OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
Research Projects
Our research spans native plant selection, breeding, tissue culture, biotechnology, propagation, and regional evaluation. Explore the projects currently underway in the Nguyen Lab.
Have a promising plant, production challenge, or research idea? We welcome collaborations with growers, gardeners, public gardens, researchers, and industry partners.
Breeding and Germplasm Development
Underutilized Native Plants for Ornamental Crop Development
Project Lead: Chi Nguyen, PI
This project explores native woody and herbaceous plants with untapped ornamental and nursery potential. Seed populations and germplasm collections are evaluated for distinctive plant habit, flowering, foliage, stress tolerance, fertility, and ease of propagation. Superior individuals move forward into clonal propagation and multi-year field trials. The goal is to expand the ornamental plant palette with regionally adapted selections suited to low-input landscapes and nursery production.
Hybridization and Mutation for Ornamental Crop Improvement
Project Lead: Teal Hendrickson, Research Specialist
Controlled crosses and mutation treatments are used to create new variation in selected ornamental crops. Plants are screened for novel growth habits, flower and foliage traits, stress response, and propagation potential under greenhouse and field conditions. The project builds diverse breeding populations from which distinctive, productive, and regionally adapted selections can be identified.
Biotechnology and Propagation
Tissue Culture and Transformation Systems for Ornamental Crops
Student Researcher: Samantha Buie
Reliable regeneration systems are essential for advanced propagation, transformation, and gene-editing research. This project examines how genotype, explant source, plant growth regulators, and culture conditions influence shoot regeneration and plantlet recovery in ornamental crops. The resulting protocols will provide a foundation for efficient multiplication and future biotechnology applications in species that currently lack dependable in vitro systems.
Propagation of Underutilized Fruiting Ornamentals
Student Researcher: Blayne Bradford
Pawpaw, persimmon, and serviceberry offer both ornamental and edible value but remain difficult to propagate consistently. This project combines aeroponic rooting with targeted tissue culture methods to improve multiplication, root development, and plantlet establishment. Better propagation systems could make these crops more accessible for nursery production, edible landscapes, and future regional evaluation.
Chemical Mutagenesis in Rhizomatous Begonia
Student Researcher: Sandra Sweat
Rhizomatous begonias are prized for dramatic foliage, yet opportunities remain to create new colors, patterns, textures, and plant forms. This project uses EMS mutagenesis on leaf- and rhizome-derived explants to generate new variation. Regenerated plants are evaluated for survival, visible changes, and trait stability, helping establish a mutation-breeding platform for future begonia selection and improvement.