Microbiome and Genomics Lab

The study, led by Abdul Latif Khan, assistant professor of biotechnology at the Cullen College of Engineering Technology Division, examined the communities of microbiomes living in and around the roots (rhizosphere) and on the leaves (phyllosphere) of four types of hemp plants. Khan’s team also compared how these microorganisms differ between hemp grown for fiber and hemp grown for CBD production

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Three Cullen College researchers are combining their respective talents to support small-scale, underserved and limited-resource farmers with practical solutions to combat the effects of climate warming on global food supply. Their work is part of the University of Houston’s contribution to a $5 million cooperative project funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

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HOUSTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture has chosen a University of Houston project as one of 12 nationwide aimed at improving soil health and productivity through innovative tools and techniques. The UH project will help develop a new nutrient management strategy to grow crops in poor-quality soils and to have higher resistance to climate change.

Healthy soils are like vibrant ecosystems that support plant and animal life, improve water and air quality, and boost the overall health of plants, animals and people.

Online databases and digitally-accessible scientific journals afford not only the instant availability of nearly any of the world’s collected knowledge at any given moment, but an associated collection of lifetime statistics on just about any topic, author or published work. This includes the number of times that the work of an individual author is cited by other authors in their own works.

The Cullen College of Engineering’s Technology Division is proud to host one of the most highly-cited researchers of 2023, as named by Clarivate in their Highly Cited Researchers analysis for the year.

Abdul Latif Khan, assistant professor of Biotechnology, was recognized by Clarivate as one of the top 1 percent most-cited plant and animal science researchers last year. It came as an unexpected – though appreciated – surprise.

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A team of researchers at the University of Houston has received a $995,805 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to uncover new ways to protect the world’s food crops from climate change.

The research is being led by Abdul Latif Khan, assistant professor of plant biotechnology at the UH Cullen College of Engineering’s Division of Technology, as the project’s principal investigator. He’s joined by other researchers from UH and Texas A&M on the research.

The team will begin performing experiments in Houston next month that focus on two main objectives: “To improve plant growth and build plants’ resistance against climate change,” Khan said in a statement from UH.

They plan to develop novel tools for the agriculture industry as well as new, affordable, easy-to-use methods that safeguard the soil systems and prevent farmers from losing their land.

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The financial costs of drought in Texas have risen rapidly over recent decades, according to a new analysis of federal crop insurance data.

The nonprofit Environmental Working Group, a longtime critic of the federal crop insurance program based in Washington, analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and showed that drought accounts for more crop insurance payouts than any other weather phenomenon and that Texas draws more crop insurance payouts than any other state.

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Researchers at the University of Houston are training future agricultural scientists in new methods of protecting the world’s foodcrops – which too often are left vulnerable to extreme weather events in these days of climate change.

Funded by a $995,805 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the team is expanding research knowledge and building a new curriculum for students, many from communities currently underrepresented among the agriculture industry’s leadership.

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The Microbiome and Genomics Lab participated in the Photosynthesis Measurement Workshop.

This full-day event, hosted in the Agricultural Research Building at PVMU, brought together researchers and professionals to explore advanced techniques and tools for studying photosynthesis.

The workshop featured in-depth presentations on topics such as:

• Instrument Theory for Measuring Photochemistry
• Optimizing Instruments for Experiments
• LI-6400XT Protocols for those using this specific instrument model.

Overall, this workshop provided valuable knowledge to enhance our research in photosynthesis and plant sciences.

Microbiome and genomics lab is delighted to share the news that our Phd student ” Waqar Ahmad” and past graduate student “Lauryn Coffman” published a quality research article on microbiome diversity and its variations among industrial hemp genotypes, shedding light on the complex relationships between plant genetics and their associated microbial communities. This research highlights the potential of leveraging microbiome interactions to enhance hemp cultivation practices, improve plant resilience, and boost productivity.

Read the Full Publication

Microbiome and Genomics lab was proud to participate in the recent ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting where Waqar Ahmad presented a poster on “Silicon application regulates microbiome diversity and plant physiology during cold stress in soybean.”

This event was an excellent opportunity to share lab research insights with the local and international scientific community and gather valuable feedback for advancing our work in improving crop resilience in changing climate by exploring microbiome structures and functions.

UH Part of $7.9M Initiative to Promote Soil Health and Tackle Climate Change

Congratulations on achieving first place at the Algae Summit! This accomplishment highlights exceptional dedication to algae research and innovation. A proud moment of success and excellence in the field!

Sometimes the job doesn’t feel done until you have the physical copy of all the hard work done to complete a task.

We helped Senior students understanding and operating advanced instruments to teach relevant technical skills for future jobs. Students attended a one-day training on the instrument used in Agrisciences fields. Our lab taught about instruments and how to run specific samples from plants, soil, or microbes.

We work hard in the lab and as such we all need a day off to enjoy the beautiful weather Texas has to offer. Always grateful for our state parks and having Brazos Bend State Park so close to campus!

Recognizing influential researchers in the sciences and social sciences from around the world, who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their field(s) of research.

Of the world’s population of scientists and social scientists, Highly Cited Researchers are 1 in 1,000.

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We are excited to announce that Lauryn will be graduating with her M.Sc. in Biotechnology this December

Abdul Latif Khan, has received a research grant from the USDA to purchase instruments that will allow for the real-time monitoring of photosynthesis.

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University of Houston researchers are developing a program to teach small-scale, underserved, and limited resources (SULR) farmers how to improve their crop production by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing carbon removal.

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HOUSTON – Three University of Houston professors are testing a process to create environmentally friendly biofertilizer for crops by using algae to capture carbon dioxide.

The study is being funded by a $400,000 Department of Energy grant.

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