Overview

Peter Davies has a prime appointment in teaching plant physiology to students of agriculture and horticulture, though he has also taught plant growth and development, plant hormones, and spent three years teaching introductory biology to non majors. In 2007 he was planning a new course "Issues in Social Biology" taught in spring 2008. His area of expertise is plant growth and development, with special reference to the role of hormones in growth and development, and the regulation of the senescence of whole plants. Most of his research has involved the utilization of defined genotypes. He has published over 100 papers in these areas, as well as written several books. The third edition of his book on plant hormones: Plant Hormones: Biosynthesis, Signal Transduction, Action!, which he produced and edited, was published in February 2005 and is the standard authority in the field of plant hormones. He is also the editor covering plant physiology for the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. Dr. Davies has spent sabbatical leaves at the Universities of Cambridge (UK), Wales (UK), Minnesota, Tasmania (Australia)and Bologna (Italy). While in Tasmania he was a part of the team that isolated and characterized Mendel`s genes regulating tallness. He has also been a distinguished visiting lecturer at the University of Bologna in Italy. His current research is on the role of plant hormones in stem growth and potato tuberization, including the genomic identification and characterization of the genes involved in the hormonal regulation of growth and tuberization in potato, and ripening in tomato. Currently he is revising his plant physiology text The Life of the Green Plant (due for publication by Benjamin Cummings in 2009). He is the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Plant Sciences major and the Faculty Adviser to the residential agriculture and life sciences fraternity of Alpha Zeta. He is the chief organizer for the 8th International Symposium on the Plant Hormone Ethylene to be held at Cornell in June 2009.

Research Focus

Plant growth and development, with special reference to the role of hormones in growth and development, and the regulation of the senescence of whole plants. Most of his research has involved the utilization of defined genotypes. His current research is on the role of plant hormones in stem growth and potato tuberization, including the genomic identification and characterization of the genes involved in the hormonal regulation of growth and tuberization in potato, and ripening in tomato.

Instruction Focus

My main instruction focus is in plant physiology at a level appropriate for a broad range of students, especially in the agricultural and horticultural sciences. As part of this I am currently producing the 4th edition of my plant Physiology text, The Life of the Green Plant. In 2007 I was planning a new course "Issues in Social Biology" taught in spring 2008. I am also the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Plant Sciences major and the Faculty Adviser to the residential agriculture and life sciences fraternity of Alpha Zeta.

Additional Links

• Plant Biology
• Link to CALS Research portal
• Link to CALS Impact statements

Honors, Awards and Appointments

• National Advisor of the Year, the Fraternity of Alpha Zeta - 2005
• Outstanding paper award, Potato Association of America - 2004
• Distinguished Visiting Professor, University of Bologna, Italy - 1994

Professional Activities

• Editorial boards of Plant Growth Regulation and Plant Biosystems -
• Consulting Editor for Plant Physiology, The McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology -

Selected Publications

• Silva, T. and P. J. Davies. 2007. Elongation rates and endogenous indoleacetic acid levels in roots of pea mutants differing in internode length. Physiologia Plantarum. 129: 804-812. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1399-3054.2006.00869.x
• Silva, T. and P. J. Davies. 2007. Hormone growth responses of roots of shoot height mutants of pea. Physiologia Plantarum. 129: 813-821. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1399-3054.2006.00870.x
• Tassoni, A., Watkins C. B. and Davies P. J. 2006. Inhibition of the ethylene response by 1-MCP in tomato suggests that polyamines are not involved in delaying ripening, but may moderate the rate of ripening or over-ripening. Journal of Experimental Botany, 57: 3313-3325. http://jxb.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/57/12/3313

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