Project Number: 5442-21430-004-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Sep 01, 2004
End Date: Aug 31, 2009

Objective:
To determine the normal and molecular processes that control the initiation, maintenance and termination of potato bud dormancy and regulate early sprout growth wound healing and skin set suberization.

Approach:
Identify physiological/biochemical mechanisms that control potato tuber dormancy/sprout growth and wound-healing/skin set. Determine the roles of endogenous hormones in tuber dormancy progression and identify the biochemical mechanisms governing hormone homeostasis in tubers as related to dormancy. Identify and characterize genes controlling tuber dormancy/sprout growth and wound-healing/skin set. Identify hormones and endogenous elicitor systems initiating and regulating wound-healing in harvest-damaged and cut-seed tubers. Determine biochemical changes in tuber periderm cell wall conferring resistance to excoriation (skinning during maturation.) Project has been classified as "Exempt" by the rating Institutional Biosafety Committee, ltr dated 6-12-02.