Ashley Yow
Former Horticulture - PhD
Bio
- Degree Program: Ph.D., Horticultural Science
- Previous Degrees: M.S. in Horticultural Science; B.S. in Plant Biology with minor in Biotechnology
- PhD Advisor: Dr. Massimo Iorizzo; Dr. Penelope Perkins-Veazie
- Dissertation: Developing a Genomic Framework for Studying Agronomic and Nutritional Traits in Pineapple.
- Dissertation Date: 2022-10-19
- MS Advisor: Dr. Hamdi Ashrafi
- Thesis: RNA-Seq Analysis for Identifying Host Genes Involved in Response to Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi Infection of Blueberry.
- Thesis Date: 2017-10-19
Research
I am currently working on genomics of pineapple flowering. Natural differentiated flowering (NDF) in pineapple is non-synchronous and induced by both environmental and biological factors. Currently, producing pineapple requires controlling flowering times through exogenous hormonal applications. My project involves using comparative approaches to study genomic differences between cultivars that are more susceptible and more tolerant of natural flowering. My project also involves divulging how floral growth induction in pineapple is regulated by small RNA and epigenetic modifications, and how different hormonal pathways interact to regulate each other during this process. This work will contribute to the understanding of the molecular processes that must occur in order to induce flowering in pineapple. The results we find can be used in modern genomic breeding programs to create tolerant and commercially desirable pineapple varieties.