Professor and plant breeder Asheesh K. (Danny) Singh has been named to the George Sprague Professorship in Agronomy by the Department of Agronomy in Iowa State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Singh succeeds William Beavis, professor emeritus in agronomy, who has served in the position since 2007. It is quite an honor to be associated with Dr. Sprague, one of the foremost plant breeders, Singh said. His work is still relevant and is an inspiration to continue exploring all available tools and technologies to address the complex production challenges ahead of us.

The Sprague endowed chair, established in 2005, is funded by the Agronomy Endowment. Sprague is considered one of the fathers of modern maize breeding. In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, he is credited with discovering hybrid corn, and his Iowa Stiff Stalk Synthetic is the germplasm foundation for many commercial corn hybrids.