The Science of Alt Protein: Bean breeding and genetics for sustainable protein production

Learn how advances in dry bean breeding and genetics can support both agricultural performance and food quality outcomes. Please join us for our next Science of Alt Protein seminar, featuring Dr. Valerio Hoyos-Villegas, who leads the dry bean breeding and genetics program at Michigan State University. His work focuses on developing high-performing dry bean cultivars that can withstand environmental pressures while delivering strong processing and nutritional quality, including protein, for both industry and consumers. In this webinar, Dr. Hoyos-Villegas will share insights from his team’s work in dry bean genetics and genomics, statistical and population genetics, and the application of high-throughput phenotyping to evaluate agronomic traits and processing quality. The seminar will also feature Dr. Karen Cichy, a close collaborator of Dr. Hoyos-Villegas and a Research Plant Geneticist at USDA-ARS. Dr. Cichy’s work focuses on increasing the consumption of beans and other pulses by improving nutritional, culinary, and end-use quality traits—addressing key factors that influence consumer acceptance. Together, the speakers will highlight how advances in dry bean breeding and genetics can support both agricultural performance and food quality outcomes.