The occurrence of heat waves in the Midwest is becoming more common and affects specialty crop production. Within flowers, between the male and female parts, the male tissues (anthers and pollen) are more sensitive to heat stress. Heat stressed flowers often produce abnormal or aborted pollen grains and negatively impacts plant reproduction and development of fruits and seeds. During abiotic stress, plant cells allocate resources towards protection thus splitting resources with primary metabolism. Much of our knowledge regarding this comes from studying leaf cells but further studies are needed to understand how plant reproductive tissues, specifically anthers, balance the two processes to produce viable pollen grains for successful fruit and seed formation. The Santiago laboratory seeks to better understand how plants adjust their primary metabolism in sink tissues during high temperature stress. Using physiological and biochemical techniques, we dissect carbon and nutrient metabolism and transport in anthers and pollen grains under elevated temperature conditions to identify key mechanisms that contribute to reproductive thermotolerance. Ultimately, it is our goal to use findings in this research to develop climate resilient crops to future-proof specialty crop production in Illinois.

Aside from studying the physiological and biochemical basis of thermotolerance in flowers, we are also interested in finding sustainable solutions to reduce or eliminate the effects of heat stress in flowers. 

Growing crops in protected structures had been practiced since the time of ancient Rome but it was only in the past few decades that technology was used in protected agriculture incorporating controls in lighting, temperature, humidity, and irrigation. In recent years, increased consciousness regarding food mileage and sustainability, and the need for fresh produce encouraged further growth of indoor agriculture resulting in opening of large greenhouses and vertical farms that produce leafy greens and culinary herbs close to large cities. One limitation of indoor grown crops, however, is lack of nutrient density in plants like lettuce that is popularly grown in plant factories with artificial lighting or vertical farms. The second limitation of indoor farming is lack of crop diversity. In the Santiago lab, we are exploring the manipulation of cultural and environmental parameters to promote plant yield and the accumulation of health-promoting metabolites in leaves. Furthermore, we aim to identify regulators that control metabolite accumulation to provide the basis for development of new cultivars through traditional breeding or biotechnological approaches. Finally, we are exploring crop diversification under controlled environment production settings.