By Kevin John
The American Phytopathological Society has granted two BYU students the opportunity to present the results of their plant research in their annual conference in Quebec.
Phytopathology, in its most simple form, is the study of plant diseases.
Erica Swenson, a 23-year-old genetics and biotechnology master”s student and Alan Chambers, who is looking to enter a plant pathology Ph.D. program in 2007, are the students selected to attend the conference.
Swenson is no stranger to traveling; she went all the way to Bolivia in February to work hands-on with quinoa, a crop that is grown by subsistence farmers because of its high nutritional value. Quinoa is used worldwide as a healthy substitute for flour, wheat, rice and various grains; its popularity is growing quickly.
Just like people, plants can pick up their own types of diseases, sometimes with drastic consequences.
“My part of the project worked with a fungus-like organism that attacks quinoa, and can devastate a crop – and, subsequently, the farmer,” Swenson said.
Through a variety of procedures, Swenson eventually discovered the different quinoa plants had different genetic inheritance patterns, and, as a result, varying resistance to disease.
Swenson compared the situation to a dorm room where the flu is passed around, with some roommates getting sick for a full week, while others only get sick for a day. Each person has a different resistance to the disease – it”s the same with plants.
Swenson said she hopes her work will eventually contribute to the development of a quinoa plant that is resistant to the fungus, so the Bolivian farmers won”t need to fear losing their crops and their livelihood.
Chambers” research is a bit different from Swenson”s.
“I”m specifically looking at endophytes that increase drought resistance for grasses,” Chambers said. “The human population increases exponentially, but our fresh water supplies do not. Trouble is ahead.”
He said endophytes are living organisms that live inside another organism. Recent studies have shown there is no living organism that does not have an endophyte – even humans have them.
Through his research, Chambers said he hopes to establish a positive correlation between endophytes and how much water the plants they are tied to require.
“The impact is that less water could be used to water grasses that feed cattle,” Chambers said, stating his research could eventually result in developing grass that requires less water to maintain. The potential for progress is available, so “why sputter in a Hugo when you can cruise in a Ferrari?”
Both Swenson and Chambers share the ultimate goal of wanting to help other people through their research, and they are not alone.
Members of the plant and animal sciences are regularly sent to accompany students while they work.
Brad Geary, an assistant professor of the plant and animal sciences, went to Bolivia in January to work with quinoa and evaluate the effects of disease on different breeding lines.
Geary emphasized that the trips to Bolivia aren”t all fun and games.
“We worked hard evaluating research plots in several locations near La Paz and one location near Cochabamba,” he said, adding that he looks forward to returning to Bolivia this January, when he expects the disease to reappear.
