Samuel Fernandes, a new agricultural statistician, joined the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station in June.
Samuel Fernandes, assistant professor of agricultural statistics, combines advances in computer science with elements of agriculture to help plant breeders, growers, and consumers.
“Sometimes we don’t have the time or the resources to do the appropriate experiment that we would need to answer some specific questions,” Fernandes said. For example, surveying plants at more than 1,000 locations is not feasible, but computer programs allow researchers to assess certain conditions over many years.
“It’s a simplification of real life, but it’s something that allows us to answer a lot of useful questions.”
Fernandes, originally from Minas Gerais, Brazil, joined the Agricultural Statistics Laboratory at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station in June. He will primarily divide his research between the Departments of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, and Horticulture.
Before joining Experiment Station, the research arm of the Division of Agriculture of the University of Arkansas System, Fernandes investigated the development and application of multivariate methods on genomic plant breeding data as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Illinois.
He developed a simulation package called “simplePHENOTYPES” in the statistical program R.
The package helps researchers simulate phenotypic observations based on molecular marker data, Fernandes said.
They can use these observations to test different methods, such as one to detect the number of genes involved in a trait, he said. If researchers apply their method to simulated yield data, for example, they will know whether or not their model is adequate to detect the genes responsible for real plant yield data.
“If we run it on real data, we would never be sure of the performance of our method,” Fernandes said. In real data, it is unknown how many genes are involved in the genetic architecture of a given trait.
The Fernandes simulation was released in early 2020 and is over 12,000 downloadshe said.
At the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, your research will focus on quantitative genetics. He will use his previous programs and methods at the university to help other researchers develop new plant varieties and research tools.
“Dr. Fernandes’s background and knowledge in genetics has the potential to greatly strengthen our plant breeding programs,” said Jeff Edwards, director of the department of crop, soil and environmental sciences in the Division of Agriculture of the System of the University of Arkansas and the Dale Bumpers College. Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.
“His research will enable our soybean and rice breeders to be more accurate and efficient in selecting traits that will benefit Arkansas stakeholders,” said Edwards.
Fernandes is already discussing eminent collaborations with many University of Arkansas researchers, including Margaret Worthington, assistant professor of fruit genetics and breeding, and Christian De Guzman, assistant professor of rice genetics and breeding.
Fernandes’ collaborative approach to research is a great strength, Edwards said. “I am looking forward to integrating her experience and skill set into our current research programs and seeing her efforts push us in new directions.”
Fernandes will also teach introductory statistics classes through the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas.
“I have focused a lot on quantitative genetics, but now I will have the opportunity to go back a little further and work with this area that I have always loved,” Fernandes said of teaching statistics classes.
Fernandes had to travel through many passions to find where he is now. His father is a rancher, so animals and plants have always been of interest to him. But he also enjoyed computing and wanted to pursue it as well.
It wasn’t until he had an internship in plant breeding that he felt he had found the field with the right mix of plants and informatics.
Fernandes received his bachelor’s degree in agronomy from the University of Brasilia in 2010. He received his master’s and doctorate degrees. in genetics and plant breeding from Lavras University in 2012 and 2016, respectively.
With her background in plant research, she said she hopes to be able to communicate data effectively to students and researchers.
“In addition to having that education, I grew up on a farm, my father is a rancher,” Fernandes said. “So, I know what they are talking about when they come to talk to me about things related to agriculture.
“I think that could be a beneficial thing for research and teaching here.”
For more information on the Division of Agriculture’s research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: aaes.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch.
For more information about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.
About the Agriculture Division: The mission of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting credible research with the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land-grant educational system. The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 Arkansas counties and faculty at five system campuses. The Division of Agriculture of the University of Arkansas System offers all of its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital status, or status. veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.