M. Soledad Benitez Ponce, PhD

Primary Research Questions addressed by Dr. Benitez Ponce's Lab

In my research group we study how communities of microorganisms, and their interactions, contribute to plant health, under varying management practices that promote sustainability. For this we integrate microbial community surveys with field, greenhouse and laboratory manipulations. Specifically, I work on questions related to a) land management practices effects on microbial community dynamics; b) endophythic microbiome establishment and factors affecting endophytic microbiome composition; and c) relationships between plant microbiome diversity and dynamics and plant disease incidence. My current research is focused on two production systems: diversification of corn and soybean production and hydroponic vegetable production.

Areas of Expertise

• Microbiology
• Microbiome Science
• Plant Biology

Primary Research Tools and Methods

• Multivariate Data Analysis
• Next Generation Sequencing
• Crop Trials
• Supercomputing