Project Number: 5442-21220-026-05
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 14, 2012
End Date: Sep 13, 2017

Objective:
Investigate changes in plant hormone levels and gene expression in leafy spurge roots, buds, and shoots.

Approach:
Leafy spurge is perennial weeds that display dormancy in underground adventitious buds that can be manipulated by chemical, physical, and environmental treatments. In response to such treatments, physiological and biochemical methods will be employed to determine changes in the level of plant hormones. Likewise, transcriptomics approaches like qRT-PCR and RNA sequencing will be used to determine changes in the expression of genes involved in plant hormone metabolism and signaling. Data obtained will be reviewed to identify potential molecular targets with signal transduction pathways that hold the most potential for manipulating dormancy and vegetative reproduction. Experiments aimed at our objective will be conducted in the laboratory, greenhouse, and field.