Plant Breeding Technician

Biological technologists and technicians provide technical support and services to scientists, engineers and other professionals working in fields such as agriculture, resource management, environmental protection, plant and animal biology, microbiology, cell and molecular biology and health sciences, or may work independently in these fields. They are employed in both laboratory and field settings by governments, manufacturers of food products, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, biotechnology companies, health, research and educational institutions, environmental consulting companies, and resource and utilities companies.

Typical Duties:

• Employs various techniques to improve existing plant varieties;
• Creates new plant varieties with the goal of improving appearance, resistance to disease, or crop yields;
• Devises experiments to address research goals set by plant scientists;
• Analyzes agricultural crops to increase crop nutrition;
• Undertakes laboratory, greenhouse, and field trials;
• Analyses and interprets data that comes out of experimental trials;
• Selects parent plants for cross-breeding;
• Writes technical reports.

Educational Requirements:

Two-year or three-year college program in a field related to agriculture