October 16, 2024
Sun Queen, a unique Bermuda grass variety, was developed by Melodee Fraser, the first female graduate of MSU’s turfgrass management program.
A turfgrass innovation, detailed in a Mississippi State University news release. is now capturing global attention as it takes root on lawns, golf courses and sports fields worldwide. Sun Queen, a unique Bermuda grass variety, was developed by Melodee Fraser, the first female graduate of MSU’s turfgrass management program. Fraser, now the director of research at Pure-Seed Testing, Inc. (PST) in North Carolina, began work on Sun Queen in 2011, combining her expertise and a passion for plant breeding that took hold during her MSU days in the 1980s.
“I grew up on the golf course, where my dad worked as a superintendent, and I pursued turfgrass management intending to follow in his footsteps,” said Fraser. “But in my studies at MSU, I discovered a profound interest in plant research and breeding.”
Following her Ph.D. at Rutgers University, Fraser joined PST, where she rekindled her connection to MSU’s Bermuda grass breeding program, led by the now-retired Wayne Philley of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station (MAFES). After securing a legal agreement in 2010, PST and MSU began crossbreeding Philley’s plant collection with PST’s Bermuda grass material.
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