Larry Smart

About

Larry Smart is a Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics in the Horticulture Section of the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University, based at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva. He is a plant geneticist and breeder who employs genomic tools to understand the biology of key traits and to breed improved varieties of five crops: hemp for grain, fiber, and cannabinoids; shrub willow for bioenergy, forage, and environmental applications; hop for craft breweries in New York; flax for technical fibers and textiles; and rhubarb as a food ingredient. His research focuses on hybrid vigor, sex determination, and disease resistance. Larry earned a BS in Biology from Cornell University, a PhD in Genetics from Michigan State University, and was an NSF post-doctoral fellow at UC Davis. Outside of his professional work, he enjoys running, cycling, skiing, photography, hiking, gardening, and DIY projects around the house, and is a fan of Cornell men’s hockey and the Buffalo Bills.

Research topics

• Biology
• Genetics
• Evolutionary biology
• Horticulture
• Agronomy
• Botany
• Computational biology
• Biotechnology
• Medicine

Selected publications

• A willow sex chromosome reveals convergent evolution of complex palindromic repeats

  Genome biology · 2020 · 136 citations

  BACKGROUND: Sex chromosomes have arisen independently in a wide variety of species, yet they share common characteristics, including the presence of suppressed recombination surrounding sex determination loci. Mammalian sex chromosomes contain multiple palindromic repeats across the non-recombining region that show sequence conservation through gene conversion and contain genes that are crucial for sexual reproduction. In plants, it is not clear if palindromic repeats play a role in maintaining…

  DOI

• Development and validation of genetic markers for sex and cannabinoid chemotype in <i>Cannabis sativa</i> L.

  GCB Bioenergy · 2020 · 123 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  Abstract Hemp ( Cannabis sativa L.) is an emerging dioecious crop grown primarily for grain, fiber, and cannabinoids. There is good evidence for medicinal benefits of the most abundant cannabinoid in hemp, cannabidiol (CBD). For CBD production, female plants producing CBD but not tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are desired. We developed and validated high‐throughput PACE (PCR Allele Competitive Extension) assays for C. sativa plant sex and cannabinoid chemotype. The sex assay was validated across a w…

  DOI

• A General Model to Explain Repeated Turnovers of Sex Determination in the Salicaceae

  Molecular Biology and Evolution · 2020 · 97 citations

  Dioecy, the presence of separate sexes on distinct individuals, has evolved repeatedly in multiple plant lineages. However, the specific mechanisms by which sex systems evolve and their commonalities among plant species remain poorly understood. With both XY and ZW sex systems, the family Salicaceae provides a system to uncover the evolutionary forces driving sex chromosome turnovers. In this study, we performed a genome-wide association study to characterize sex determination in two Populus spe…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Season‐long characterization of high‐cannabinoid hemp (<i>Cannabis sativa</i> L.) reveals variation in cannabinoid accumulation, flowering time, and disease resistance

  GCB Bioenergy · 2021 · 94 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  Abstract Given the dramatic rise in high‐cannabinoid hemp ( Cannabis sativa L.) production in the last decade, there is an increasingly urgent need to characterize available germplasm and develop knowledge to accelerate the breeding of uniform and stable cultivars. Despite persistent cultivation of hemp cultivars for grain and or fiber around the world, the diversity and genetic underpinning of key traits for breeding and cultivation are poorly understood. For 30 high‐cannabidiol hemp cultivars…

  DOI

• Phylogenomics reveals patterns of ancient hybridization and differential diversification that contribute to phylogenetic conflict in willows, poplars, and close relatives

  Systematic Biology · 2023-07-14 · 30 citations

  article

  Despite the economic, ecological, and scientific importance of the genera Salix L. (willows) and Populus L. (poplars, cottonwoods, and aspens) Salicaceae, we know little about the sources of differences in species diversity between the genera and of the phylogenetic conflict that often confounds estimating phylogenetic trees. Salix subgenera and sections, in particular, have been difficult to classify, with one recent attempt termed a "spectacular failure" due to a speculated radiation of the su…

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Dimensions US-China: Collaborative Research: Allozomes and dioecy in plants as drivers of multi-level biodiversity

  NSF · $398k · 2016–2021

Frequent coauthors

• Michelle J. Serapiglia

  Cornell University

  96 shared

• Kimberly D. Cameron

  92 shared

• Lawrence P. Abrahamson

  State University of New York

  70 shared

• Richard F. Kopp

  64 shared

• Craig H. Carlson

  Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center

  58 shared

• Timothy A. Volk

  SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

  57 shared

• Lei Zhang

  Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital

  43 shared

• Lei Zhang

  Beijing Chaoyang Emergency Medical Center

  43 shared

Labs

• Larry Smart LabPI

Education

• B.S., Biology

  Cornell University

• Ph.D., Genetics

  Michigan State University

• Other, NSF Postdoctoral Fellow

  UC-Davis

Similar researchers at Cornell University

• Mark Sorrellsh-91
• Michael Goreh-61
• Walter De Jongh-34