Mission:
The Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health consists of two Research Units: the Plant, Soil and Nutrition Research Unit, and the Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research Unit. The Center conducts a broad range of agricultural research, including: 1) the elucidation of genetic systems related to virulence in important plant pathogens, 2) development of the knowledge and tools to provide innovative pest-disease management to reduce the use of synthetic chemical pesticides and to provide, safe, long-term control of agricultural pests, 3) improvement of crops for human nutrition/health and tolerance to soil-related abiotic stresses, 4) research integrating computational biology, bioinformatics, and functional genomics to study cereal genomes and important aspects of crop biology in multiple crops, and 5) biotechnology risk assessment. A unifying theme for the Center is the synthesis and integration of state-of-the-art methods in molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, physiology, and microbiology as well as in bioinformatics/computational biology to dissect and understand both complex plant traits and microbial processes important for agricultural and environmental stewardship. This information is used to facilitate crop improvement and environmental protection through both traditional and molecular breeding as well as plant biotechnology and improved agricultural and environmental practices.