Luke Gregory

Best part about a land-grant university will forever be the ice cream from our own dairy

Positional 13C enrichment analysis of aspartate determines PEPC activity in vivo Photoautotrophic organisms fix inorganic carbon (Ci) by RIBULOSE-1,5-BISPHOSPHATE CARBOXYLASE/OXYGENASE (RUBISCO) and PHOSPHOENOLPYRUVATE CARBOXYLASE (PEPC). Monitoring Ci assimilation rates in vivo.....

Positional 13C enrichment analysis of aspartate determines PEPC activity in vivo nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... @newphyt.bsky.social

An excellent job opportunity in the Netherlands for a postdoc interested in biological kinetic spectrofluorimetry & spectrophotometry. You'll be helping development new spectroscopic techniques for measuring photosynthetic energy transduction. #plantsciencejobs #plantscience

A chlorophyll fluorescence-based biofeedback system was developed to adjust LED intensity based on real-time plant responses, rather than using a fixed photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD). The system was tested in a growth chamber with lettuce and cucumber.

Read more https://bit.ly/3G8kmoS

A perspective: some relationships between the biochemistry of photosynthesis and the gas exchange of leaves (Planta 153, 376–387) - Planta The Planta paper “Some relationships between the biochemistry of photosynthesis and the gas exchange of leaves” explored the relationship between gas exchange measurements of CO2 assimilation rate and...

A perspective: some relationships between the biochemistry of photosynthesis and the gas exchange of leaves (Planta 153, 376–387)

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Tom Sharkey poses at his desk as a graduate student in the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory between 1976-1980.

Tom Sharkey poses in a lab coat in front of a plant and computer in his lab.

Tom Sharkey and former lab member, Sarathi Weraduwage, examine a piece of equipment.

After 51 years, Thomas Sharkey is earning the title of Emeritus University Distinguished Professor as he heads to retirement. From pioneering photosynthesis research to mentoring future leaders, his impact is immeasurable. Read about his impactful #plantscience career: natsci.msu.edu/news/2025/20...

Congratulations!

Taking Chl a fluorescence measurements of my tomato plants all this week through the heat wave in NY (the conditions have been brutal for them today).

Will report out at the end of the week

Looks like burdock to me. I think that the 1) hooked burrs can cause discomfort if they get entangled in fur & 2) burdock contain lactones which can cause dermatitis on skin/or irritate digestion if eaten. But personally I would not consider it toxic

Go green! Congratulations!

Soaring Temperatures Threaten Crops, So Scientists Are Looking to Alter the Plants

Great article by the New York Times:

Soaring Temperatures Threaten Crops, So Scientists Are Looking to Alter the Plants www.nytimes.com/2025/06/12/c...

Text reads: 'life is more than machinery and genetic information'.

#Viewpoint: Bring back the #phenotype

César Marín & Michael J. Wade 👇

📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

#LatestIssue #PlantScience

Unfortunately, I know a few REU programs that have also been terminated as well and offers are currently being receded. Super upsetting :(

Christoph Benning elected to National Academy of Sciences Christoph Benning, Michigan State University researcher, inventor and one of the world's foremost experts in plant lipid metabolism, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

Congratulations to Christoph Benning on his election to the National Academy of Sciences! Benning is the director of the Plant Research Laboratory, whose 40 year career has made him one of the world's foremost experts in plant lipid metabolism. natsci.msu.edu/news/2025/20...

“I spend so much time on TikTok,” she said. “Hours and hours, until my eyes start hurting, which makes it hard to plan and do my schoolwork. With ChatGPT, I can write an essay in two hours that normally takes 12.”

"No work, no play" sounds like an incredibly rewarding college experience.

My “backyard” has expanded to Eastern Tennessee

Day 2 of the SIF Tower installation at ORNL (3 more sites to go)

Day 1 of the SIF Tower installation at ORNL (successful!)

Highlight of my week was giving a guest lecture for a Plant Ecophysiology course at Union College. Thank for the invite Stephanie!

New OA Article: "Predicting plant trait dynamics from genetic markers" rdcu.be/eia5V

Time-resolved multi-trait data from a high-throughput phenotyping platform for the genomic prediction of morphometric, geometric and colourimetric traits of Arabido and maize lines.

A deficient CP24 allele defines variation for dynamic non-photochemical quenching and photosystem II efficiency in maize High throughput phenotyping of a maize multi-founder mapping population reveals genetic factors controlling dynamic photoprotection and photosystem II effi

Happy to share the publication of our recent work on the identification of CP24 as a determinant of variation in NPQ and PSII efficiency in maize 🌽☀️.

This paper involved a massive team effort in the lab and collaboration with colleagues at @essexuni.bsky.social 🧬🧪

tinyurl.com/yn7hwjyk

A mathematical model of photoinhibition: exploring the impact of quenching processes Abstract. Plants are constantly exposed to changing environments, sometimes leading to extreme conditions and stress. For example, sudden exposure to high

A mathematical model of photoinhibition: exploring the impact of quenching processes academic.oup.com/insilicoplan... @insilicoplants.bsky.social

James and I overlapped for a bit at PRL. He’s not only a great researcher but also an excellent person to work with. If you’re interested in studying heat sensitivity in horticultural crops (and using lots of fun instruments to do it) - this would be a great opportunity for you!

Really glad to finally share this work. The first research conducted with @drhollycroft.bsky.social, in collaboration with ADAS UK. We used #optical and #thermal data from #drones together with ground measurements to map #wheat🌾 traits and fluxes. @sheffieldpps.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

The determination of leaf size on the basis of developmental traits - Zeqing Ma, Thomas N. Buckley, Lawren Sack - New Phytologist @tombuckleylab.bsky.social

t.co/EFgmQo1qWy

Congratulations James - this is the best news I’ve heard all week!

Guard cell photorespiration has a major impact on photosynthesis, growth and stomatal behavior in Arabidopsis Photorespiration is a mandatory metabolic repair shunt of carbon fixation by the Calvin-Benson (CB) cycle in oxygenic phototrophs. Its extent depends mainly on the CO2/O2 ratio in chloroplasts, which ...

Guard cell photorespiration has a major impact on photosynthesis, growth and stomatal behavior in Arabidopsis www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Overview of proximal remote sensing instruments at a flux tower site. Shown are three eddy-covariance towers with sonic anemometers collecting data to derive ecosystem fluxes. Shown for spectral reflectance and solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) is a hyperspectral sensor with a narrow field-of-view (FOV) and multi-directional scanning capabilities (Sections II.1 and II.2). We also show the direct emission of SIF from the forest canopy (Section II.2). For thermal infrared radiation, we show a fixed thermal camera and thermal radiation coming from the canopy (Section II.3). For microwave, we show two potential arrangements with antenna A receiving direct signals from under open-sky conditions as well as signals that are reflected from the underlying vegetated surface, and antenna B receiving a direct signal that is propagated downward through the vegetation canopy and attenuated by its moisture content (Section II.4). We also show a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) instrument emitting light to get a 3D representation of canopy structure (Section II.5). Above the forest are a drone, aircraft, and satellite to emphasize the potential of proximal remote sensing to complement observations across scales. In the inset plot, we show sample reflectance spectra for vegetation and wet soil and highlight key wavelength ranges for spectral reflectance. We also show typical SIF retrieval windows and LiDAR emission windows. Next to the reflectance spectra, we show sample radiance in the thermal infrared region, with example spectra for warm soil and cool vegetation. Finally, we show key measurement wavelength bands for microwave backscatter.

New Tansley review paper from Zoe Pierrat & friends in @newphyt.bsky.social linking proximal remote sensing with ecosystem fluxes!

Synergies and best practices for hyperspectral reflectance, SIF, thermal, microwave and lidar 🌈🌲🗼🛰️🧪
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

YouTube video by Science IRL How a giant robot & red light can save plants from climate change

Just released a new Science IRL ep! Scientists at CROPPS are using giant robots & genetic light switches to help plants be more resilient in the face of climate change. It gives me hope to see researchers doing this sort of work, especially now:

youtu.be/EJfKeySYWm4?...

🧪 #plantscience #scicomm

Thanks!