Texas Tech University

Research by Topic

Texas Tech is studying cotton and fiber issues in a wide range of areas. See the work being conducted by faculty by research interest. 

Economics

  • Annual baseline projections for cotton for the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute consortium - Darren Hudson
  • The water-energy nexus, valuing environmental attributes, and understanding how consumers respond to eco-labeling - Ryan B. Williams

Fiber Quality

  • Relationship between cotton fiber physical properties (ex. strength, fineness and maturity) and structural properties (ex. crystallinity and fibril orientation) - Noureddine Abidi
  • Collaborative research with the cotton breeding and cotton biotechnology community to develop improved properties in cotton fibers - Eric Hequet
  • Improve the utilization and understanding of cotton fiber quality in research - Brendan Kelly
  • Value-added materials using nonwoven and nanotechnology - Seshadri Ramkumar

Genomics

  • Mechanisms built upon the power of regulon restructuring, regulatory RNAs, and DNA methylation to understand the intricate processes by which novel gene expression patterns mediate transgression from parental phenotypes - Benildo De los Reyes
  • Cotton as a model system for technologies applicable to all crops grown under conditions of drought, heat, and salinity - Luis Herrera-Estrella
  • Identify and characterize the genes involved in the plant cell wall biosynthesis using model plant Arabidopsis and apply for the cotton fiber improvement - Venugopal Mendu
  • Plant molecular genetics, growth and development; abscisic acid and biotic/abiotic stress signal transduction; plant microRNAs and non-coding RNAs; translational science - Chris Rock
  • How plants cope with environmental stresses at molecular, cellular and organismal levels by employing genetic, molecular and biochemical research tools - Huazhong Shi
  • Genetic variation present in the wild relatives of crops that can be used to improve various agronomic traits in crops such as cotton, tomato and rice - Rosalyn Shim
  • Discovery and selection of important genes controlling crop productivity and quality - Robert  Wright
  • Understanding how multiple small RNA pathways operate in plants using genetic, genomic, and biochemical approaches - Zhixin Xie
  • The functions of plant protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), especially its role in plant response to abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, and extreme temperatures - Hong Zhang

History

  • Cotton futures trading and the regulation of new financial derivatives in the Progressive Era - Barbara Hahn

Plant Pathology

  • Alternative agricultural systems to manage plant diseases in the South High Plains agricultural industry - Cecilia Monclova-Santana

Soil Chemistry & Fertility

  • Study of semi-arid agroecosystem functioning across biological, spatial, and temporal scales using an integrative transdisciplinary approach - Haydee Laza
  • Soil fertility, biogeochemical cycling, sustainable crop production, soil microbiology, environmental reclamation, organic soil amendments - Katie Lewis
  • How soil microbial community structure, function, and interactions with other biota affect and are affected by environmental disturbance, such as water and nutrient scarcity or urban development and runoff, and agricultural management conditions, such as grazing and crop production practices - Lindsey Slaughter

UAV Application

  • Precision agriculture, environmental sciences, remote sensing in agriculture, especially UAV application in precision plant phenotyping - Wenxuan Guo

Water Management

  • Oil and water resources management in water-limited and irrigated agricultural production systems, as well as other natural and managed ecosystems - Sanjit Deb
  • Developing effective and economical water management strategies for crop production in the Southern High Plains - Glen Ritchie

Weed Management

  • Developing effective and economical weed management systems in cotton and other crops grown in rotation with cotton - Peter Dotray