Craig Yencho

Craig Yencho is the William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor and Program Leader for the Sweetpotato and Potato Breeding and Genetics Programs at North Carolina State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He leads research focused on developing disease and insect-resistant sweetpotato and potato varieties adapted to North Carolina's conditions, emphasizing root/tuber quality and commercial viability.

Dr. Yencho holds a PhD in Entomology/Plant Breeding from Cornell University (1993), an MS in Entomology from Washington State University (1985), and a BS in Bioscience from Penn State (1982). His research integrates genomics, molecular biology, and traditional breeding to enhance crop resilience and nutritional value, with significant contributions to international agricultural development.

His research interests span plant breeding methodologies, pathogen/insect resistance mechanisms, and the application of genomic tools to improve sweetpotato and potato. He collaborates on projects such as the Sweetpotato Genomics initiative and the Potato Breeding Program.

Recent work focuses on genomic-assisted breeding for nutritional quality, flavor enhancement, and resistance traits. He has pioneered studies on root architecture and storage root metabolism, leveraging advanced phenotyping and bioinformatics approaches.

Dr. Yencho's labs and teams include the Plant Breeding and Sweetpotato and Potato Genetics groups, with active collaborations in Uganda and other regions to address global food security challenges.