COURSE OVERVIEW:

The only Global Hybrid Breeding Advanced Course taught by hybrid breeders! Designed for busy plant breeders, their teams, and future plant breeders, this course aids in designing and developing a true hybrid breeding engine. We cover topics from setting up breeding objectives to managing germplasm and genetic variability, understanding hybrid breeding nuances including trait organization, organizing germplasm into heterotic groups, hybrid breeding techniques, and maximizing hybrid vigor for faster genetic progress and better variety performance in farmers’ fields. In the last hour, we may invite another experienced plant breeder to join for Q&A.

This course is a recommended prerequisite for UC Davis Plant Breeding Academy.

INSTRUCTORS:

Ken Owens, Ph.D.
Ken Owens comes with over 42 years of experience in Vegetable Breeding. A University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate, Ken began his career as a cucumber and pepper breeder with Peto Seed in Woodland, California in 1982.  In 2000 he co-founded Magnum Seeds, a very successful company recognized worldwide for its innovative breeding activities in 8 vegetable classes. During his prolific career, Ken and his team bred many leading varieties for both open-field and protected culture markets. Ken is looking forward to giving back and sharing his experiences with new generations of plant breeders.

Jovan Djordjevic, Ph.D.
Dr. Jovan Djordjevic is a plant breeder and entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in the global seed industry. His career began in 1996 with Monsanto France as a corn breeder, where he built a strong foundation in hybrid breeding. In 2005, he moved to Canada to lead canola hybrid breeding, playing a key role in transitioning the crop from open-pollinated to hybrid varieties. In 2010, Jovan relocated to California—agriculture’s Silicon Valley—where he served as Global Cucurbits Breeding Director for Nunhems.
Over the course of his prolific career, he has contributed to the release of more than 200 hybrid varieties across crops such as corn, canola, tomato, pepper, sweet corn, watermelon, melon, cucumber, onion, carrot, and leek.
Jovan currently serves as Director of the UC Davis Plant Breeding Academy, where he mentors the next generation of breeders and seed professionals. He also chairs the Plant Breeding Committee for the California Seed Association.
He is a seed business owner, co-founder, and board director at Murray River Seed Co, where he remains hands-on in breeding watermelon and melon. He believes that passionate people, working closely with growers, can truly transform the produce industry for the better.

Questions? Contact us at sbc@ucdavis.edu.