Mark Brick
Former Department Head
Former Department HeadPlant Breeding and Genetics
Emeritus Professor
C102 Plant Sciences
(970) 491-6551
Bio:
Mark Brick was a Professor and former Department Head in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at CSU. He earned a Ph.D. degree in Plant Breeding and Genetics from the University of Minnesota in 1980, an M.S. from the University of Arizona in 1975, and the B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in 1972. He grew up on a small dairy farm in eastern Wisconsin, which he operated prior to military service. His professional activities are: seed production, plant breeding, statistics, and production agriculture. His research interests in plant breeding include, disease resistance, high yield potential, upright plant architecture, and human health benefits of dry bean.
Research Interests:
Dr. Brick is the project leader for one of five public sector dry edible bean breeding projects in the U.S. The main goal of the program is to develop improved dry edible bean varieties for growers and the industry throughout the western region for irrigated and non-irrigated production in the High Plains. The project has released 12 varieties and more than 12 germplasm lines since 1993. A major research emphasis is to better understand the health beneficial properties of grain legumes and their nutritional value. In collaboration with Dr. Henry Thompson, they published the first documentation that beans in the diet reduced the incidence and severity of mammary cancer in a preclinical model. The project also conducts research on molecular marker assisted selection, nutritional aspects of crops, seed production, and statistical approaches to experimental design.