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Rong Di
My research programs with turfgrass primarily focus on genetic engineering different turfgrass species for disease resistance and stress tolerance. We employ CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/CRISPR-associated 9 nuclease)-gene editing technology to engineer the grass host factors that are negative regulators in disease development and stresses such as drought and salinity.
The Center for Turfgrass Science generates and disseminates knowledge, and provides training and education in the turfgrass sciences by fostering nationally recognized multidisciplinary research; undergraduate, graduate, and continuing professional education; and service programs that support the turfgrass industry.