The mission of the Plant Physiology and Genetic Research Unit is to increase the productivity, profitability and sustainability of agriculture in arid environments by developing new germplasm for both traditional and alternative crops and by improving plant responses to abiotic stresses and to changes in the global environment. 

Research is conducted under three major projects:

• Physiological and Genetic Basis of Cotton Acclimation to Abiotic Stress
• Commercialization of New Industrial Crop Germplasm and Cropping Systems
• Predicting Impacts of Climate Change on Agricultural Systems and Developing Potentials For Adaptation