Joyce Eckhoff – Can Cadmium Levels in Durum be Managed?

Joyce Eckhoff earned a PhD in Agronomy/Plant Genetics from the University of Arizona in 1985. Since then, she's worked at the Montana State University Eastern Agricultural Research Center in Sidney and currently holds the position of Research Agronomist. Most of her research is with small grains, including a small durum breeding project. In addition to this, Eckhoff also does research on sugar beets, pulse crops, and other alternative crops.

Eckhoff states, "Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal that accumulates in plants, and durum happens to accumulate more Cd than other grains such as wheat or barley. The European Union has established a level of 0.2 ppm of Cd in durum grain. Cd levels are affected by soil properties, and there are some management practices that can reduce the amount of Cd accumulated. There is also a single dominant gene that reduces accumulation in the grain."

Join Joyce Eckhoff on Tuesday, February 4th at 3:50pm at the Grand Williston Hotel to learn more about managing Cd.