Location: Plant, Soil and Nutrition Research
Project Number: 8062-21000-047-012-A
Project Type: Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jul 1, 2016
End Date: Jun 30, 2020
Objective:
The objectives of this cooperative research are 1) to identify genes that control phytonutrient and micronutrient metabolism in vegetables crops; 2) to investigate the genetic basis underlying their regulated accumulation in plants; and 3) to develop strategies for and food crops with enhanced nutritional quality and health-promoting properties. The main research topics will be carotenoids, flavonoids, glucosinolates, and selenium.
Approach:
An interdisciplinary approach will be employed, which includes: 1) to use molecular, biochemical, and genetic tools to isolate and characterize novel genes from vegetables and to examine metabolites for nutritional improvement; 2) to employ genomic and proteomic approaches to investigate global expression changes associated with altered nutritional characteristics; and 3) to use breeding approaches to alter the content and/or composition of these compounds in crops.
