Stress & Local Adaptation
Exploring the genetic basis of leaf cuticular evaporation rate in maize
Maize (Zea mays L.) is the largest cereal crop cultivated for food, feed and fuel throughout the world. Although yields of maize have increased concomitantly during the past decades, drought sensitivity continues to limit yield, especially in rainfed production...
read moreEffects of combined drought and heat stresses on vitamin levels in maize grain
In tandem with the VitaMaize investigations, our group is evaluating carotenoid (provitamin A) and tocochromanol (vitamin E) nutritional profiles in grain, as well as whole-plant physiological responses and agronomic productivity, of 350 maize hybrids under combined...
read morePhytophthora capsici population genetics and host plant tolerance
Phytophthora blight, caused by the oomycete plant pathogen Phytophthora capsici, poses a significant risk to vegetable production globally. As P. capsici is readily dispersed in contaminated soil, water, and plant tissue, the recent increase in large-scale flooding...
read moreImproving water use efficiency in biomass sorghum
Water Efficient Sorghum Technologies (WEST) is developing crops that use less water to produce more biomass. The first step to achieve this goal is to measure evaporation on a large scale. We use our expertise in remote sensing and high-throughput phenotyping to...
read moreField-based high-throughput phenotyping of stress-responsive traits in cotton
The efficient and effective development of high-yielding, stress-resilient crop varieties is contingent on the ability to relate genotype to phenotype in the face of a changing climate. Recent innovations in DNA sequencing technologies have accelerated the development...
read moreHigh-Throughput Phenotyping for Effective Water Use with aquaDust Sensors
The increased frequency and severity of drought and heat conditions are big threats for the global crop production. To address this challenge, one of the solutions is to develop superior crop varieties with better effective water use (EWU). To achieve this goal, it is...
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