Agricultural Sciences

Biography

W. James Grichar has been employed with Texas A&M AgriLife Research for over 45 years with an emphasis on research in agronomy, plant pathology, and weed science. He obtained his BS from Texas A&M in 1972 and his Masters of Plant Protection in 1975. He has published 195 journal articles, over 330 research reports and briefs, 11 book chapters, and over 300 abstracts of profession meetings. He also directs research in many crops including corn, grain sorghum, peanuts, and sesame. He has held various positions in different professional societies including the American Peanut Research and Education Society, Southern Weed Science Society, and Texas Plant Protection Conference in addition to being Associate Editor for Peanut Science and Weed Technology. Significant accomplishments have included spearheading efforts to determine the optimum planting time for soybean production along the upper Texas Gulf Coast. These efforts have shown growers that soybean yields can be improved by 10 to 20% by following a late March to early April plant date. He also has been instrumental in developing a herbicide program for peanut production in the south Texas growing region. Through the development and use of herbicides that are effective against major weed problems in the south Texas region, peanut yields have increased by 25 to 30%.