Research Interests

General fields of interest:
Plant Tissue Culture and New Industrial Crops

• in vitro salt tolerance
• hyperhydricity and hardening (acclimatization) aspects
• In vitro propagation of Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis)
• Sugar utilization in hairy roots and cell suspension.
• Secondary metabolite production in cell suspensions and hairy roots
• Development of Vernonia galamensis as a new source of epoxy oil

• Response of different varieties of Vernonia galamensis to water stress
• Cloning of stress-regulated genes expressed during in vitro hardening of Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) (collaboration†with Dr. D. bar-Zvi)
• Characterizing the mechanisms of disaccharide and hexose uptake†in cell suspension and hairy root cultures of Sympytum officinale
• Effects of biotic and abiotic factors on betalain production in hairy roots of beta vulgaris using a novel method of image analysis