Multi-User Controlled Environments for Plant Growth in the Division of Biology

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This project is designed to build a multi-user facility for the growth of plant material in the Division of Biology at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. The primary goal is to grow plants for experimentation under tightly controlled environmental conditions with respect to light intensity, light quality, temperature, and humidity. Reflecting similar developments in animal systems, a small number of plant species have been selected to represent the plant kingdom as models for research purposes. This group of one principal investigator (PI) and four Co-PIs employs Arabidopsis as a model angiosperm, Pinus as a model for both gymnosperms and trees, Ceratopteris as a model fern, representing lower plants, and soybean and Lotus japonicus as models for the interaction between higher plants and nitrogen fixing bacteria. To take full advantage of their model characters, optimal but distinct growth conditions need to be established for each species. The five (Co- )PIs and two additional major users propose that the diverse and expanding requirements for plant growth in the Division of Biology are best accommodated by a cooperatively administered multi-user facility. The plant growth facility (PGF) will consist of a core plant growth unit which will comprise two walk-in growth chambers, six reach-in growth chambers, and two tissue culture incubators, all fitted with microprocessor control over light and temperature conditions. The PGF will optimize the growth conditions for all the model organisms used. The new facility will be centrally located and within easy reach of the major users. A cooperative style of management will be devised, which shall ensure access to part of the facility for researchers other than the five (Co) PIs on a case by case basis. The PGF will serve as a crucial support for our interdepartmental plant science graduate training program. Apart from drastically improving our research infrastructure, the PGF will allow the (Co-)PIs to enliven their teaching programs at the undergraduate level, for instance by devising an experiment that will bring plant evolution into the classroom. In building the PGF, the (Co) PIs seek to create a multi-purpose environment for the efficient and reproducible culture of plant material, which will satisfy their diverse and multidisciplinary research approaches and teaching obligations.