Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Plant, Soil and Nutrition Research » Docs » Kochian
Selected PublicationsPersonal BioCV and Full Publication ListURLs for kochian

KOCHIAN RESEARCH PROGRAM

pict of leon kochian

Leon V. Kochian
Research Leader
Phone: (607) 255-5480
Fax: (607) 255-2459
E-mail: Leon.Kochian@ars.usda.gov
 

pict of plant physiology cover

Some of our work on the molecular genetics and physiology of aluminum tolerance has been featured on the cover of the Plant Physiology. See the citations for Larsen et al and Degenhardt et al in my CV for the publications relating to this research.
Our research program focuses on the molecular physiology of plant mineral nutrition with a particular focus on plant responses to abiotic stresses in the soil. There are four major projects currently underway:
  1. How do crop plants tolerate the abiotic stresses on acid soils, which comprise up to 50% of the world's arable lands? This research involves identifying genes and the associated physiological mechanisms that confer tolerance to a primary stress on acid soils, aluminum (Al) toxicity. We have cloned or are in the process of identifying Al tolerance genes in the cereal crops sorghum, maize and rice, and are studying how these genes function and are regulated. We are also interested in plant tolerance to the other primary stress on acid soils, phosphorous deficiency, with a focus on the role of root architecture in this trait (see below).
  2. The phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated soils, primarily from the perspective of elucidating fundamental mechanisms of heavy metal transport, tolerance and accumulation. This research focuses on the heavy metal (Zn and Cd) hyperaccumulator, Thlaspi caerulescens, as a model plant system for studying heavy metal accumulation in plants.
  3. Novel tools for imaging the entire root system of crop plant species in 2- and 3-dimensions, and the development of quantitative descriptors for root architecture traits, in order to facilitate the genetic mapping of different components of root architecture. We are particularly interested in how root architecture facilitates the uptake of sparingly available nutrients, with a focus on P acquisition on acid soils and water uptake under drought.
  4. Research on fundamental aspects of plant mineral nutrient transport with emphasis on improving the accumulation and the availability of Fe in cereal seeds.