Gary A. Payne
William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of plant pathology
Description
Genomic approaches and field studies to improve food safety and to understand fungal biology and secondary metabolism. Gene expression profiling to characterize the regulatory circuits in Aspergillus flavus governing aflatoxin biosynthesis. Field and laboratory studies are focused on understanding the ecology of Fusarium verticillioides and the inheritance of resistance to the fungus. Maize seed proteins inhibitory to mycotoxin-producing fungi are being isolated and characterized to better understand resistance mechanisms in seeds.