Prof. Zhang Xiaolan

Dr. Xiaolan Zhang is a professor in the Department of Vegetable Science at China Agricultural University. Research in Zhang lab focuses on understanding molecular mechanisms underlying shoot branching, sex determination and fruit development in cucumber. Using developmental biology and molecular genetics approaches, her work leads to dissection the mechanism of auxin promotes femaleness in cucumber, identification of important genetic components for shoot branching and fruit shape development. The purpose of her research is to develop molecular breeding tools to create new cucumber varieties with ideal shoot architecture and superior fruit quality.