Rakesh Minocha
Organization: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, Northern Research Station
Affiliations: Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service
Contact Information
E-mail: rminocha@fs.fed.us
Mobile phone: 603-969-4323
Work phone: 603-868-7622
Biography
In the past 31 years with USDA Forest Service, my research has been focused on the physiological response of trees to injury, infection, and environmental change. Sources of injury may be obvious such as those from fire, storms, pests, pathogens and human activity. Significant, yet less obvious change in foliar chemistry as well as soil microbial communities may come from perturbations in soil chemistry due to change in environment. I examine wood and foliar metabolism and chemistry (inorganic cations, polyamines, amino acids, soluble proteins, and chlorophyll) at various sites in the Northeastern USA, Europe and Asia. Our goal is to determine relationship and interdependencies between these parameters and data collected on root, soil, and soil solution chemistry collected by our cooperators and collaborators. So far, putrescine, a polyamine, amino acids arginine and proline, and phytochelatins (metabolites that are synthesized to protect plants from heavy metal stress) have shown the potential to be used as early indicators of physiological stress under field conditions. Additionally I also evaluate: 1) the applicability and limitations of dendrochemistry to provide markers of environmental change; and 2) the effect of environmental pollution on the structure and functions of soil microbial communities.