Research Geneticist, USDA, Agricultural Research Service
Adjunct Professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University

USDA ARS Pecan Breeding & Genetics
10200 FM 50 S
Somerville, TX 77879
tel: 979-272-1402
fax: 409-272-1401
email: tommy.thompson@ars.usda.gov

Tommy Thompson received his B.S. in Agricultural Education and M.S. in Plant Breeding and Genetics from Texas A&M University in 1966 and 1970, respectively. He received his Ph.D. from Purdue University in Genetics and Plant Breeding in 1973. He became a member of the graduate faculty at TexasA&M in 1990.

Dr. Thompson directs the multilocation national ARS pecan breeding program. This is the largest, and essentially the only, pecan breeding program in the world. The primary mission of the program is to develop, test and release superior pecan scion cultivars and rootstocks for all pecan growing areas of the U.S. Thisuncludes planning and making controlled pollinations, growing and fruiting seedling progenies, evaluating and selecting promising seedlings, establishing and maintaining performance test sites across the U.S. and releasing superior new cultivars. Dr. Thompson conducts research to determine inheritance of major traits such as yield and disease resistance. Also, he assists Dr. L. J. Grauke in developing and maintaining a collection of pecan cultivars and other clones and related species in the National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Pecan and Hickories. Also, he serves as the Chairperson of the Crop Germplasm Committee for Pecan and Hickories.

Dr. Thompson has experience in breeding other crops such as sunflower, alfalfa, sorghum, flax, and perennial forage grasses. He has taught beginning genetics and advanced theoretical genetics classes at Purdue and West Texas A&M Universities. He has served as a member of the graduate faculties and directed graduate students at Purdue, North Dakota State University, and West Texas A&M University. He has published over 200 scientific papers.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Thompson, T. E. and Grauke, L. J.  ‘Mandan’ pecan: trial cultivar for all pecan growing areas.  HortScience 45(9):1392-1393. 2010.

Thompson, T. E. and Grauke, L. J.  ‘Apalachee’ pecan: trial cultivar for all pecan growing areas.  HortScience 45(9):1386-1387. 2010.

Thompson, T. E. and Madden, G. D.  Pecans. In Fulbright, D. W. (ed.) A Guide to Nut Tree Culture in North America. Vol.1.  pp.79-104. N. Nut Growers Assn. 2003. (Book chapter).

Thompson, T. E. and Baker, J. F. Heritability and phenotypic correlations of six pecan nut characteristics. J. Amer Soc. Hort. Sci. 118(3):415 418. 1993.

Thompson, T. E. and Grauke, L. J. Pecans and hickories (Carya). pp 839 904. In Moore, J. N. and Ballington, J. R. (eds.). Genetic Resources of Temperate Fruit and Nut Crops, Intl. Soc. for Hort. Sci., Wageningen. 974 pp. 1991. (Book chapter)

Thompson, T. E. and Hunter, R. E. ‘Pawnee’ pecan. HortScience  20(4):776. 1985.

Thompson, T. E. and Young, E. F., Jr. Pecan cultivars past and present. Texas Pecan Growers Assn., College Station. 265 pp 1985. (Book)

Thompson, T. E. and Romberg, L. D. Inheritance of heterodichogamy in pecan. J. Hered. 76(6):456-458. 1985.

Rogers, C. E., Thompson, T. E. and Seiler, G. J. Sunflower species of the United States. Natl. Sunflower Assn., Bismarck, ND. 75 pp. 1982. (Book)

Shade, R. E., Thompson, T. E. and Campbell, W. R. An alfalfa weevil larval resistance mechanism detected in Medicago. J. Econ. Entomol. 18:399 404. 1975.