Plant thiamin metabolism
We are investigating genetic and environmental factors that control thiamin accumulation in food crops to find strategies that maximize yield and the nutritional content of crops. Recently, we became interested in the contribution of thiamin produced by the soil microbiome on plants’ thiamin overall budget. Our main crop of interest is potato.
Thiamin as a primer of plant defenses
We are investigating the effectiveness of priming plant defenses with thiamin to control potato diseases such as early blight, late blight, common scab, and potato virus Y. We are also studying the molecular mechanisms of thiamin priming by combining transcriptomics and metabolomics approaches.
Potato – Potato Virus Y Molecular Interactions
We are studying the interactions between potato and Potato Virus Y (PVY), a pathogen that is currently threatening the potato industry, and trying to identify control methods against PVY. In particular, through transcriptomics analyses, we have identified genes whose expression change substantially upon PVY inoculation. We are characterizing the function of those genes in the context of resistance to PVY. More recently, we have started to investigate the effects of heat on potato-PVY interactions.
Growth of potato on lunar regolith
We are characterizing the responses of potato to exposure to lunar regolith at the growth, developmental, physiological and molecular levels.
