Faculty profile

Bill Biligetu

ResearcherPlant Sciences/College of Agriculture and BioresourcesUniversity of Saskatchewan

This profile is built from public research funding records (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC) and PubMed. We have not imported them from a University of Saskatchewan directory, so their courses may be missing. Find their university profile.

Bill Biligetu

Researcher

Plant Sciences/College of Agriculture and Bioresources

Natural Sciences

University of Saskatchewan

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Supervision signals

Has led research grants, which requires an independent research appointment. Ask their department whether they supervise graduate students.
6 publications in the last five years, latest in 2026.
Senior (last) author on 3 recent papers, a sign of leading a research group.
Principal investigator on 4 research grants (4 NSERC), most recently in 2026.

These signals come from public records, including CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions. Ask the professor or the graduate program whether they are taking new students.

Academic metrics

Publications

Collaborators

Grants

Publications by year

Counts cover the publications linked to this profile. Citations and the h-index appear when the source records them.

Profiles and links

Search on Google Scholar

Find them onX · LinkedIn · Bluesky · YouTube

Signals and details

Research

alfalfa abiotic stress Antioxidant Enzyme gene expression ionic homeostasis perennial forage plant breeding reactive oxygen species

Latest papers

A chromosome-scale reference genome and integrative transcriptome provide insight into tissue- and stress-specific responses in tetraploid sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia).
Planta · 2026
Genomic insights into wheatgrass: unravelling genetic diversity, population structure, and evolutionary dynamics in Pseudoroegneria species.
Molecular phylogenetics and evolution · 2025
Differential gene expression of salt-tolerant alfalfa in response to salinity and inoculation by Ensifer meliloti.
BMC plant biology · 2024 · senior author

All 18 publications

Latest funding

Genetic and genomic approaches to improve a non-bloat perennial legume - Cicer milkvetch productivity and adoption in western Canada
NSERC · 2026 · Principal investigator
$129,564
Uncovering salt-tolerance mechanisms in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)
NSERC · 2023 · Principal investigator
$78,000
Development of salt tolerant alfalfa cultivar for alfalfa seed industry and beef cattle sector through precision phenotyping and marker assisted selection
NSERC · 2023 · Principal investigator
$124,785

All 7 grants and awards

18 publications.

A chromosome-scale reference genome and integrative transcriptome provide insight into tissue- and stress-specific responses in tetraploid sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia).

Nguyen CV, Cram D, Song H, Ortega Polo R, Poudel H, Biligetu B, Burton Hughes K, Acharya S, Konkin D, Singer SD

Planta2026

DOI: 10.1007/s00425-026-05021-y PMID: 42135586

Genomic insights into wheatgrass: unravelling genetic diversity, population structure, and evolutionary dynamics in Pseudoroegneria species.

Ji Y, Khan N, Chaudhary R, Perumal S, Wang Z, Hucl P, Biligetu B, Sharpe AG, Jin L

Molecular phylogenetics and evolution2025

DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2025.108397 PMID: 40555289

Differential gene expression of salt-tolerant alfalfa in response to salinity and inoculation by Ensifer meliloti.

Lundell S, Biligetu B

BMC plant biology2024Senior author

DOI: 10.1186/s12870-024-05337-5 PMID: 38971752

Effects of SNP marker density and training population size on prediction accuracy in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) genomic selection.

Wang H, Bai Y, Biligetu B

The plant genome2024Senior author

DOI: 10.1002/tpg2.20431 PMID: 38263612

Genetic diversity and local adaption of alfalfa populations (Medicago sativa L.) under long-term grazing.

Wang H, Coulman B, Bai Y, Tarˈan B, Biligetu B

Scientific reports2023Senior author

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28521-3 PMID: 36717619

Evaluation of Rumen Degradation Kinetics of Low-Lignin Alfalfa 'Hi-Gest® 360' in Saskatchewan Canada.

Damiran D, Biligetu B, Lardner H

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2023

DOI: 10.3390/ani13061047 PMID: 36978588

Transcriptomic analysis of differentially expressed genes in leaves and roots of two alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars with different salt tolerance.

Bhattarai S, Fu YB, Coulman B, Tanino K, Karunakaran C, Biligetu B

BMC plant biology2021Senior author

DOI: 10.1186/s12870-021-03201-4 PMID: 34610811

Tissue specific changes in elements and organic compounds of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars differing in salt tolerance under salt stress.

Bhattarai S, Liu N, Karunakaran C, Tanino KK, Fu YB, Coulman B, Warkentin T, Biligetu B

Journal of plant physiology2021Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2021.153485 PMID: 34358945

Advancing crested wheatgrass [Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn.] breeding through genotyping-by-sequencing and genomic selection.

Baral K, Coulman B, Biligetu B, Fu YB

PloS one2020

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239609 PMID: 33031422

Effect of stage of maturity at harvest for forage pea (Pisum sativum L.) on eating behavior, ruminal fermentation, and digestibility when fed as hay to yearling beef heifers.

Pursley AA, Biligetu B, Warkentin T, Lardner HA, Penner GB

Translational animal science2020

DOI: 10.1093/tas/txz167 PMID: 32704975

Genetic and genomic approaches to improve a non-bloat perennial legume - Cicer milkvetch productivity and adoption in western Canada

Principal investigatorNSERC2026Advantage

Principal investigators: Biligetu, Bill

Keywords: Crop management (pest,disease control and breeding)

$129,564

Uncovering salt-tolerance mechanisms in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)

Principal investigatorNSERC2023Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Biligetu, Bill

Keywords: salt tolerance; perennial forage; gene expression; plant breeding; ionic homeostasis; reactive oxygen species; abiotic stress; alfalfa; root physiology; antioxidant enzyme

$78,000

Development of salt tolerant alfalfa cultivar for alfalfa seed industry and beef cattle sector through precision phenotyping and marker assisted selection

Principal investigatorNSERC2023Alliance Grants

Principal investigators: Biligetu, Bill BT

Keywords: alfalfa; farm profitability; marginal land improvement; mitigation of greenhouse effect; molecular marker development; new agronomic information; precision phenotyping for germplasm; salt tolerant breeding; soil carbon; soil health

$124,785

Optimizing plant interactions with mycorrhizal fungi to improve forage productivity and stress tolerance

Co-investigatorNSERC2021Alliance Grants

Principal investigators: Bennett, Jonathan JA

Keywords: beneficial microbes; biofertilizers; forage production; mycorrhizal fungi; plant breeding; plant-soil feedbacks; plant-soil interactions; plant stress tolerance

$191,420

Perennial forage grains for fall grazing of beef cattle_x000d_ _x000d_

Co-investigatorNSERC2018Strategic Projects - Group

Principal investigators: McGeough, Emma

$806,945

Investigating salinity tolerance in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.): modern synchrotron and molecular approaches

Principal investigatorNSERC2016Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Biligetu, Bill

$196,000

Development of hybrid bromegrass cultivars with enhanced NDF digestibility

Co-investigatorNSERC2015Collaborative Research and Development Grants

Principal investigators: Penner, Gregory

$31,500

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their NSERC grant from 2026

Subject: Prospective PhD student: alfalfa Dear Professor Biligetu, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "A chromosome-scale reference genome and integrative transcriptome provide insight into tissue- and stress-specific responses in tetraploid sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia)." (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your NSERC-funded project "Genetic and genomic approaches to improve a non-bloat perennial legume - Cicer milkvetch productivity and adoption in western Canada" (2026), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]

Something wrong or missing on this profile? Suggest a correction

Bill Biligetu

Research

Latest papers

Latest funding

A chromosome-scale reference genome and integrative transcriptome provide insight into tissue- and stress-specific responses in tetraploid sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia).

Genomic insights into wheatgrass: unravelling genetic diversity, population structure, and evolutionary dynamics in Pseudoroegneria species.

Differential gene expression of salt-tolerant alfalfa in response to salinity and inoculation by Ensifer meliloti.

Effects of SNP marker density and training population size on prediction accuracy in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) genomic selection.

Genetic diversity and local adaption of alfalfa populations (Medicago sativa L.) under long-term grazing.

Evaluation of Rumen Degradation Kinetics of Low-Lignin Alfalfa 'Hi-Gest® 360' in Saskatchewan Canada.

Transcriptomic analysis of differentially expressed genes in leaves and roots of two alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars with different salt tolerance.

Tissue specific changes in elements and organic compounds of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars differing in salt tolerance under salt stress.

Advancing crested wheatgrass [Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn.] breeding through genotyping-by-sequencing and genomic selection.

Effect of stage of maturity at harvest for forage pea (Pisum sativum L.) on eating behavior, ruminal fermentation, and digestibility when fed as hay to yearling beef heifers.

Genetic and genomic approaches to improve a non-bloat perennial legume - Cicer milkvetch productivity and adoption in western Canada

Uncovering salt-tolerance mechanisms in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)

Development of salt tolerant alfalfa cultivar for alfalfa seed industry and beef cattle sector through precision phenotyping and marker assisted selection

Optimizing plant interactions with mycorrhizal fungi to improve forage productivity and stress tolerance

Perennial forage grains for fall grazing of beef cattle_x000d_ _x000d_

Investigating salinity tolerance in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.): modern synchrotron and molecular approaches

Development of hybrid bromegrass cultivars with enhanced NDF digestibility

Frequent collaborators

Chithra Karunakaran

Peiqiang Yu

Karen Tanino

Lingling Jin

Herbert Lardner

Abdelali Hannoufa

Bill Biligetu

Research

Latest papers

Latest funding

A chromosome-scale reference genome and integrative transcriptome provide insight into tissue- and stress-specific responses in tetraploid sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia).

Genomic insights into wheatgrass: unravelling genetic diversity, population structure, and evolutionary dynamics in Pseudoroegneria species.

Differential gene expression of salt-tolerant alfalfa in response to salinity and inoculation by Ensifer meliloti.

Effects of SNP marker density and training population size on prediction accuracy in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) genomic selection.

Genetic diversity and local adaption of alfalfa populations (Medicago sativa L.) under long-term grazing.

Evaluation of Rumen Degradation Kinetics of Low-Lignin Alfalfa 'Hi-Gest&#xae; 360' in Saskatchewan Canada.

Transcriptomic analysis of differentially expressed genes in leaves and roots of two alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars with different salt tolerance.

Tissue specific changes in elements and organic compounds of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars differing in salt tolerance under salt stress.

Advancing crested wheatgrass [Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn.] breeding through genotyping-by-sequencing and genomic selection.

Effect of stage of maturity at harvest for forage pea (Pisum sativum L.) on eating behavior, ruminal fermentation, and digestibility when fed as hay to yearling beef heifers.

Genetic and genomic approaches to improve a non-bloat perennial legume - Cicer milkvetch productivity and adoption in western Canada

Uncovering salt-tolerance mechanisms in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)

Development of salt tolerant alfalfa cultivar for alfalfa seed industry and beef cattle sector through precision phenotyping and marker assisted selection

Optimizing plant interactions with mycorrhizal fungi to improve forage productivity and stress tolerance

Perennial forage grains for fall grazing of beef cattle_x000d_ _x000d_

Investigating salinity tolerance in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.): modern synchrotron and molecular approaches

Development of hybrid bromegrass cultivars with enhanced NDF digestibility

Frequent collaborators

Chithra Karunakaran

Peiqiang Yu

Karen Tanino

Lingling Jin

Herbert Lardner

Abdelali Hannoufa

Evaluation of Rumen Degradation Kinetics of Low-Lignin Alfalfa 'Hi-Gest® 360' in Saskatchewan Canada.