McMaster Plant Growth Facility Renewal, Phase II

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The plant biologists in the Department of Biology at McMaster study how plants respond to various environmental factors with the long-term goal of improving crop production and native ecosystems. Drs Weretilnyk and Dudley are working to understand how plants in native environments and crop fields respond to abiotic stresses like drought and high soil salinity. Drs. Cameron, Finan and Elliot are interested in understanding plant-microbe interactions, both symbiotic (Finan, Elliot) and pathogenic (Cameron). Additionally Dr. Dudley is interested in plant-plant interactions in terms of plant competition and cooperation. To continue contributing to our respective fields, we require access to modern growth chambers that precisely control temperature, illumination and humidity. We are requesting funds for Phase II of the renewal of the McMaster Plant Growth Facility. In Phase I, Drs. Cameron and Weretilnyk were successful in obtaining funding (2011 NSERC RTI, 2011 CFI-LOF) to replace six aged Conviron growth chambers (2 EY15s, 4 E7H) and also expand the capacity of the facility to meet the needs of their ORF Eutrema Stress Genomics research (2010-2015). In Phase II, we wish to replace the remaining ancient 40 year-old Conviron chambers with modern precisely controlled multi-tier growth chambers with LED (light-emitting diode) illumination. This will not only expand the growth capacity of the McMaster Growth Facility, but also provide lighting that mimics both field and greenhouse conditions and therefore enhance the research programs of all the plant biologists in the Department of Biology. The current state of our plant facility means that Drs. Finan, Cameron and Weretilnyk must abandon experiments that are critically important for their research programs. Moreover, there is currently no growth chamber space available for Dr. Dudley or Elliot whose research has reached a critical stage where experiments in precisely controlled growth chambers is required. Therefore success in obtaining an RTI grant for Renewal of the McMaster Growth Facility, Phase II, is absolutely essential for the continued success of the plant biologists at McMaster University.