Esther Ngumbi, an entomology professor, conducts experiments in her rooftop laboratory to investigate how tomato plants respond to flooding conditions, a scenario that is becoming more common due to climate change. By submerging half of the plants in bins of water and exposing them to herbivory from caterpillars, Ngumbi aims to understand how plants deal with the combined stress of flooding and insect damage. She also studies the microbial community present in flooded conditions, particularly focusing on mycorrhizal fungi and their role in plant health and productivity.
Ngumbi’s experiments involve two heirloom tomato varieties, Cherokee purple and striped German, grown in flooded and non-flooded conditions. She also examines the impact of inoculating the soil with mulch containing mycorrhizal fungi to see if it enhances the plants’ ability to defend themselves against herbivores. By analyzing the volatile organic compounds emitted by the plants, Ngumbi’s team can measure the plants’ defenses and assess how they are influenced by flooding and herbivory.
Two years later, Ngumbi publishes the results of her experiments, revealing that flooded conditions significantly alter the chemical emission profiles of tomato plants and influence their ability to defend against herbivores. Her research highlights the detrimental effects of flooding on plant metabolism, energy generation, and microbial health in the soil. Ngumbi warns that increased flooding can undermine efforts to make crops more resilient to climate change, potentially negating advancements in genetic engineering and plant breeding.
In a review published in the journal Trends in Plant Research, Ngumbi discusses the various changes that occur in plants when they are flooded for extended periods. She emphasizes the importance of considering the impacts of floods on crop resilience and protecting the progress made in developing climate-resilient crops. With flooding intensity and frequency expected to rise with global average temperatures, Ngumbi stresses the need for scientists to address the challenges posed by flooding to ensure the sustainability of agricultural practices.
As an affiliate of the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois, Ngumbi continues her research on the effects of flooding on plants. Her ongoing experiments aim to further understand how plants adapt to flooded conditions, the role of microbial communities in plant health, and the implications of flooding on crop resilience. By studying the interactions between plants, microbes, and environmental stressors, Ngumbi contributes valuable insights to the field of plant biology and agricultural sustainability.