Discovery research in plants for agriculture and biotechnology
The Carleton Facility for the Study of Plant Metabolism and Development is a nationally and internationally integrated research unit that uses molecular, genetic, cell biological, and biochemical methods to decode the genome of plants. The information that we generate helps plant breeders to work more efficiently in producing new and higher-performance crops for Canadian farmers. Our work focuses on two broad areas: regulation of agronomic traits, including abscission, flowering and inflorescence architecture, and biosynthesis of protective surface barriers for development of higher-yielding crops more resistant to drought and pathogen attack. We also use metabolic engineering of plants and microbes for production of high-value oils and waxes for food and industrial end points.
Plant growth facilities (tissue culture/controlled environment growth chambers/ greenhouses), plant pathogen and abiotic stress testing, genotyping,production and characterization of transgenic plants, microscopy (bright field and fluorescence microscopy/electron microscopy), histology (thin section and staining of plant tissues/in situ hybridization), molecular biology services (cloning/expression/isolation/detection and analysis of proteins or nucleic acids/ sequencing/ analysis of gene expression), biochemical services (isolation/detection/analysis of proteins or nucleic acids/protein-DNA/protein-protein interactions), plant genomics (meta-analysis of plant genomes and transcriptomes including construction of phylogenetic trees)
- Agriculture, animal science and food
- Chemical industries
- Education
- Energy
- Forestry and forest-based industries
- Life sciences, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment
Specialized labs and equipment
| Specialized lab | Equipment | Function |
|---|---|---|
Nano Imaging Facility | Transmission electron microscope Scanning electron microscope Equipment for preparation of biological samples for electron microscopy | High-resolution imaging of surface and internal tissue structures at the subcellular level |
| Plant growth facilities | Controlled-environment chambers Greenhouses | For use in growing plants at specific conditions of light intensity, photoperiod, and temperature For use in generation, screening, and phenotypic analysis of plants For use in pathogen and stress testing of plants |
| Light microscope facility | Compound and fluorescence light microscopes | For imaging and phenotypic analysis of plants and tissues at the cellular level |
| Plant tissue culture facilities | Sterile hood for in vitro propagation of plants | For use in vegetative propagation of plants |
| Molecular biology and protein analysis facilities | Traditional and quantitative real-time thermocyclers Equipment for electrophoresis (protein and nucleic acids) Fluorescence and chemiluminescence imaging system Shaking incubators Electroporation equipment | For qualitative and quantitative analysis of plant genomes and transcriptomes For qualitative and quantitative analysis of nucleic acids and proteins Equipment for microbial growth and transformation |
| Plant histology facilities | Rotary microtome Shaking incubators Ovens | For preserving plant tissue For sectioning plant tissues For immunohistochemistry and/or in situ hybridization |
| Metabolic profiling equipment | Gas chromatographs | For qualitative and quantitative analysis of plant lipids |
Private and public sector research partners
- Sunrise Greenhouses Limited
- Tweed Incorporated
- Environment Canada
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
- National Research Council
- Le Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)
- Framework Programme 7
- Michigan State University
- Purdue University
- Algoma University
- Brock University
- University of British Columbia
Additional information
| Title | URL |
|---|---|
Green Biotechnology: Harnessing Plant Biomass for Biofuels and Biomaterials Ottawa Life Magazine June 2009 | http://www.scribd.com/doc/128069098/Green-Biotechnology-Harnessing-Plant-Biomass-for-Biofuels-and-Biomaterials |
| The Rowland Lab | http://rowlandlab.blogspot.ca/ |