Molecular Biotechnology Can be Used to Transform Tomatoes

Molecular Biotechnology is being used by James Duduit, a doctorate student in Horticultural Science, to change tomatoes and boost their resistance to bacterial wilt and other prevalent infections. Molecular Biotechnology has a wide range of crop applications and is regarded as a crucial field of research since it accelerates the development of new varieties.

James Duduit, a native of Anderson, South Carolina, studied biology at Anderson University and received a Magna Cum Laude before going on to NC State for his master’s degree in horticulture science. Duduit decided to stay and finish his doctorate because of Wusheng Liu’s expertise in Molecular Biotechnology and translational genomics. My goal is to continue pushing the boundaries of plant Molecular Biotechnology research so that more useful tools and options can be produced for growers and consumers.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) Program recently granted James Duduit a fellowship at NC State for his research work. NC State seems to have the most diverse range of chances for what I was interested in. The staff’s diverse expertise and experiences have been extremely beneficial to my development as an academic and scientist. Right now, my primary focus is on developing a broadly applicable solution to the widespread harm caused by bacterial wilt, particularly in tomatoes.

We intend to better mitigate this economically damaging virus using Molecular Biotechnology technologies. To solve contemporary obstacles in pathogen/disease resistance, crop production, transformation efficiency, and many other onerous but gratifying tasks, our lab focuses biotechnological methods to a wide variety of horticulturally important plants. Research is always a problem-solving process with endless problems, yet these situations always present opportunity.