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Tallahassee, FL. – Research at Florida A&M University (FAMU) has used paternity tests to prove if a grape species is able to fend off bacterial disease and grow and thrive in Florida; FAMU research has also used genetic bar-coding to accurately classify plants and give more immediate history of a plant’s DNA. This research has been shared internationally by students and recent graduates who have intensively studied DNA profiling.
FAMU Graduate Lelan Parker, who earned her master’s degree this year, introduced her research at the Eighth International Grape Breeding Meeting in Italy and the First International Grape Genomics and Grape Breeding Meeting in Saint Louis, Mo., where she was mentored by world-renowned scientists. Using DNA profiling, she was able to answer a 200-year-old question in American viticulture: the parentage and origin of the famous red wine variety claimed until now with two sources and two names, Norton and Cynthiana. Her research has been highlighted in the media and in the American Wine Society Journal. It has inspired grape breeders all over the nation.
Under the guidance of Violetka Colova, professor of viticulture and developmental biology at FAMU, Parker began DNA material testing of the Norton grape in 2005 to trace its lineage and determine if it has the gene pool for survival in Florida. She discovered that the Norton is an offspring of a grape variety with a high tolerance to Pierson’s disease. Thus, it can be commercially grown in the state.
“I have always wanted to come to FAMU to study agricultural biotechnology,” said Parker. “Working at the viticulture center gave me many exceptional research experiences. The research that happens in the center is one of the university’s best kept secrets.”
Parker is now a horticultural education agent with the University of Florida.
Jonathan Arias, a senior agricultural science major at FAMU, is a part of a growing number of scientists who are conducting novel research in DNA profiling. As part of FAMU’s International Agriculture Program Mobility Grant, Arias spent three months this summer as an exchange student at the University of Udine, Italy completing individual research study in plant biotechnology.
“Agricultural sciences is my first love, but I’m also pursuing a psychology degree,” said Arias. “I like to involve people in my research, so I want to create a niche with this double major.”
Focusing on certain DNA regions of the chicory plant, Arias developed a genetic bar-coding system—a relatively new method that uses DNA to identify different species.
Future implications for bar-coding research hope to create devices with which genetic material from an organism can be scanned and information about that organism can be retrieved immediately. The bar-coding technique, first tested in 2004, is being proposed for use with animals and other living organisms. Arias is now working closely with Dr. Colova to continue to enrich his knowledge and experience in plant DNA identification.
Colova said agriculture biotechnology research is a growing field, and FAMU is exposing students to its endless possibilities.
“Our students are not only involved in cutting-edge agriculture technology, but they are traveling to other countries to interact with and learn from the best experts,” Colova said. “They are making fascinating discoveries that can be applied to the advancement of the agricultural sciences.”
The FAMU Center for Viticultural Sciences and Small Fruit Research is an integral component of the College of Engineering Sciences, Technology and Agriculture. Faculty and students are involved in a number of research projects on the muscadine grape and other small fruit that will help the viticulture industry in Florida become a viable industry.
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