David G. Clark
Professor
Environmental Horticulture Dept.
University of Florida
1523 Fifield Hall, PO Box 110670
Gainesville FL 32611-0670
Voice: 352.392.1831 x 370
Fax: 352.392.3870
Email:geranium@ufl.edu
Professional Background:
Education
Ph.D. Horticulture (The Pennsylvania State Univ.), 1994
M.S. Horticulture (Clemson Univ.), 1990
B.S. Ornamental Horticulture & Landscape Design (Univ. Tennessee), 1988
I specialize in Floriculture Biotechnology, but this is a broad and encompassing area that
requires several skills to succeed in carrying out my research and teaching appointment.
I utilize my technical skills in physiology, genetics, molecular biology and biochemistry to
lead a multi-faceted research group dedicated toward the genetic improvement of floriculture
crops through conventional breeding and biotechnological approaches. In education, I use the
information learned in acquiring these technical skills to educate undergraduate students in the
underlying genetic mechanisms that control plant physiological and biochemical processes, and
the modern biotechnology tools necessary for improving and analyzing crop plants. The common
thread that makes my efforts in these areas cohesive is the time spent communicating with
academicians and corporations around the world to stay abreast of developments and make
collaborations in research and industry. This allows me to communicate new ideas with my
students and also provide them with career opportunities after they finish their student careers.
Research
I am the principle investigator of a laboratory that conducts both basic and
applied research focused on breeding, genetics and biotechnology of floriculture crops.
In the area of basic research, we are focused on developing functional genomics tools and
conducting experiments focused on gene function analysis of Petunia. Beyond our efforts
in basic molecular biology, I am also leading a conventional breeding program to
develop new Coleus cultivars for commercialization in US vegetative bedding plant markets.
The following are major foci of our research program:
- Ethylene-insensitivity in transgenic Petunia
- Delayed leaf senescence in transgenic Petunia
- Manipulation of plant architecture and floral development in transgenic Petunia
- Manipulation of floral volatiles in transgenic Petunias and Roses
- Foundational research tools for floriculture biotechnology (Petunia Genomics)
- Traditional breeding of Coleus for various horticultural characteristics
Teaching
I teach the undergraduate level course ORH 1030 (Plants Gardening & You) and HOS 3305 (Introduction
to Plant Molecular Biology). At the graduate level, I am major or co-major advisor to five PhD
students and currently serve on graduate committees of several others.
