Plant Breeding and Genetics is one of the core research and graduate training programs in the K-State Agronomy Department. The program has focused the majority of the assigned resources to wheat, sorghum, soybean, and canola improvement. This program consists of seven primary faculty members with major research responsibilities located at Manhattan. Two additional faculty members are responsible for coordinating Crop Variety Testing and Foundation Seed Production that provide services in identification of superior varieties or hybrids and the production and distribution of pure seed of superior varieties. The commitment to germplasm and cultivar development has been a central strength of the research and extension activities of this group. While the KSU biotechnology program has grown, steps have been taken to strengthen and upgrade that component of the plant breeding and genetics program. Many faculties have active programs with molecular components, including QTL mapping, gene tagging, and marker-assisted selection. They interact closely with other faculties in the K-State interdepartmental genetics program in molecular breeding and gene discovery.