Scott Finlayson

Assistant Professor of Plant Reproduction and Development

Office Address: Rm 220B Heep Center Lab: Rm 230 Heep Center Phone: (979) 847-9287) or (979) 845-7416 Fax: (979) 845-0456 Email: sfinlayson@tamu.edu

Ph.D., Botany, University of Calgary, 1994

B.Sc., Biology, Simon Fraser University, 1986

Research in our lab is directed towards understanding fundamental physiological and molecular processes underlying reproduction and development in monocots. Current projects focus on mechanisms of megagametogenesis (with emphasis on apomixes), and the control of plant development by environmental cues such as light and temperature. These studies employ a wide variety of techniques, including forward and reverse genetic approaches, functional genomics and established physiological methods.

Phytohormones and Plant Growth Regulators is a graduate level course addressing the chemistry, biosynthesis, cell biology and molecular biology of plant hormones and related compounds and their commercial applications. The course is taught from the current literature. A new graduate course entitled Plant Development will be offered soon. These courses are targeted to students with an interest in basic plant biology, but the scope also encompasses the practical aspects of the various principles.

Finlayson SA, Gohil HL, Kato-Noguchi H, Lee I-J, Morgan PW (2004) Circadian Ethylene Synthesis in Sorghum bicolor: Expression and Control of the System at the Whole Plant Level. J Plant Growth Reg. In press.

Morgan PW, Finlayson SA, Childs KL, Mullet JE, Rooney WL (2002) Opportunities to improve yield in grasses: Lessons from sorghum. Crop Sci. 42: 1791-1799

Morgan PW, Finlayson SA (2000) Physiology and genetics of maturity and height. In CW Smith and RA Frederiksen eds. Sorghum: Origin, History, Technology and Production. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, NY.

Finlayson SA, He C-J, Drew MC, Mullet JE, Morgan PW (1999) Phytochrome B and ethylene rhythms in sorghum: biosynthetic mechanism and developmental effects. In AK Kanellis, C Chang, D Grierson, H Klee and JC Pech eds. Biology and Biotechnology of the Plant Hormone Ethylene II. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht.

Finlayson SA, Lee I-J, Mullet JE, Morgan PW (1999) The mechanism of phytochrome B regulation of rhythmic ethylene production in Sorghum bicolor. Plant Physiol 119: 1083-1089

Finlayson SA, Lee I-J, Morgan PW (1998) Phytochrome B and the regulation of circadian ethylene production in Sorghum bicolor. Plant Physiol 116: 17-25. Cover paper.

Finlayson SA, Reid DM, Morgan PW (1997) Root and leaf specific ACC oxidase activity in corn and sunflower seedlings. Phytochemistry 45: 869-877

Finlayson SA, Reid DM (1996) The effect of CO2 on ethylene evolution and elongation rate in roots of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) seedlings. Physiol Plant 98: 875-881

Finlayson SA, Liu J.-H., Reid DM (1996) Localization of ethylene biosynthesis in roots of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) seedlings. Physiol Plant 96: 36-42

He C-J, Finlayson SA, Drew MC, Jordan WR, Morgan PW (1996) Ethylene biosynthesis during aerenchyma formation in roots of Zea mays L. subjected to mechanical impedance and hypoxia. Plant Physiol 112: 1679-1685