Peter Balint-Kurti |
We are interested in the genetic and mechanistic bases of disease resistance in maize, including natural variation in quantitative disease resistance and the control of the defense response.
Quantitative disease resistance, also known as partial disease resistance, confers a level of resistance that is less than complete but is usually effective in protecting yield. We're interested in identifying the associated loci (the quantitative trait loci), the underlying genes and figuring out how they work.
The plant defense response includes the interlinked responses, pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) which is a more general response, and effector-triggered immunity (ETI), which is triggered by the recognition of specific pathogen-derived molecules. We are interested in the control of both these responses, how they are connected with each other and with quantitative resistance in genera;.
We are part of the USDA-ARS Plant Science Research Unit and are located in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. We are also associated with the Departments of Plant and Microbial Biology, the NCSU Genetics and Genomics initiative and with the NCSU Plant Breeding Consortium.
For more information please consult our lab website.
Contact Info:
Peter Balint-Kurti
USDA-ARS
2572 Thomas Hall
Dept. of Plant Pathology,
NC State University
Raleigh NC 27695-7613