Professor, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
Ph.D. - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Phone: 706-542-6112
Email: merkle@warnell.uga.edu

Research in the Merkle Lab

Cell and tissue culture of forest trees and genetic transformation of forest trees.

Lab Members

Awards

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Research Interests

Research in our lab has focused on adapting the in vitro phenomenon known as somatic embryogenesis for mass clonal propagation and genetic manipulation of southern forest species. With somatic embryogenesis, structures resembling seed embryos can be produced by the thousands in culture. These “somatic embryos” are clonal copies of each other and can be germinated to produce seedling-like plants.

Selected Publications

Merkle, S.A., and P.J. Battle. 2000. Enhancement of embryogenic culture initiation from tissues of mature sweetgum trees. Plant Cell Reports 19:268-273.

Merkle, S.A. 2000. Book Review: Tree Biotechnology: Toward the Millenium, Edited by M.R. Davey, P.G. Alderson, K.C. Lowe, and J.B. Power. For. Sci. 46:148-149.

Merkle, S.A., and J.F.D. Dean. 2000. Forest tree biotechnology. Current Opinion in Biotechnology 11:298-302.

Smith, D.R., P.J. Battle, C.P. Holliday, M.J. Walsh and S.A. Merkle. 2000. Progress with somatic embryogenesis, cryopreservation and transformation of slash pine. Proceedings of the 25th Biennial Southern Forest Tree Improvement Conference, July 11-14, 1999, New Orleans, LA, pp. 236-238.

Vendrame, W.A., C.P. Holliday, D.R. Smith and S.A. Merkle. 2000. Optimization of a cryopreservation protocol for embryogenic cultures of yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera). Proceedings of the 25th Biennial Southern Forest Tree Improvement Conference, July 11-14, 1999, New Orleans, LA,  pp. 172-173.

Barnes, J.R., Y. Wang, W. Lorenz, S.A. Merkle, S.F. Covert and J.F.D. Dean. 2000. Analysis of the role of Leafy and Apetala-1 genes in southern hardwoods. Proceedings of the 25th Biennial Southern Forest Tree Improvement Conference, July 11-14, 1999, New Orleans, LA, pp. 201-209.

Holliday, C.P., and S.A. Merkle. 2000. Preservation of American chestnut germplasm by cryostorage of embryogenic cultures. Journal of the American Chestnut Foundation 14(1):46-52.

Vendrame, W.A., C.P. Holliday, P.M. Montello, D.R. Smith and S.A. Merkle. 2001. Cryopreservation of yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) and sweetgum (Liquidambar spp.) embryogenic cultures. New Forests 21:283-292.

Vendrame, W.A., C.P. Holliday and S.A. Merkle. 2001. Clonal propagation of hybrid sweetgum (L. styraciflua X L. formosana) via somatic embryogenesis. Plant Cell Reports 20:691-695.

Merkle, S.A., D.R. Smith, P.J. Battle, P.M. Montello and R.B. Meagher. 2002. A modified mercuric ion reductase gene may offer and alternative to antibiotic selection for production of transgenic southern pines. In: Proceedings of the 26th Southern Forest Tree Improvement Conference, June 26-29, 2001, Athens, GA, pp. 169-171.

Merkle, S.A. 2003. Transgenic trees: Advances in somatic embryogenesis, transformation and engineering with phytoremediation genes. In: Transgenic Plants: Current Innovations and Future Trends (C.N. Stewart, Jr., Ed.).  Horizon Scientific Press, Norfolk, UK, pp. 45-63.

Merkle, S.A., P.J. Battle and G.O. Ware. 2003. Factors influencing production of inflorescence-derived somatic seedlings of sweetgum. Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture 73:95-99.

Che, D., R.B. Meagher, A.C.P. Heaton, A. Lima, C.L. Rugh and S.A. Merkle. 2003. Expression of mercuric ion reductase in eastern cottonwood confers mercuric ion reduction and resistance.  Plant Biotechnology Journal 1:311-319.

Merkle, S.A., B. L. Upchurch, P.M. Montello, X. Xia, and D.R. Smith. 2004. Light quality effects on germination and conversion of southern pine somatic embryos. In:  Proceedings of the 27th Southern Forest Tree Improvement Conference, June 24-27, 2003, Stillwater, OK, pp. 181-183.

Robichaud, R.L., V.C. Lessard and S.A. Merkle. 2004. Treatments affecting maturation and germination of American chestnut somatic embryos. J. Plant Physiol. 161:957-969.

Dai, J., W. Vendrame and S.A. Merkle. 2004. Enhancing the productivity of hybrid yellow-poplar and hybrid sweetgum embryogenic cultures. In Vitro Cell. Dev. Biol.- Plant 40:376-383.

Viéitez, F.J., and S.A. Merkle. Fagaceae. 2004. In: Biotechnology of Fruit and Nut Crops (R.E. Litz, Ed.). CAB International, pp. 263-296.

Andrade, G.M., and S.A. Merkle. 2005. Enhancement of American chestnut somatic seedling production. Plant Cell Reports 24:326-334.

Merkle, S.A., and C.J. Nairn. 2005. Hardwood tree biotechnology. In Vitro Cell. Dev. Biol.- Plant 41:602-619.

Merkle, S.A., P.M. Montello, X. Xia, B.L. Upchurch and D.R. Smith. 2005. Light quality treatments enhance somatic seedling production in three southern pine species.  Tree Physiol. 26:187-194.

Lyyra, S., A. Lima and S.A. Merkle. In vitro regeneration of Salix nigra via adventitious shoots. Tree Physiol. (in press).

Merkle, S.A., and G.M. Andrade. Using biotechnology to help restore the American chestnut. In: Proceedings of the 28th Southern Forest Tree Improvement Conference, June 20-23, 2005, Raleigh, NC (in press).

Merkle, S.A. Engineering forest trees with heavy metal resistance genes for phytoremediation. NABC Report 17 (in press).