Plant Grafting
Biology of Graft Incompatibility
We're investigating graft incompatibility in the Solanaceae, by comparing the anatomical and transcriptomic response between compatible and incompatible graft combinations.
Long-distance Communication
Graft-induced Vigor
Vegetable crop grafting onto interspecific hybrid rootstocks is used world-wide to increase abiotic and biotic stress tolerance and boost fruit production. We're using genetics, transcriptomics, ionomics, and molecular and developmental characterization of vigorous tomato grafts to better understand the genetic basis of this phenomenon
Characterizing Graft "Mobileomes"
We're using heterograft genomics to characterize which RNAs and proteins move, understand how they move, and determine whether they have a function
Sustainable Agriculture
Making a Hybrid Soybean
Soybean is a self-pollinated crop, and therefore lacks the natural benefits of hybrid breeding. In collaboration with the Meyers Lab, we're working on re-engineering soybean into an outcrossing crop