Albina Khasanova

Researching the impact of genetics and environment on plant roots and shoots

My current research interests center around the impact of genetics and environment on variation in root and shoot traits that effect plant establishment, growth, and resource use efficiency. I am currently utilizing the developing C4 perennial grass model system, Panicum hallii and its close relative switchgrass (P. virgatum, a leading biofuel candidate) to understand the genetic architecture of root traits and their relationship with shoot traits in order to develop a more complete picture of the adaptive differences that arise between ecotypes in response to abiotic and biotic changes in the environment. At the Northen lab, I will be working on profiling the root exudate composition of P. hallii ecotypes in the presence of synthetic microbial communities in order to investigate plant exudate/microbiome relationships and examine the impact of select microbiomes on plant productivity.