Chris Rock, Ph.D.

Research Interests

Plant molecular genetics, growth and development; abscisic acid and biotic/abiotic stress signal transduction; plant microRNAs and non-coding RNAs; translational science

The world faces grand challenges to meet the requirement for sustainable agricultural production and increased demands for biofuels and biomass.  Drought conditions affect an estimated 25% of crops with a corresponding decrease in productivity estimated worldwide to be worth US$10 billion/yr.  Reclamation of arable land of marginal quality will result in crops that increasingly experience stress. Abscisic acid (ABA) is a plant hormone which mediates seed maturation, cell division, and responses to drought, salinity, chilling, and pathogen attack. A deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms of stress adaptation impacting growth and development is necessary for the future development of engineered stress response strategies for crops. Toward this end, we are focusing on (i) a genetic approach to clone Wilty genes controlling ABA- and drought homeostasis and vascular development in maize, (ii) an ABA-inducible transient gene expression system with Nicotiana benthamiana, and (iii) small RNA biology.  We have initiated applied projects to engineer transgenic crops using CRISPR/Cas9 technologies that target effector non-coding RNAs and downstream transcription factors to improve agronomic traits such as fiber length in cotton, nutraceutical production in fruits/berries, and microbial pathogen resistance.