Roots function to supply plants with water and nutrients, act as an anchor point, and produce valuable chemical substances that are exchanged with the shoot and leaves. While plants evolved roots to enable them to better find nutrients, they have also developed complex relationships with the micro- and macro-organisms contained within the soil. These relationships range from mutualistic symbiosis with narrow or broad specificities (i.e., Rhizobium spp. with specific legumes and mycorrhizal communities, respectively) to those of parasitism and pathogenesis (nematodes, Phytophthora, Pythium). In response to these relationships, roots produce RNAs, proteins, and chemicals that can either promote or inhibit specific interactions. By thoroughly studying these interactions, we will develop a better understanding of the interaction of plants with their environment and develop new strategies for more sustainable methods of agricultural production.
My research has focused on the parasitic relationship between roots and plant-parasitic nematodes. Plant-parasitic nematodes are among the most destructive plant pathogens, causing losses exceeding $77 billion annually. Most numbers generated for nematode damage may be considered underestimates, as plants can often suffer significant yield loss with no noticeable above-ground symptoms. Current methods of nematode control, including crop rotations, application of nematicides, bio-control, or use of naturally resistant varieties of plants, have met with only limited success in controlling nematodes. New advances in molecular biology have made it possible to understand better the parasitism process and develop new strategies for nematode control. The research in my lab focuses on how nematodes feed on plants and how we use that information to deliver nematicidal RNAs, proteins, or phytochemicals to the nematode.