Steven W. Ritchie
Senior Research Associate
Crop Protection
Trait and Technology Development
Office Phone: (515) 270-9578
E-mail: ritchiesw@pioneer.com
Steve Ritchie obtained his M. S. degree in Soil Fertility at Iowa State Univ. in 1982, and subsequently pursued the Ph. D. degree in Plant Physiology at the Univ. of Wisconsin- Madison. Prior to accepting his current position with Pioneer Hi-Bred, Steve worked with the USDA's Agricultural Research Service in Texas, Indiana and North Carolina. Due to his education and experience, Steve has developed broad expertise in agricultural production, whole plant physiology and molecular biology, with a particular emphasis on the maize plant.
While at Iowa State Univ., Steve pursued various research projects, but his
Master's thesis consisted of a re-examination and updating of a maize staging
system originally proposed 20 years earlier by his major professor, Dr.
John J. Hanway. This eventually resulted in Iowa State Extension's
Special Report #48,
"
How a Corn Plant Develops," a well-known and often-quoted publication.
Steve's perfectionism, attention to detail and devotion to the maize plant
combined to produce one of the classics in the
literature of maize. As part of his duties as research assistant,
Steve also produced an equivalent publication for soybean: Special Report #53,
"
How a Soybean Plant Develops."
Steve currently does basic research in molecular techniques for maize crop protection.
Steven J. Lupkes
Engineer
During the time that Steve Ritchie pursued his M. S.
degree at Iowa State Univ., Lupkes and he were colleagues. Lupkes was the
research technician for Dr. Hanway's research project, and the two "Steves"
provided mutual assistance to each other, and developed a strong friendship.
During this time, Lupkes also pursued an M. S. degree in Soil Fertility. He
subsequently was employed by Pioneer Hi-Bred Corporation, and worked at company
facilities in Illinois and Michigan, before returning to Iowa and, coincidentally, once again
resuming a professional relationship with Steve Ritchie. Lupkes is involved
in the design of Pioneer Hi-Bred's seed processing plants.
Comments and suggestions to Ricardo J. Salvador, salvador@iastate.edu
