Date: 2018-2020
Primary Contact: Abigail Moore
Research Location: Norman, Oklahoma
Funding: Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST)
Summary:
The research objective of this proposal is to look for variation in genes related to drought tolerance and diterpene synthesis across the genome of Grindelia ciliata using RADseq.
Although it is not currently commercially grown, G. ciliata is a promising biofuel crop for Oklahoma as it already grows naturally across the drier 2/3 of the state without supplementary water, in addition to having a very high bio-crude content. This research project uses RADseq data, which allow us to sample many short (100–200 bp) loci and map them to the genome of G. ciliata.
Researchers examined genetic variation associated with water availability and the diterpene synthesis pathway, both of which are key for developing a drought-tolerant biofuel crop. In addition, they answered basic scientific questions about the evolutionary history of G. ciliata in the context of the flora of the southern Great Plains.
