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Department of Plant and Microbial Biology

Oct 22, 2015

Study finds key molecular mechanism regulating plant translational activity

In a paper published in Cell, CALS researchers Jose Alonso and Anna Stepanova show how plants handle – at the molecular level – the release of ethylene, an important gaseous stress hormone that, among other functions, regulates plant growth and stimulates the fruit ripening process. The findings could pave the way to new techniques to engineer plants to produce better crops or to turn off certain genes. 

Aug 10, 2015

Seeding North Carolina’s future

CALS and its partners strive to make North Carolina the world’s leader in plant sciences innovation. 

Five NC State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences researchers examine a small dogwood plant in a pot in a laboratory setting.

Feb 5, 2015

Important implications: CALS team studies the distinct inflorescence structure of the dogwood

Dr. Bob Franks of NC State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has a bone to pick with those who determined that the dogwood is the state flower of North Carolina. “It actually should be called the ‘state inflorescence,’” Franks, associate professor of plant and microbial biology, said with a laugh. And Franks would know, having spent the past five years working on a National Science Foundation-funded grant to study the inflorescence architecture, or variation in the arrangement of flowers, of the dogwood. 

Feb 5, 2015

College Profile: José Alonso

Dr. José Alonso’s groundbreaking explorations in plant biology land him on a list of the world’s most influential scientists. 

Aug 18, 2014

53rd Annual Meeting of Phytochemists Comes to N.C. State

Dr. Deyu Xie of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences organized the 2014 event and also served as chair of two of the symposia during the five-day conference.