By: Cynthia M. Lamb Portalatin
College of Agriculture and Food Sciences
Congratulations are in order for inventors Mehboob B. Sheikh, Ph.D., Devaiah Kambiranda, Ph.D., and Hemanth KN Vasanthaiah, Ph.D., who recently published their patent on genes from muscadines and Florida hybrid grapes. This invention relates to protection against, and resistance to, pathogen attacks in grapes. Their patent number, 9,051,381 was issued June 9, 2015.
Sheikh is a professor of plant biotechnology at the FAMU College of Agriculture and Food Sciences’ Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research. The field-grown muscadine and Florida hybrid bunch grape cultivars maintained at the Center’s vineyard were used for field and bioassay studies.