By Isabelle Gain, University of Florida Thompson Earth Systems Institute Graduate Assistant
Photos by Tyler Jones (UF/IFAS) and Jeff Gage (Florida Museum of Natural History)
As climate change brings warmer temperatures, scientists say we can expect an increase in the intensity of diseases facing crops. To feed an ever-growing and hungry population, researchers are finding ways to grow more resilient fruits, vegetables, and grains. Their findings can also lead to drug development for humans.
From July 24-28, 2023, the University of Florida Thompson Earth Systems Institute's Scientist in Every Florida School program hosted a cohort of five Florida public high school teachers for a professional development opportunity titled, "Research Experience for Florida High School Teachers in Plant Pathology."
During the workshop, which was hosted in partnership with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences department of plant pathology, teachers conducted experiments related to the cutting-edge science of molecular and plant pathology with the Song Lab. The experiments were part of a larger research project to develop and breed disease-resistant rice. By the end of the week, teachers and scientists co-developed lesson plans that will help students better understand issues facing agriculture and food security.
Throughout the year, cohort members will work together to share resources and best practices for lesson implementation. This is the second in a series of four annual workshops funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. For more background on the program, read our press release.
Wen-Yuan Song, an assistant professor in the UF/IFAS department of plant pathology and the project’s principal investigator, hopes that exposing the next generation of scientists to his research will show them that it has real-world benefits.
Meet the Teachers
Read more below for a breakdown of each day.
Monday, July 24, 2023
Song kicked off the workshop by welcoming Cohort II to Fifield Hall on UF's main campus in Gainesville. The five selected public high school teachers traveled from across the state to gather at the university's horticultural hub. Fiona Harris, a Ph.D. candidate in microbiology and cell science, presented an overview of plant immunity.
Harris explained how pathogens enter the cell, are transcribed in the nucleus, and multiply within the plant cell. As a result, sick plants engage in self-sacrifice and drop leaves or even whole stems. Because this immune response is so tiny, Harris emphasized the importance of using accurate models or simulations for scientific concepts at the molecular level that we cannot see with the naked eye. Song said understanding immune mechanisms at the molecular level allows researchers to “design resistance or a strategy to increase crop yield” despite the pathogen’s presence.
Satyam Vergish, a postdoctoral research associate in the Song Lab, then explained the significance of plant pathology in the quest for global food security. Vergish highlighted how the population is booming while agricultural land use is declining. Researching plant pathology and using genes that have better yields is crucial to improving crop productivity.
Beatriz de Toledo Franceschi, a Ph.D. student in the Song Lab, introduced the plant Nicotiana benthamiana, a close relative of tobacco. The Song lab uses Nicotiana benthamiana for rapid detection of gene expression and protein interaction analysis. They do so by injecting pathogens into plant leaves and observing the occurrence of cell death within 24 hours.
In the afternoon, the cohort practiced dissecting rice flowers. The rice flower contains anthers with pollen and a stigma with ovaries. Presented with dissection microscopes in the teaching lab, teachers used forceps to split the hull of the flower and identify both anthers and stigma.
Tuesday, July 25, 2023
The second day of the workshop began with a presentation on fungi by Matthew Smith, an associate professor in the department of plant pathology and the curator of the UF Fungal Herbarium.
Describing fungi as "not just weird plants," Smith explained that fungal research is relatively new compared to other scientific fields. One of the reasons fungi are less researched than other organisms is because unlike many animals, fungi have soft bodies and leave behind few fossils. Unlike plants, they do not gain energy through photosynthesis and instead obtain nutrients from other organisms. They engage in absorptive nutrition, meaning they secrete enzymes and digest food outside their bodies. They have indeterminate growth, so an individual can theoretically live forever. Most fungi are multicellular, but they can also be unicellular. Their anatomy is similar to that of a tree with an extensive rootlike network underground. The fungi's above-ground portion is the organism's body, with ephemeral fruiting structures.
Smith shared the following resources for Floridians interested in fungi:
- Mushrooms of the Gulf Coast States
- Common Florida Mushrooms
- Florida Academic Lichen And Fungi Enthusiasts League
After Smith's presentation, the cohort traveled to the greenhouses to learn about the Song Lab's rice farming technique. Song showed teachers how they line rectangular planting beds with a plastic sheet, fill the planting bed with water, place seeds in pots in the water, and monitor rice plants' growth.
In the afternoon, the cohort got to try their hand at the pathogen injection project. Teachers gathered in the teaching lab and were represented with their own Nicotiana benthamiana plants and syringes. They first practiced poking the leaves with a needle and using a syringe to inject the leaves with water. They then circled the areas of injection. After this practice round, teachers injected plant leaves with a pathogen-containing substance through the plants' water pores. Teachers observed the occurrence of cell death the next day.
Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Zhonglin Mou, a professor in the UF/IFAS department of microbiology and cell science, began the third day of the workshop by explaining systemic acquired resistance. Systemic acquired resistance (SAR) is a whole-plant response that occurs after local pathogen infection. SAR contributes to long-lasting protection against a broad spectrum of pathogens.
Song then explained the significance of the GUS gene in identifying which genes are present in rice varieties that resist disease. The GUS gene produces blue color when integrated into a plant genome and therefore provides an easy way to observe the occurrence of gene expression. The Song lab uses GUS assays to track gene expression in rice plants.
Later that day, Nian Wang, a professor in the UF department of microbiology and cell science, presented on how CRISPR /Cas genome editing can be used to help diseased citrus. One type of citrus bacterial disease Wang studies is Huanglongbing (HLB), also called citrus greening. HLB is a serious disease spread by the insect Diaphorina citri when they feed on new citrus shoots. Symptoms of HLB include blotchy mottle leaves, stunted growth, reduced fruit size, premature fruit drop, corky veins, root decline, and eventual tree death. HLB was first detected in Florida in 2005 and has since reduced citrus production by 75% while more than doubling the cost of production.
In the afternoon, teachers dissected more rice flowers. They looked for both the anthers and stigma to determine the status of dehiscence, which is the splitting of mature plant structures along a built-in line of weakness to release its contents. Dehiscence is an important sign of reproduction, as it shows the release of pollen.
Thursday, July 27, 2023
Since 1995, Song’s Lab has been researching the rice XA21 gene. The XA21 gene grants resistance to Xanthomonas oryzae, a bacterial blight pathogen. The lab tests six lines of plants, with the aim of identifying the relationship between XA21 and disease-resistance molecular mechanisms against Xanthomonas oryzae.
In the afternoon, the cohort continued dissecting rice flowers to determine dehiscence. One by one, teachers placed ten rice flower ovaries on specimen plates. They then carried the specimen plates to an Olympus BX43, a high-definition light microscope. Through this high-power microscope, the cohort captured images of anthers, both open and closed, as well as the pollen that had been released around them. This data is used to discern how immune receptors affect seed production.
Friday, July 28, 2023
Friday morning began with a viewing of the Nobel Lecture “Mammalian Innate Immunity” by Bruce A. Beutler. In this recorded lecture, Beutler explains how mammals' inflammatory response is based on the microbe-host relationship, which has counterparts in most multicellular life forms, including plants.
Nicholas Dufault, an associate professor of plant pathology at UF, led an interactive presentation on the signs and symptoms of familiar Florida plant diseases. Dufault differentiated fungal, bacterial, and viral diseases that afflict Florida plants, including palm lethal yellowing, turfgrass sugarcane mosaic virus, and turfgrass dollar spots. He went on to highlight the significant role agriculture plays in the Florida economy.
The cohort continued to tour the UF/IFAS Plant Diagnostic Center, led by lab assistant Olesya Malakhova. The facility provides plant diagnostic knowledge and services ranging from conventional PCR tests to sequencing.
With the new knowledge and ideas for classroom activities, Song is excited for the teachers to bring the science of plant pathology back to their classrooms.
"We want to share that science is a good career. It's challenging, but it’s exciting.," he said. "You can see a lot of things people usually don’t see.”
Learn more
- About the workshop: Cohort II: Research Experience for Florida High School Teachers in Plant Pathology
- About Scientist in Every Florida School
Workshop Instructors:
- Dr. Wen-Yuan Song Lab (UF/IFAS)
- Stephanie Killingsworth, K-12 Education and Outreach Coordinator, Scientist in Every Florida School
- Brian Abramowitz, K-12 Education and Outreach Coordinator, Scientist in Every Florida School