi:10.1002/plr2.20235

Boyles R*, Ackerman AJ, Kresovich S (2022) Traits and underlying genetics important for low-input organic sorghum production. Crop Science 62:753–766. doi:10.1002/csc2.20693

Ackerman AJ, Holmes R, Gaskins E, Jordan K, Hicks D, Fitzgerald J, Griffey C, Mason RE, Harrison S, Murphy JP, Cowger C, Boyles R*(2022) Evaluation of methods for measuring Fusarium-damaged kernels of wheat. Agronomy 12:532. doi:10.3390/agronomy12020532

Thavarajah D, Lawrence T, Powers S, Kay J, Thavarajah P, Shipe E, McGee R, Kumar S, Boyles R (2022) Organic dry pea (Pisum sativum L.) biofortification for better human health. PLOS ONE 17:e0261109. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0261109

Mural R, Grzybowski M, Miao C, Damke A, Sapkota S, Boyles R, Salas-Fernandez M, Schnable P, Sigmon B, Kresovich S, Schnable J (2021) Meta-analysis identifies pleiotropic loci controlling phenotypic trade-offs in sorghum. Genetics 218:iyab087. doi:10.1093/genetics/iyab087

Ackerman AJ, Wenndt AJ, Boyles R* (2021) The sorghum grain mold disease complex: Pathogens, host responses, and the bioactive metabolites at play. Frontiers in Plant Science 12:893. doi:10.3389/fpls.2021.660171

Mergoum M, Johnson J, Buck J, Sutton S, Lopez B, Bland D, Chen Z, Buntin G, Mailhot D, Babar MA, Mason R, Harrison S, Murphy JP, Ibrahim A, Sutton R, Simoneaux B, Griffey C, Bockelman H, Baik B-K, Marshall D, Cowger C, Brown-Guedira G, Kolmer J, Jin Y, Chen X, Cambron S, Boyles R (2021) A new soft red winter wheat cultivar, 'GA 051207-14E19', adapted to Georgia and the US Southeast environments. Journal of Plant Registrations 15:337-344. doi:10.1002/plr2.20113

Boatwright JL, Brenton Z, Boyles R, Sapkota S, Myers M, Jordan K, Dale S, Shakoor N, Cooper E, Morris G, Kresovich S (2021) Genetic characterization of a Sorghum Bicolor multiparent mapping population emphasizing carbon-partitioning dynamics. G3 Genes Genomes Genetics 11:jkab060. doi:10.1093/g3journal/jkab060

Mergoum M, Johnson J, Buck J, Sutton S, Lopez B, Bland D, Chen Z, Buntin G, Mailhot D, Babar MA, Mason E, Harrison S, Murphy JP, Ibrahim A, Sutton R, Brown-Guedira G, Simoneaux B, Bockelman H, Baik B-K, Marshall D, Cowger C, Kolmer J, Jin Y, Chen X, Cambron S, Boyles R (2021) Soft Red Winter Wheat, ‘GA 051207-14E53’: Adapted Cultivar to Georgia and the USA Southeast Region. Journal of Plant Registrations 15:132-139. doi:10.1002/plr2.20102

Shields L, Gang Y, Jordan K, Sapkota S, Boatwright J, Jiang X, Kresovich S, Boyles R* (2021_ Genome-wide association studies of antimicrobial activity in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]. Crop Science 61:1301-1316. doi:10.1002/csc2.20348

Ibrahim A, Sutton R, Johnson J, Mergoum M, Simoneaux B, Harrison S, Murphy J, Mason R, Babar A, Neely C, Opena G, Jin Y, Kolmer J, Boyles R, Cambron S, Baik B-K, Brown-Guedira G, Marshall D, Fountain M (2020) Registration of ‘GA06343-13E2 (TX-EL2)’ soft red winter wheat. Journal of Plant Registrations 15:107-112. doi:10.1002/plr2.20031

Disharoon A, Boyles R, Jordan K, Kresovich S (2020) Exploring diverse sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) accessions for malt amylase activity. Journal of the Institute of Brewing 127:5-12. doi:10.1002/jib.628

Sapkota S, Boatwright J, Jordan K, Boyles R, Kresovich S (2020) Identification of novel genomic associations and gene candidates for grain starch content in sorghum. Genes 11:1448. doi:10.3390/genes11121448

Sapkota S, Boatwright J, Jordan K, Boyles R, Kresovich S (2020) Multi-trait regressor stacking increased genomic prediction accuracy of sorghum grain composition. Agronomy 10:1221. doi:10.3390/agronomy10091221

Brenton Z, Juengst B, Cooper E, Myer M, Jordan K, Dale S, Glaubitz J, Wang X, Boyles R, Connelly E, Kresovich S (2020) Species-specific duplication event confers adaptive benefits in Sorghum bicolor. G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics. doi:10.1534/g3.119.400921

Sapkota S, Boyles R, Cooper E, Brenton Z, Myers M, Kresovich S (2020) Impact of sorghum racial structure and diversity on genomic prediction of grain yield components. Crop Science. doi:10.2135/cropsci2019.04.0221

Links

Meet Richard Boyles