Research

Plant Metabolomics And Multi-Omics Integration

My work uses GC-MS, LC-MS, HS-SPME-GC-MS, ICP-OES, and transcriptomic integration to identify biochemical signatures of stress response. I am especially interested in central carbon metabolism, specialized metabolism, ion partitioning, and pathway-level regulation under combined stress.

Each omics layer answers a different question about the same stressed tissue, so the layers are measured on the same plants and read together. Point at a layer to find it in the drawing.

• MetabolomicsHow carbon is rerouted. GC-MS and LC-MS profiling of central carbon and specialized metabolism.
• VolatilomicsHow stress reshapes aroma and specialized responses. HS-SPME-GC-MS volatile profiling links stress to berry and wine quality.
• GenomicsWhich genetic variants underlie a trait. GBS and SNP genotyping, QTL mapping, GWAS, and marker-assisted selection.
• TranscriptomicsWhich genes are switched on or off under stress. Gene expression profiling integrated with metabolite and ion data.
• IonomicsWhere sodium, chloride and potassium accumulate. ICP-OES ion profiling of roots, leaves and berries.
• PhenomicsWhat the whole plant does. Gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, root and shoot phenotyping, and UAV thermal imaging.

Evidence from the papers

All figures

Plant Stress · 2025 · Fig. 6 Salinity rewires the links between ions, metabolites and physiology Plant Stress · 2025 · Fig. 5 Salinity reshapes central metabolism in Syrah leaves over time Plant Stress · 2025 · Fig. 3 Leaf ions accumulate in step with rising salinity Preprint, under review · 2026 · Figure 8 Each grape variety builds its own heat-stress network

Thresholds, Tipping Points, And Network Analysis

A recurring goal is to define when plants shift from acclimation to stress-response modes. I use physiology, metabolomics, ionomics, phenology, agronomic data, network inference, and machine learning to identify trait breakpoints and regulatory nodes.

In practice, the same plants are followed across omics layers and through time as stress increases. Ion accumulation, shifts in central and specialized metabolites, gene expression, photosynthesis and water status are linked through correlation networks. Breakpoint analysis along the stress gradient marks where coordinated regulation gives way to a stress-response mode, and machine learning identifies which traits carry that signal across rootstocks and seasons.

1. Ion uptake and partitioning
2. Metabolic and transcript shifts
3. Photosynthesis and water status
4. Growth, phenology and yield

Evidence from the papers

All figures

Plant Stress · 2025 · Fig. 4 Leaf chloride and sodium set breakpoints for water status and stomatal conductance Plant Stress · 2025 · Fig. 6 Salinity rewires the links between ions, metabolites and physiology Plant Stress · 2026 · Fig. 7 Rootstocks decide how metabolism and physiology stay coordinated under salinity Plant Stress · 2025 · Fig. 8 Yield falls beyond a rootstock-specific soil salinity threshold

Rootstock-Mediated Stress Resilience

I study how belowground traits influence scion physiology and whole-plant performance. Key questions include how root system architecture, ion selectivity, and root-shoot signaling shape stress acclimation and yield stability.

Evidence from the papers

All figures

Plant Stress · 2026 · Fig. 7 Rootstocks decide how metabolism and physiology stay coordinated under salinity Plant Stress · 2026 · Fig. 1 Rootstock and treatment separate physiological and agronomic responses Plant Stress · 2025 · Fig. 8 Yield falls beyond a rootstock-specific soil salinity threshold Plant Stress · 2025 · Fig. 7 Each rootstock follows its own response path across treatments

Combined Abiotic Stress In Grapevine

My PhD research focused on Vitis vinifera grafts exposed to combined salinity, water deficit, and heat-related stress. The work links rootstock variation with ion regulation, photosynthesis, water status, metabolism, phenology, and agronomic performance.

Evidence from the papers

All figures

Plant Stress · 2025 · Fig. 4 Leaf chloride and sodium set breakpoints for water status and stomatal conductance Plant Stress · 2025 · Fig. 8 Yield falls beyond a rootstock-specific soil salinity threshold Plant Stress · 2025 · Fig. 6 Soil salinity and chloride track phenology, fluorescence and yield Plant Stress · 2025 · Fig. 7 Each rootstock follows its own response path across treatments

Crop Improvement Through Breeding

Before my PhD, I worked on sorghum improvement for dryland production systems in Ethiopia. The work combined crossing, hybridization, heterosis exploitation, large-scale field phenotyping, and multi-environment trial analysis, and contributed to the development and release of three improved sorghum varieties, with additional releases supported through team-based breeding.

The research linked transpiration efficiency, root architecture, stress responses, agronomic performance, and genotype-by-environment interactions to identify stable, high-performing germplasm, using quantitative genetics, SNP-based genotyping, genotype-phenotype association analysis, and data-driven selection. Earlier agronomy, seed quality, and crop improvement work covered maize, wheat, barley, and haricot bean.

• Sorghum
• Maize
• Wheat
• Barley
• Haricot bean

Evidence from the papers

All figures

American Journal of Plant Sciences · 2021 · Figure 2 A GGE biplot ranks sorghum genotypes for yield and stability American Journal of Plant Sciences · 2021 · Figure 5 Testing sites group into sorghum mega-environments African Journal of Plant Science · 2020 · Figure 4 Male inbred lines cluster by their combining ability African Journal of Plant Science · 2020 · Figure 2 Additive and dominance effects differ by trait

Climate-Informed Predictive Modeling

Current postdoctoral work integrates multi-year physiological phenotyping, UAV-based thermal sensing, metabolomics, gene expression, and climate data to predict varietal performance under heatwave stress and future climate scenarios.

Evidence from the papers

All figures

Preprint, under review · 2026 · Figure 8 Each grape variety builds its own heat-stress network Preprint, under review · 2026 · Figure 6 Varieties differ in central metabolism under heatwave stress Preprint, under review · 2026 · Figure 1 Three seasons of maximum temperatures frame the heatwave sampling OENO One · 2024 · Figure 1 A Y-shaped canopy for Gewurztraminer in an arid climate