About me
One of my primary research focuses at the USDA ARS Appalachian Fruit Research Station is to investigate how apple roots, including root system architecture and rootstock genotypes, impacts whole-tree physiology in response to abiotic stress. My lab aims to identify the root traits, genotypes, and underlying mechanisms associated with stress resilience, such as drought and heat, in apple. Another direction of my research program centers around the nectarine selections developed by Kearneysville’s breeding team. The nectarines possess high sugar content in fruit with outstanding and complex flavors that distinguish them from other varieties, but very little is known about the underlying genetics or physiochemistry. I am currently working to determine the fruit composition of these selections and evaluate whether the high-sugar trait affects tree phenology or growth.