USDA and DOE Partnership Awards $8.9M to 9 Projects to Develop Better Plants for Biofuels

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$793,413 (DOE)

University of Missouri, Columbia
Systems View of Root Hair Response to Abiotic Stress
Gain insight into the impacts of variations in temperature and water availability on nutrient uptake by root cells. Root hair cells function to increase root surface area and to mediate water and nutrient uptake. The data obtained in this project should provide a better understanding of the impacts of climate change (heat and water limitation) on plant root physiology.
$1,106,656 (DOE)

USDA Agricultural Research Service Western Regional Research Center, Albany, California
Insertional Mutagenesis of Brachypodium distachyon
Generate 30,000 additional insertional mutants in the model grass Brachypodium distachyon and sequence DNA flanking the insertion sites. Insertional mutants are a powerful research tool that allow researchers to rapidly determine the function of specific genes. Mutants from outside collaborators will be integrated into this collection and made available through a public database.
$949,348 (DOE)