Current Work

Bacterial bio-control strains, such as Pseudomonas fluorescens strain Pf-5, promote the growth of plants and are particularly of interest for agricultural use to increase crop yield. Copper sulfate is a pesticide that is commonly sprayed onto crops because at a high enough concentration, it can kill insects, fungi, bacteria and even viruses. But what impact does this copper have on the beneficial strains in the soil, such as Pf-5? I am testing the effects of copper stress on Pf-5 using reverse transcriptomics and phenotypic arrays, particularly to identify disruptions that copper causes to general metabolism and looking at whole cell effects.