Wes Malloy Is Cotton Genetics Research Award Recipient

NEW ORLEANS – Wes Malloy, who has served as site manager of the Cotton Winter Nursery in Tecoman, Mexico for the past 38 years, is the recipient of the 2013 Cotton Genetics Research Award.

The announcement was made here on January 7 during the 2014 Beltwide Cotton Improvement Conference, which convened as part of the National Cotton Council-coordinated 2014 Beltwide Cotton Conferences. In recognition, Malloy received a plaque and a monetary award.

Since its inception more than 60 years ago, the Cotton Winter Nursery has been operated jointly by the National Cotton Council, USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS), and the Southern Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors (SAAESD). The nursery's tropical location shortens the time required to study and develop new varieties by allowing researchers to raise two generations of cotton each year. It also provides a habitat for raising and studying many collected wild cotton varieties.

During Malloy's tenure, he has effectively managed a crew of 50-plus staffers in overseeing more than a million research plots at the nursery, which supports public and several private sector cotton breeding programs.

One of Malloy's nominators, Cotton Incorporated's Agricultural Research Director Dr. Don Jones, said that hundreds of research projects and breeding stocks have been successfully developed as a result of Malloy's cooperative efforts.

"Wes has earned our trust, respect, and admiration through the results he has achieved and his personal interactions in the research community," Jones said. "Wes has not only been proficient in producing high quality seed for the community's needs, but he has also shown a willingness to deviate from the norm to adopt special techniques to ensure success of special project needs. Without his assistance, the genetic gain that has been achieved in cotton would not have been possible."

Another nominator, Dr. Todd Campbell, an ARS research geneticist in Florence, SC, was in agreement saying that for the 10 years he has used the nursery he has been amazed at Malloy's effective management.

"Despite hurricanes and unforeseen weather, the nursery has never been a failure in my 10 years," Campbell said. "His top-notch management of day-to-day operations has been instrumental in the development of new cultivars, germplasm lines, genetic stocks and genetic breeding populations."

Campbell noted that Malloy's communications skills not only have helped in handling complicated instructions for breeding materials but have been "instrumental in navigating discussions, agreements and working relationships with our Mexican government counterparts."

Malloy, who resides in nearby Colima, Mexico, earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Texas, El Paso in 1973.

U.S. commercial cotton breeders have presented the Cotton Genetics Research Award for more than 40 years to a scientist for outstanding basic research in cotton genetics. The Joint Cotton Breeding Committee, comprised of representatives from state experiment stations, USDA, private breeders and the NCC, establishes award criteria.