Environmental and genetic drivers of wood and lignin formation in flowering plants

Plants can be divided into woody and non-woody species. The stems of woody species thicken through development of wood, a tissue with cells having a high lignin content in their cell walls. Also non-woody species produce cells with lignin deposits. This proposal brings together scientists from diverse research fields to investigate i) which genes drive wood and lignin formation, ii) if increased wood/lignin production in stems makes plants more drought tolerant and iii) which effect this has on lignin structure and whether this allows a sustainable method to harvest high value lignin from waste streams of food crops.