My research is concerned with the genetic analysis and manipulation of economically important plants, with current emphasis on strawberry and quinoa. We are using a combination of conventional, molecular, and cytogenetic techniques to construct a strawberry genome map, to compare genome structures among strawberry (Fragaria) species, and to trace the evolutionary history of the strawberry. We are also identifying, cloning, and characterizing genes controlling economically important traits such as disease resistance, photoperiod sensitivity, and fruit and flower color. For a genomic project relevant to the re-domestication of quinoa, we are assembling locally adapted germplasm from the genus Chenopodium. The development of new types of molecular markers useful for plant genome mapping and phylogenetic investigations is also an important focus of our research.

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COLSA Faculty and Staff