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James E. Dombrowski
Assistant Professor (Courtesy) Office/Lab: USDA Forage Seed and Cereal Research Unit |
Molecular mechanisms of fungal-plant interactions, flowering control.
Grasses infected with endophytic fungi display enhanced tolerance to a variety of biotic and abiotic stresses. Our laboratory is investigating the molecular mechanisms of the tall fescue/endophyte symbiosis that increase host stress tolerance, and the molecular signals utilized for communication between the endophyte and the grass.
Forage and turf grass quality diminishes during the transition from vegetative to reproductive growth. Liginification reduces forage digestibility and the increased energy partitioning for seed development reduces vegetative tissue production and nutritional content. Therefore delaying or inhibiting the transition to reproductive growth would improve forage and turf grass quality. We are investigating genes that regulate flowering in grasses, and will use this knowledge to develop molecular approaches to control the onset of reproductive growth in end-use environments.
