The lab congratulates Billie Fraser, a graduate student in the Plant Biology and Conservation MS program, on successfully defending her thesis titled “Citizen Science Monitoring of Urban Saguaro Health: The Saguaro Monitoring Program within the Desert Botanical Garden’s Saguaro Initiative.” Billie was co-advised by Dr. Tania Hernandez at the Desert Botanical Garden and Dr. Changbin Chen, with Dr. Kathleen Pigg serving as a committee member. Her research has been mainly conducted at the Desert Botnical Garden and focused on the Saguaro monitoring program in the Phoenix metro area and highlights its practical significance for urban plant health and conservation.

Left: Billie Fraser presenting her thesis during her defense.

The lab congratulates Andrew Centanni, a graduate student in the Plant Biology and Conservation MS program and a biology teacher at Corona Del Sol, on successfully defending his thesis titled “The Zingeria Model System: Using a Two-Chromosome Grass to Teach Biology.” His work explores the development of a novel model system for high school classroom and laboratory instruction.

Left: Andrew Centanni presenting his thesis during his defense.

Andrew Centanni, a graduate student in the Plant Biology and Conservation program and a Biology Teacher at Corona Del Sol., attended the Southwest HLPIN meeting at Grand Canyon University, where he presented on the development of Zingeria biebersteiniana (n = 2), a species with the lowest known chromosome count in plants, as a model system for high school and college classroom teaching.

This grass species is relatively easy to grow and features only two pairs of chromosomes, making sample preparation straightforward for biology courses—particularly in cell biology and genetics—where specimens are examined using conventional microscopes.

We have transformed the former turkey research enclosure to Desert AgroInnovation Station (ASU-DAIS) for desert agriculture research including crop trials.  Here is the process about the transformation here.  

We are pleased to share that the “Desert Dew” tomato variety has been featured in the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) news channel. This feature highlights the development and unique qualities of “Desert Dew,” a compact, determinate tomato variety well suited for short-season growing conditions. We are grateful to Jane Cerza for writing and publishing this excellent news article. The full article can be found here. 

Zingeria biebersteiniana, a grass species with the lowest known chromosome number among angiosperms (n=2), represents a unique system for cytogenetic and genome evolution research. We have established the first reproducible Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation protocol for this species, enabling stable plant regeneration and transgene expression using an optimized tissue culture system. This breakthrough expands the utility of Z. biebersteiniana as a model for functional genomics, molecular biology, and grass research.

The method was published on December 8, 2025. Ryan Koeth, a graduate student in the ASU Plant Biology and Conservation MS program, is the first author of this work. Other contributors are Dr. Shahzad Shah and undergraduate lab researcher Calvin Juel-Rigney. The paper can be accessed here.  

In this episode of Harvesting Wisdom (https://www.harvestingwisdompodcast.com/), host Mike McMahon welcomes Dr. Changbin Chen, a plant scientist at Arizona State University, discusses how modern plant science and breeding can address agriculture’s most pressing challenges under climate stress. Drawing on his expertise in plant genetics, breeding, and soil science, Dr. Chen explains how understanding plant genomes enables the development of crops that perform well in extreme environments—such as regions with short growing seasons, poor soils, limited water, and high temperatures.

The conversation highlights strategies for improving crops like tomatoes, grapes, hemp, and melons by selecting and breeding traits related to heat tolerance, stress resilience, and efficient resource use. Dr. Chen emphasizes the importance of genetic diversity in seeds as a foundation for future crop improvement and food security. The episode also explores how public–private partnerships in agricultural research, along with locally adapted breeding programs, are essential for sustaining food production in places like Arizona as climate change intensifies.

The podcast was released on Aug 5, 2025 and received over 25,000 views within its first month.  Here is the link to the podcast. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEjWNZk8Auw) .

Dr. Chen attended the 2025 Penn State Special Plant Science Symposium, held at the Hilton Garden Inn in State College, Pennsylvania from Aug. 2 to Aug. 3, 2025. The symposium convened a distinguished group of speakers presenting on a wide range of topics in plant science, including plant evolution, genetics, developmental biology, and strategies for crop improvement in the context of environmental change. In addition to core scientific presentations, the program featured sessions led by experts in scientific editing, publication practices, and securing research funding.

The symposium was organized in honor of Dr. Hong Ma’s 65th birthday, celebrating his distinguished contributions to plant biology research and his enduring legacy in mentorship and academic leadership.

Early today, Amy Sawyer, a graduate student in the Plant Biology and Conservation MS program, successfully defended her thesis. Amy earned her bachelor’s degree in Horticultural Science from Utah State University and worked in the horticulture retail industry for several years before joining ASU to pursue her master’s degree. Her research included indoor farming and potential space-farming trials at Biosphere 2 using the lab’s recently developed tomato varieties, 'Ground Jewel', 'Ground Dew', and 'Desert Dew', as well as field evaluations of thin-skinned Asian melon varieties. Amy will continue her graduate training as a PhD student at Kansas State University, where she will focus on cover crop research.

Left: Amy Sawyer presenting her thesis during her defense.

The ASU News Instagram channel featured Chen Lab research focused on agriculture in extreme environments and in the face of climate change. A series of photographs is available here.  Photographed by Samantha Chow.