The vascular system of plants is a network of tubes that functions much like the veins and arteries of animals. However, in plants, vascular cells also are important for structural support, and form during the development of all plant organs. The goal of this research is to learn more about how the vascular system in plants forms, and how it can be manipulated to increase plant productivity. Both biochemical and genetic approaches will be used to find genes that are important for making the different types of cells that form the vascular system, with the goal of identifying genes that can be manipulated to increase the amount and quality of the vasculature in plants. These genes can then be used to help develop crops that can withstand extreme conditions. In the 1960s, the vigor of standard cereal crops such as rice and wheat were limiting for food production. The creation of new varieties that were shorter and did not fall over as easily led to increased production of grains and averted a major food crisis. Today, as the citizens of the world face climate change with its more volatile weather, an understanding of how the vasculature forms is needed so that they can be manipulated to alter the strength and function of stems and other plant organs in extreme and volatile environments. Undergraduate positions supported by this award will be filled by Arizona students from low-income backgrounds. Teachers from local high schools will be supported through this award to develop lesson plans about plant genomics and biotechnology for their high school classes.
