USA
June 24, 2016

The laboratory is a control freak's dream come true! Welcome to the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Phytotron, a singular facility for growing plants under various combinations of strictly controlled environmental conditions. Scientists are able to conduct all types of plant research here, from studies of disease-resistant crops to drought-proof grasses to new biofuels.

The NCSU Phytotron was built in the 1960s with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), and was used a decade later to help prevent a collapse in the U.S. corn crop from fungal disease. Now, after more than a generation of such research breakthroughs, the Phytotron has received additional support from NSF for a 21st century makeover. The renovations include a new Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) lab with a greenhouse that houses high security research, such as experiments with viral and bacterial pathogens.

The research in this episode was supported by NSF award #0962962, Renovation of the NCSU Phytotron for Improved Environmental Control and BSL-3 Containment. This Academic Research Infrastructure program award was funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The research also was supported by award #1444503, An Integrated Genomic and Functional Analysis of the Plant Hypersensitive Response. 

Website: http://www.ncsu.edu

Published: June 24, 2016