About us

The Cardoso lab is located in the Crop and Soil Sciences department of NC State University. We are focused on identifying structural and physiological traits that maintain efficient water transport and enhance crop resilience under adverse climates.

Our research generates mechanistic information of high value for the plant physiology discipline and contributes to future-proofing agriculture by (1) informing breeders and geneticists about critical traits and mechanisms to improve crop resilience and resource use efficiency, (2) contributing to the selection of best-fit genotypes for particular environments, and (3) generating knowledge on best management practices for plant production facing adverse climates.

Plant Responses to Extreme Weather

Adverse climatic conditions, such as drought and waterlogging, have the potential to disrupt the water transport through plants, reducing yields and causing multi-billion-dollar losses in revenue in the US every year. We investigate how extreme weather impacts plant function, growth, and productivity.

Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Continuum

We perform studies investigating the physiological behavior of the two most important regulators of plant-water relations: stomata (which provide the ultimate control over water loss and photosynthesis) and xylem (which is responsible for efficiently transporting water throughout the plant, allowing its functioning and growth).

Plant Photosynthesis

Stomata are master regulators of plant photosynthesis, allowing CO2 to enter the leaves to be carboxylated by Rubisco in the stroma of chloroplasts. We investigate how different stressors affect stomatal aperture and thus photosynthesis as well as other non-stomatal limitations to this major physiological process.

Xylem Embolism and Plant Mortality

Plant hydration relies on an elegant mechanism whereby liquid water is transported under tension inside the xylem. During prolonged drought, air can enter the xylem leading to embolism and loss of xylem function, which in turn, results in plant dehydration and eventually, mortality of organs and whole plants. This sequence of events are investigated across several crops aiming at improving drought tolerance.

Cardoso et al (2020) Plant Physiol

Plant Structure and Anatomy

Because physiological processes driving plant performance are strongly dependent upon underlying anatomical features, most of our studies also include anatomical assessments aiming at linking plant form and function.