Gary Gardner

Gary Gardner Headshot
Emeritus Professor
[email protected]
612-624-3606
420 Alderman Hall
Give to the Gardner-Kivnick Professorship in Controlled Environment Horticulture
Education
  • Ph.D. Harvard University, 1972
  • A.M. Harvard University, 1968
  • A.B. Oberlin College, 1967
External Affiliations
  • Minnesota Grape Growers Association
  • American Society for Horticultural Science
  • American Society of Plant Biologists
    • Science Policy Committee, 2025-2030
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science
  • Sigma Xi
  • Phi Beta Kappa
  • NCERA-101, “Controlled Environment Technology and Use”

Areas of Interest

Plant Growth & Development, Plant Photobiology, Plant Hormones, Plants and Human Health, Auxin Transport, Plant Responses to UV Light, Grapes and Wine

Biography

Dr. Gardner's interests in plant physiology include photobiology and photomorphogenesis, mode of action of plant growth substances, and naturally occurring compounds in plants that benefit human health. His photomorphogenesis research attempts to identify settings in which manipulation of phytochrome relationships can result in practical agricultural benefit. In this way, research on the role of phytochrome in the natural environment can be extended to the role of phytochrome in the managed environment. Since 2005, his photobiology research has also had a major focus on how plants perceive UV-B irradiation (280-320 nm) in the environment. In recent years, his work on plant growth substances has, in collaboration with Jerry Cohen, focused on the interaction of transport and synthesis of the plant hormone auxin. Dr. Gardner is a member of the graduate faculties in Plant and Microbial Biology and Applied Plant Sciences.

Teaching

  • Hort 1031 — Vines and Wines: An Introduction to Viticulture and Enology, 2004-2016

Outreach

  • University of Minnesota Faculty Legislative Liaison, 2013-2016
  • Board of Directors, Minnesota Grape Growers Association, 2010-2016
  • Chair, International Cold Climate Wine Competition, 2011-2016

Select Publications

  • Engelen-Eigles, G., G. Holden, J. D. Cohen, and G. Gardner. 2006. The effect of temperature, photoperiod, and light quality on gluconasturtiin concentration in watercress (Nasturtium officinale  R. Br.). J. Agric. Food Chem., 54: 328-334.
  • Gardner, G., C. Lin, E. M. Tobin, H. Loehrer, and D. Brinkman. 2009. Photobiological properties of the inhibition of etiolated Arabidopsis seedling growth by ultraviolet-B irradiation. Plant, Cell & Environment 32: 1573-1583.
  • Liu, X., J. D. Cohen, and G. Gardner. 2011. Low-fluence red light increases the transport and biosynthesis of auxin. Plant Physiol. 157:  891-904.
  • Liu, X., L. Barkawi, G. Gardner, and J. D. Cohen. 2012. Transport of indole-3-butyric acid and indole-3-acetic acid in Arabidopsis hypocotyls using stable isotope labeling. Plant Physiol. 158:  1988-2000.
  • Liu, X., J. Wu, G. Clark, S. Lundy, M. Lim, D. Arnold, J. Chan, W. Tang, G. K. Muday, G. Gardner, and S.  J. Roux. 2012. Role for apyrases in polar auxin transport in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiol. 160: 1985-1995.
  • Biever J. J., D. Brinkman, G. Gardner. 2014. UV-B inhibition of hypocotyl growth in etiolated Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings is a consequence of cell-cycle arrest initiated by photodimer accumulation. Journal of Experimental Botany, Special issue on Plant Photobiology, 65:  2949-2961.
  • Wilson, M., D. Brinkman, M. Spivak, G. Gardner, and J. D. Cohen. 2015.  Regional variation in composition and antimicrobial activity of U.S. propolis against Paenibacillus larvae and Ascopheara apis. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 124:  44-50.
  • Biever, J.J., and G. Gardner. 2016.  The Relationship between Multiple UV-B Perception Mechanisms and DNA Repair Pathways in Plants. Environmental and Experimental Botany 124: 89–99.
  • Wiering N., G. Gardner, C. C. Sheaffer, and N. J. Ehlke. 2020. Root and axillary shoot development of Hairy Vetch (Vicia villosa R.) stem cuttings and cessation of flower development under a short photoperiod. Crop Science 60: 2386-2393, 2020.
  • Ott, M. A., G. Gardner, K. M. Rai, D. L. Wyse, M. D. Marks, and R. Chopra, “TRANSPARENT TESTA 2 allele confers a major reduction in pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) seed dormancy,” Industrial Crops & Products, 174: 114216, 2021.
  • Renner, I. E., G. Gardner, and V. A, Fritz, “Manipulation of continuous and end-of-day red/far-red light ratios affects glucobrassicin and gluconasturtiin accumulation in cabbage (Brassica oleracea) and watercress (Nasturtium officinale), respectively,” J. Agric. Food Chem. 69 (47): 14126-14142, 2021.
  •  Dukowic-Schulze, S., A. Harvey, N. Garcia, C. Chen, and G. Gardner, “UV-B irradiation results in changes in elongation, cell cycle, and decreased endoreduplication mediated by miR5642,” Photochem. Photobiol. 98(5): 1084-1099, 2022.
  • Gardner, G., E. Tobin, and Z.-Y. Wang, “National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoir of Winslow Briggs,” published online 2023.

Honors and Awards

University of Minnesota President’s Award for Outstanding Service, 2019