Our work in the lab revolves around three main objectives:
Enhancing stress tolerance, forage quality and CO2 sequestration in food and feed crops.
Developing bioenergy crops to achieve sustainable production of fuels, chemicals and bioproducts.
Generating trees with improved properties for the production of paper pulp.
The primary focus of our research lies in understanding the metabolic processes related to plant cell wall composition, specifically focusing on the biosynthesis of lignin and other phenolic compounds. Lignin, a heterogeneous aromatic polymer derived from the Latin word “lignum” meaning wood, is the second most abundant biopolymer in nature and constitutes up to 40% of the dry weight of plants. It plays crucial roles in providing mechanical support, facilitating water and nutrient transport through the plant’s vascular system, and aiding plant responses to environmental stresses. Given its significance in plants and unique chemical properties, lignin represents an attractive resource for renewable energy conversion and serves as a target for CO2 storage and sequestration.