Jeff Chang and Melodie Putnam in BPP, along with Taifo Mahmud, in Pharmaceutical Sciences, received a grant from USDA-NIFA to study and develop a control product for Agrobacterium. Members of Agrobacterium have the remarkable ability of genetically transforming plants and causing them to grow in unusual ways. These pathogenic bacteria can infect and drastically lower the value of many species of plants important to Oregon’s agriculture. The three scientists discovered natural products produced by another group of bacteria that are effective at preventing Agrobacterium from causing disease on plants. The three will determine the structure of the natural products, understand how they control Agrobacterium, and formulate methods to use the natural products in agricultural settings.
Read more about the funded project "Bacillus metabolites target the achilles heel of phytopathogenic Agrobacterium".