Khanal seeks resilient lettuce

Samjhana Khanal, a doctoral student studying disease resistance in lettuce, has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Schlumberger Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports science and technology education.

Khanal is a student with the horticulture and agronomy graduate group, with an additional focus in biotechnology. She studies with Richard Michelmore, a distinguished professor and world-renowned geneticist in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences. Her research integrates genetic and biotechnological advancements to tackle critical challenges in modern agriculture. 

The Schlumberger Foundation’s Faculty for the Future program will support her work, which she hopes would drive innovation and support underserved communities, including in her native Nepal.

In particular, her work focuses on combating downy mildew, a fungal disease that reduces lettuce production worldwide. “I use both traditional breeding methods and advanced biotechnological and bioinformatics tools like CRISPR gene-editing,” Khanal explained. “My approach identifies natural resistance genes from wild lettuce varieties and incorporates them into cultivated crops to create lettuce that is more resilient to evolving pathogens.”

This approach allows for precise gene modifications, ensuring the plants develop disease resistance without sacrificing other essential traits, she explained. She aims to create sustainable crops that require fewer chemical inputs, while maintaining high productivity.

“Agriculture and biotechnology are essential to the U.S. economy, contributing $1.5 trillion to the nation's GDP in 2023 and employing 22.1 million people,” Khanal noted. “However, diseases caused by pathogens are responsible for more than 40 percent of annual global crop losses, translating to $220 billion in economic damage.”

“By developing crops resilient to a wide range of pathogens -- including fungal, bacterial and viral diseases -- these losses can be significantly reduced, leading to more sustainable and profitable agriculture,” Khanal wrote.

McNamara Education Grant

Khanal also has received a $15,000 Margaret McNamara Education Grant. The nonprofit, public charity has a mission of improving “the lives of women and children by supporting the higher education of exceptional women from developing countries who will catalyze change,” according to the organization’s website.