Research Overview

As sessile organisms, plants need to constantly adapt to changes in the surrounding environment, such as the availability of light, nutrients and water, as well as biotic stresses. It is this developmental plasticity that is and will be crucial for adaptability in the face of ever increasing challenges in water availability, temperature stress, and soil quality. Much of a plant’s capacity to respond to the environment is provided by meristems, small groups of undifferentiated self-regenerating stem cells, continuously formed throughout development. Meristem number, position and activity are a major source of variability in the architecture of different plant species, since they determine if, when and how branches and flowers are formed during both vegetative and reproductive development. Plant architecture, extensively modified during the domestication of crop species, still represents a major target of selection in modern breeding. In particular, in cultivated grasses, vegetative and reproductive branching represents a major component of yield.

Our research focuses on identifying the genes and gene networks regulating reproductive meristem development in maize, whose activity is ultimately responsible for producing the majority of world’s grain. Ultimately, a deeper understanding of meristem function can provide new tools for practical applications in agriculture.

In my laboratory, we combine the strength of traditional forward and reverse genetics with molecular biology and genomics. We use maize mutants affected in branch and flower formation to isolate and characterize genes affecting branching in both tassels and ears, the male and female inflorescences of maize.