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Agriculture

Clemson hosts the world’s leading laboratory for fruit tree genomics. Scientists are seeking to identify and characterize genes that confer natural resistance to plum pox virus, one of the 10 most dangerous threats of bioterrorism listed by the federal government. They are also investigating the use of transgenic technologies to improve fruit tree stress-resistance, produce superior fruit and expand the growing area.

Additional research focuses on genes that control peach bud dormancy. Findings from this research may extend the growing season and lead to an understanding of the dormancy process in temperate deciduous trees.

Other research has led to the discovery of a gene in an orchid that may offer natural protection against fungi that reduce peach crop yields. Clemson scientists are seeking to characterize and harness this gene so it can be used to create a peach rootstock that is resistant to oak root rot, a disease that kills thousands of peach trees every year.

Another project investigates spider silk to understand the molecular structure of the world’s strongest fiber and to develop a way to mass-produce this substance in yeast bioreactors and in crop plants such as tobacco. Once sufficient quantities of the artificial silk can be produced, the next challenge is to develop a method of spinning it into fiber for textile production.

Functional genomics and molecular genetics are helping unravel how legumes interact with bacteria in the soil to generate their own fertilizer by capturing nitrogen from the air in the plants’ nodules. The goal is to transfer this ability to other crops, thus reducing the need for farmers to apply nitrogen fertilizers that can run off the fields into surrounding streams and lakes.

Fluorescence microscopy and functional genomics are being used to discover how plant proteins sense the presence of glucose and how they transmit the signal that activates genes that control plant growth and development. This groundbreaking research will initially help improve agricultural crop yields and may provide insight into the hormonal role that sugars play in human development and disorders such as diabetes and obesity.

Other plant protein investigations focus on the role of calcium sensors that regulate plant growth and development, pathogen defense and resistance to environmental stresses such as drought, salinity or extreme temperatures. One application of this research could be to engineer important crop species with altered levels of the proteins to enhance stress tolerance and thus increase crop production.