A&T Plant Science Research Lands in Two Journals

For Immediate Release
August 28, 2001

Greensboro, NC: A researcher at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is helping plants grow and reproduce more quickly, and this work is finding its way into peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Guochen Yang, an associate professor in A&T’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design, recently learned that his work in plant propagation will be published in two international publications.

According to Yang, using processes derived from plant propagation research, plant scientists can more quickly respond to the changing needs of agriculture, with capabilities to reproduce higher quantities of test specimens more quickly.

To achieve this, he has developed a method to produce 40 to 70 alfalfa shoots from a single shoot, using a process called "direct shoot organogenesis," which bypasses the relatively lengthy embryo stage of plant development.

An article on similar research, “In Vitro Axillary Shoot Proliferation of Alfalfa,” appears in the Proceedings of Plant Growth Regulation Society of America. The article was co-authored with Dr. Marihelen Glass, an A&T horticulture researcher.

In this article, Yang and Glass discussed their evaluation of the use of certain chemicals in alfalfa propagation.

In a second article, “Forcing Solution Technology Generates Quality Propagules,” which will appear in The North American Regions Plant Propagator, Yang evaluates the effectiveness of a solution created to extend the growing season of woody plants. If effective, the solution would be a boon to researchers who would be able to initiate research regardless of season and have greater access to test cultivars.

In recognition of his work, Yang was recently named A&T’s Outstanding Young Investigator, and in 1999, was recognized with a national award from the United States Department of Agriculture.

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