A horticultural scientist from PurdueUniversity will conduct the next seminar in a series organized by West Virginia Universitys interdisciplinary program in Genetics and Developmental Biology.


K Raghothama will speak on”Molecular Regulation of Phosphates Acquisition in Plants”at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10, in room 2001 of the AgriculturalSciencesBuilding on WVU s Evansdale Campus. The seminar is free and open to the public.


One of the major limiting factors in crop production today is availability of phosphorus. Part of Dr. Raghothamas research is based on studying molecular mechanisms involved in phosphate acquisition, transport, utilization and signal transduction. Raghothama is also interested in studying how the soil that surrounds the plant, or the rhizosphere, affects the response of plants to phosphorus deficiency.


The seminar series is under the direction of Joginder Nath, Genetics and Developmental Biology program coordinator and professor in WVU s Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences. Geneticists from across the nation are joining local experts in presenting seminars on a wide range of topics.


The seminar series is supported by the Daniel C. and Elizabeth Daugherty Brown Faculty Development Fund. In 1995, the Browns established the fund through the WVU Foundation to support the improvement of teaching and research in the DavisCollege through the professional development of faculty.


For more information, contact Nath at 304-293-6256, ext. 4333.