Our lab focuses on two areas of woody plant physiology. One area is directed towards understanding carbohydrate assimilation, partitioning and metabolism in woody plants (blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry) as it relates to source-sink interactions and sucrose metabolism in reproductive structures. We are also interested in nitrogen and iron uptake and assimilation in woody plants. One area of intense interest is the role of nitrate and iron uptake in soil adaptation of Vaccinium species. We have found marked differences in the abilities of cultivated vs wild Vaccinium species to assimilate nitrate and iron, and these differences appear to correlate with the ability of the wild species to adapt to high pH (and therefore high nitrate and low iron) soils - conditions that  cultivated Vaccinium tolerates poorly. Another project focuses on nitrate uptake and assimilation in strawberry in a recirculating hydroponics system, and is an ongoing collaborative project with NASA, in which the feasibility of strawberry as a candidate crop for the space station is being explored.