Understanding how plants balance growth and survival, one plant at a time

October 17, 2024
See the full article: https://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2024/10/16/feronia
Hongqing (Michelle) Guo, genetics, development and cell biology assistant professor
Hongqing (Michelle) Guo, assistant professor of genetics, development and cell biology, inside a plant growth room in the basement of the Advanced Teaching and Research Building. She is holding a tray of Arabidopsis thaliana, the plant she uses to study a gene that controls both growth and survival response. Photo by Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University.

Hongqing (Michelle) Guo, genetics, development and cell biology assistant professor, received a $1.8 million federal grant to study a gene that affects both how plants grow and how they respond to environmental threats. Unraveling the balancing act between fortifying and flourishing could help scientists develop crops that are more resilient in challenging conditions.

David Roepke's article on Guo's research, "Understanding how plants balance growth and survival, one plant at a time," is featured on the ISU News Service website.