Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE
(N/A)
RIVERSIDE,CA 92521
Performing Department
College of Nat & Agr Sciences
Non Technical Summary
This Strengthening Equipment Grant requests the purchase of a large-capacity, high-light, energy-efficient growth chamber to promote research and education in the area of plant-insect interactions. The chamber will replace an antiquated growth chamber (38-yr old) that was recently retired due to fire damage. The growth chamber will significantly enhance the infrastructure of the Botany and Plant Sciences Department at the University of California at Riverside (UCR) and the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences by increasing reliable growth space and energy efficiency. This chamber will primarily be used to accelerate two newly emerging research programs. In the future, the chamber will provide flexibility for use by other faculty with interests in plant-insect research at the UCR. The proposed chamber has a dual configuration allowing for growth of larger plants (60") or a two-tiered configuration that will maximize plant capacity. The chamber will be housed in a new plant growth facility in close proximity to the department's faculty. The College and Research and Development Office will provide matching funds for the grant. UCR is eligible for a Strengthening Grant based the two criteria outlined in Part VIII H of the RFA. First, UCR is a degree-granting "minority-serving institution". UCR's total minority enrollment exceeds 74% with 6.6% African American, 35.7% Asian American, 31.5% Chicano and Latino, and 0.5% Native American students (http://www.ucr.edu/about/facts.html). Second, UCR is "not among the most successful universities and colleges for receiving Federal funds for science and engineering research."
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
100%
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
This Strengthening Grant will provide funds for the acquisition of a plant growth chamber for insect-plant interactions studies. The chamber is impact several a new and an established research initiatives on plant-insect interactions. Healthy, insect-free plants are critical for research on plant resistance genes and their mechanisms of action. Plants grown under controlled conditions are used both to maintain pure insect colonies and eliminate uncontrolled variables in experiments. The first project is new, has received favorable reviews at the USDA but was not funded, and proposes to identify and deploy whitefly resistance loci in alfalfa (Medicago sativa). The second project, which is funded, investigates the role of tomato's leucine aminopeptidase in the control of resistance traits that deter lepidopteran larval growth and development. Investment in UCR's infrastructure will promote research excellence and productivity for plant-insect interaction research primarily in the Walling lab, as well as other current and future faculty in this area.
Project Methods
The Strengthening Grant is for a peice of equipment so a description of the methods does not seem appropriate for this project. The chambers are used to grow plants for wounding time courses and whitefly infestations. In general, we examine changes in the transcriptome and proteome.