Ashrafi, Hudson

Associate Professor Horticultural Science
hashraf2@ncsu.edu
530-902-0674

Hudson has a BS in Agronomy and Plant Breeding and an MS in Plant Breeding. He received his Ph.D. from Penn State University in 2007 in Plant Breeding and Genetics. He moved to UC Davis as a postdoc scholar in 2008, and a few years later, he worked at UC Davis as a senior scientist in bioinformatics. Hudson joined the Department of Horticultural Science at NC State University as an assistant professor in April 2015. NC State has an excellent reputation for being one of the leading institutes in the US in plant breeding. Thus, NC State has given him a perfect opportunity to realize his dreams. There is a wealth of blueberry germplasm at NC State, and the blueberry program at NC State dates back to the 1950s. At the blueberry genomics lab at NC State, He incorporates genomics and bioinformatics tools into the traditional blueberry and muscadine breeding programs. His lab uses genome and transcriptome sequencing to study genes involved in different biological processes, including flowering, fruit ripening, and biotic and abiotic stresses. He is teaching an undergraduate course in small fruit production and a graduate-level course in breeding with genomics.

Type(s) of International Experience:
Speaker at an international conference | Other international activities | Host for international faculty | Host for international post-doc

Research Focus:

Our research is focused on breeding for blueberries and cultivar development. Climate change, the global market, the labor for hand-picking, and fruit quality have had a large impact on our decision-making on the farm. On one hand, we select the genotypes that are late blooming to avoid cold spells in March when the blueberries are blooming, and on the other hand, we have to consider all other factors mentioned above in selecting the new genotypes. We believe traditional breeding has proven to work in the past and will work in the future. Marker-assisted breeding for woody plants works with traits that are controlled by single genes or QTLs with a large effect. Mapping QTLs will help identify markers that are linked to certain genes with large effects, however, yield and other more complex traits such as flavor and firmness require more quantitative approaches by the use of genomic selection models.

Language(s):
English | French | Persian (Farsi)

Projects:
Borlaug Fellowship Proposal Turkey – Apomixis in Gene Level Development project
07/04/2022 - 08/30/2023
Funding Agency/Sponsor: Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) | U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Institutional Partner:

To study the conservation of Tunisian olives genetic resources and enhance the quality of olive oil by the use of molecular markers Research project
03/31/2021 - 02/28/2023
Funding Agency/Sponsor:
Institutional Partner:

USDA-FAS Borlaug – Scientific Research Exchange Program Turkey – Wheat Genetics Research project
01/01/2020 - 08/31/2021
Funding Agency/Sponsor:
Institutional Partner: Ankara University, Turkey

BFP17 Morocco (Hamim) Biotech @NCSU Research project
08/15/2017 - 09/30/2019
Funding Agency/Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Institutional Partner:

Project Collaborations:
A public private partnership to uncover genetic treasures in Rubus
01/01/2019 - 12/31/2026
Funding Agency/Sponsor:
Institutional Partner: Cornell University, USA | University of Arkansas, USA | USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USA
Borlaug Fellowship Program - Tunisia Olive Conservation
03/31/2021 - 03/30/2023
Funding Agency/Sponsor: Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)
Institutional Partner:
Borlaug Fellowship Program - Morocco
01/01/2018 - 09/30/2019
Funding Agency/Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Institutional Partner: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), USA Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, USA

CALS International Programs

Faculty Overview

Ashrafi, Hudson