Mark Brand

Professor of Horticulture and Plant Breeding, Nursery Extension Specialist

---

Education

• PhD Ornamental Horticulture, 1988, The Ohio State University
• MS Ornamental Horticulture, 1985, The Ohio State University
• BS Ornamental Horticulture, 1982, Cornell University

Areas of Interest

• Woody landscape plants and nursery crops
• Ornamental plant breeding
• Aroniaberry fruit production

Courses

• SPSS 3410/SAPL 410: Woody Plants: Common Trees, Shrubs and Vines
• SPSS 3640/SAPL 640: Plant Propagation

Research/Extension Projects

Woody Ornamental Breeding Program

Our breeding efforts are focused on development of new ornamental plants that are sustainable in the landscape and provide solutions to landscape issues such as invasiveness, support of pollinators, desire for compact plants, and superior performance under stressful conditions. Over the last two decades the Brand lab has produced 33 new plant introductions, 27 licensed plants, 33 royalty generating cultivars, 16 plant patents, and 3 registered trademarks. Plants have been licensed by prominent national branding programs including Proven Winners, Better Homes & Gardens/Walmart, Ball Horticulture, Monrovia, First Editions, American Beauties and SynRG. Significant plant material contributions have been made with sterile Japanese barberries, dwarf butterfly bushes, chokeberries (Aronia), cold hardy rhododendrons, and sand cherries. The Brand lab has also introduced the NativeStar® series of improved native shrubs. Breeding approaches include ploidy manipulation, mutation breeding and interspecific and intergeneric hybridization to create new plants. Current breeding efforts are focused on Pieris, Clethra, shrub dogwoods, yellow rhododendron, and native shrubs.

Aroniaberry Nutraceutical Fruit Production

Large-fruited aroniaberry (Aronia mitschurinii) is a new fruit crop that produces berries that look similar to blueberries and contain very high levels of antioxidant anthocyanins and polyphenols. The Brand lab has been working to determine the complex ploidy genetics of Aronia, uncover the intergeneric origins of the large-fruited forms, and move forward with breeding to expand the genetic base of this emerging fruit crop. Other Aronia work is focused on crop production looking at grafting, pruning and fertilization.

Industrial Hemp

My industrial hemp research, in collaboration with Jessica Lubell, is focused on optimizing tissue culture micropropagation, development and evaluation of feminized seed for production, and ploidy breeding for the development of new and improved industrial hemp germplasm.

Currently accepting graduate students.

Recent Honors and Awards

Patents and Trademarks

• PP17,944 Panicum virgatum ‘RR1’ Ruby Ribbons®
• PP22,465 Buddleja davidii ‘Summer Skies’
• PP28,409 Buddleja davidii ‘UCONNBD599’ Soda Pop™ Lavender
• PP28,408 Buddleja davidii ‘UCONNBD603’ Soda Pop™
• PP28,372 Buddleja davidii ‘UCONNBD604’ Soda Pop™ Blue
• PP27,471 Buddleja davidii ‘UCONNBD610’ Soda Pop™ Purple
• PP30,095 Berberis thunbergii ‘UCONNBTCP4N’ Crimson Cutie
• PP30,128 Berberis thunbergii ‘UCONNBTB039’ Mr. Green Genes
• PP30,127 Berberis thunbergii ‘UCONNBTB048’ Lemon Glow
• PP30,094 Berberis thunbergii ‘UCONNBTB113’ Lemon Cutie
• PP28,789 Aronia melanocarpa ‘UCONNAM165’ LowScape® Mound
• PP28,831 Aronia melanocarpa ‘UCONNAM166’ LowScape® Hedger
• PP31,821 Aronia melanocarpa ‘UCONNAM012’ Ground Hug™
• PP29,575 Prunus x cistena ‘UCONNPC001’ Dark Star®
• PP33,014 Prunus pumila ‘UCONNPP002’ Jade Parade™
• PP32,238 Comptonia peregrina ‘Blue Sea’ NativeStar®

Raise the Roof® – collection of cold hardy large leaf rhododendrons

NativeStar® – collection of improved forms of New England native shrubs