October 18, 2024
Lumba lab eavesdrops on the secret language of soil molecules
There is a silent conversation going on under your feet; plant roots are communicating with soil fungi through a language of small molecules. Until now, the complex genetics of these fungi made it difficult to study how they perceive small molecules directly. The Lumba lab and the McCourt lab at…
May 7, 2024
Excellence and excitement at CSB Research Day 2024
The wide variety of cutting-edge science in the Department of Cell & Systems Biology was on full display in the distinguished halls of Hart House at CSB Research Day on May 3, 2024. Grad students from all three campuses shared their findings with faculty, staff and fellow students at talks and…
June 2, 2023
End of the tunnel for crop loss due to parasitic plants
Parasitic plants devastate entire fields of crops every year, resulting in billions of dollars of food lost. As food prices rise, protecting crops from parasitic plants is crucial to keeping meals affordable. Researchers at the University of Toronto have discovered a path to rescuing crops by…
August 16, 2021
Hybrid receptor from Lumba lab suggests how parasitic plants evolve
Professor Shelley Lumba’s lab found out how benign plants develop the ability to become parasites on other plants in new research published in PNAS. Many plants release strigolactone hormones to promote beneficial interactions with soil fungi. Parasitic plants like witchweed can sense…