About

Dr. Bingru Huang is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Plant Biology at Rutgers University, located at 59 Dudley Road, Foran Hall Room 301A, New Brunswick, NJ. Her area of expertise includes turfgrass stress physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology. She is involved in research related to plant stress responses, particularly in turfgrass, and contributes to the academic community through her role in the Department of Plant Biology within the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. Her work focuses on understanding the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying plant stress tolerance, which is essential for sustainable agricultural practices and plant health management.

Research topics

• Biology
• Botany
• Biochemistry
• Chemistry
• Cell biology
• Agronomy
• Biotechnology
• Agroforestry

Selected publications

• Genetic diversity analysis of the natural regeneration loci of <i>Liriodendron chinense</i> in artificial mixed forests in the rocky desertification area of Western Hunan

  PeerJ · 2025-10-23

  articleOpen access

  Liriodendron chinense plays a crucial role in improving the ecological environment and combating soil erosion in the rocky desertification area of Western Hunan, China. However, there is still a lack of systematic research on the genetic diversity of natural populations of the L. chinense in rocky desertification areas. This study employed 11 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers to analyze genetic diversity and spatial genetic structure in a population of 318 L. chinense individuals. We conducted parentage analysis on individuals from a limited area of natural regeneration to quantify pollen and seed-mediated gene flow separately. Based on diameter classification, L. chinense individuals in the large diameter class can be considered as potential parents. The results show that there is moderate genetic diversity in the natural populations of the L. chinense . The spatial genetic patterns of the adult individuals indicate that significant gene flow occurs primarily at short to medium distances, with about 70% occurring within a range of less than 80 m. Among the 318 L. chinense individuals analyzed, 201 were predominantly assigned to the parental generation, with 41 showing closest genetic similarity to the maternal parent. These results indicate that the majority of pollen (63.2%) originated from within the sampling area, which suggests a substantial proportion of natural regeneration occurred within the 2.5 hm 2 stand. These findings further elucidate the natural regeneration process of L. chinense and provide a theoretical foundation for ecological restoration efforts in rocky desertification areas.

  PublisherDOI

• Phenomics‐driven insights into zoysiagrass drought resistance using small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS)‐based hyperspectral images

  The Plant Phenome Journal · 2025-07-09 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract The application of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS)‐based high‐throughput phenotyping in plant breeding has advanced significantly over the past decade. Hyperspectral images and machine learning approaches offer potential to enhance drought resistance screening in turfgrass. However, large‐scale field applications remain limited, and the transition from controlled environments to real‐world phenotyping is not well understood. This study aimed to develop an sUAS‐based hyperspectral image workflow to monitor changes in turfgrass canopy reflectance during drought, validate previously reported indices from controlled environment studies in a large‐scale field study, and estimate visual turfgrass quality (TQ) from hyperspectral images. Images were collected from a zoysiagrass ( Zoysia spp.) mapping population at three dates under varying soil moisture conditions. Vegetation indices (VIs) related to light use efficiency, leaf pigments, senescence, water status, and green vegetation were computed and compared. Top‐performing genotypes under drought exhibited greater absorption in blue and red wavelengths and higher near‐infrared reflectance than poor‐performing ones. The photochemical reflectance index and plant senescence reflectance index were highly correlated with TQ ( r = 0.84 and −0.76), showed higher coefficient of variation (range 18%–37%), and had higher broad‐sense heritability (0.73–0.74) than normalized difference vegetation index (0.69), warranting their use in large‐scale field study. Machine learning models estimated TQ with a mean absolute error of 0.46. These findings highlight the importance of integrating VIs related to light use efficiency, leaf pigments, senescence, and water status to gain deeper insights into turfgrass drought response and support breeding for stress tolerance.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Construction of metal–N3 sites in covalent organic frameworks for enhancing CO2 photoreduction

  Applied Catalysis B: Environmental · 2025-02-01 · 25 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Stress priming mechanisms that enhance plant high temperature tolerance

  Environmental and Experimental Botany · 2025-07-29 · 3 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Heat stress is a primary abiotic stress for plant growth, particularly temperate plant species. There is increasing evidence that pre-exposing plants to mild stress (stress priming) can enhance plant tolerance to a later heat event, a phenomenon known as acquired stress tolerance. Plant tolerance to heat or thermotolerance can be improved through prior exposure to short-term, mild, or moderate levels of heat shock, drought, or cold stress. This review summarizes current literature on the effectiveness of stress priming on heat tolerance, as manifested by improved physiological health, growth and yield production in various plant species. It discusses underlying mechanisms of acquired heat tolerance through priming of plants by prior exposure to heat, drought or cold stress, focusing on molecular regulation, photosynthesis, antioxidant metabolism, hormone metabolism, and metabolic reprogramming. Additionally, this review offers future research perspectives to further understand cross-stress tolerance mechanisms and strategies for improving plant tolerance to different abiotic stress through priming. • Stress priming occurs when plants tolerate stress better after mild exposure. • Heat-, drought-, or cold-priming enhances plant tolerance to subsequent severe heat stress. • Stress priming enhances heat tolerance involving modulation of transcriptional factors and genes. • Stress priming induces changes in photosynthesis, antioxidant metabolism, and hormone metabolism.

  PublisherDOI

• Effects of Chemical and Biological Inhibitors of Ethylene on Heat Tolerance in Annual Bluegrass

  HortScience · 2025-02-07 · 3 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Heat-stress-induced ethylene accumulation in plants inhibits growth and intensifies damage. Suppressing ethylene production in heat-stressed plants through chemical and biological inhibitors has been effective in promoting heat tolerance in plants. Aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG), is a chemical ethylene inhibiter that impedes the ethylene synthesis enzyme 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase. Biological ethylene inhibitors include bacteria with ACC deaminase (ACCd) enzyme activity, which suppresses ethylene synthesis by breaking down its precursor, ACC. This study tested two ethylene inhibitors, AVG and a novel strain of the ACCd rhizobacteria Paraburkholderia aspalathi, ‘WSF23’, on annual bluegrass ( Poa annua L.) to see whether they are effective in promoting its heat tolerance. P. annua plants were subjected to heat stress conditions for 21 d in controlled-environment growth chambers. Plants were separated into three treatment groups: 1) 25 mL of water (untreated control); 2) 25 mL of 25 µmol AVG; 3) 25 mL of P. aspalathi inoculant suspension. Treatments were applied once before imposing temperature treatments and then every 7 d during 21 d of heat stress. Poa annua treated with either AVG or the P. aspalathi had higher turf quality, green canopy cover, leaf relative water content, and chlorophyll contents during heat stress than the untreated control. Additionally, root characteristics were promoted under heat stress after ethylene inhibitor application, where P. annua treated with AVG had greater root depth and dry weight, while the P. aspalathi treatment resulted in greater total root length. Both ethylene inhibitors improved P. annua performance under heat stress, as characterized by delayed chlorophyll degradation and root maintenance.

  PublisherDOI

• Thienothiophene–(diarylamino)benzene-linked covalent organic framework with enhanced gold recovery capacity

  Separation and Purification Technology · 2025-03-23 · 12 citations

  article1st author
  PublisherDOI

• Transcriptional Regulation Mechanisms in <scp> <i>AsAFL1</i> </scp> ‐mediated Drought Tolerance for Creeping Bentgrass ( <i>Agrostis stolonifera</i> )

  Physiologia Plantarum · 2025-03-01 · 2 citations

  articleSenior author

  Drought stress is a major environmental stress that impairs plant growth and development. The At14a-like1 (AFL1) gene encodes a stress-induced membrane protein involved in endocytosis, signal transduction, and proline accumulation. The objective of the present study was to investigate biological functions and underlying mechanisms of AFL1 regulation of drought tolerance in a perennial grass species, creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera). AsAFL1 was cloned from creeping bentgrass, and its expression was induced by drought stress. Motif analysis showed that AsAFL1 has five epidermal growth factor structural domains and one β1-integrin structural domain. Transient expression in tobacco epidermal cells indicated that AsAFL1 was localized at the plasma membrane. Overexpression of AsAFL1 in creeping bentgrass significantly enhanced drought tolerance, as manifested by significantly increased leaf relative water content, chlorophyll and proline contents but lower electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde content. Comparative transcriptomic and weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) revealed that AsAFL1-mediated drought tolerance was related to transcriptional regulation of genes involved in phytohormone (abscisic acid, auxin, and strigolactone) biosynthesis and signaling, redox homeostasis, and biosynthesis of second metabolites (lignin, cutin, suberin and wax), as well as nutrient transport and mobilization.

  PublisherDOI

• Effects of rhizobacteria producing deaminase enzymes for aminocyclopropane‐1‐carboxylate on drought tolerance and post‐stress recovery in creeping bentgrass under field conditions

  Crop Forage & Turfgrass Management · 2024-11-29 · 6 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Abstract Some endophytic rhizobacteria, including species producing deaminase enzymes for 1‐aminocyclopropane‐1‐carboxylic acid (ACC) suppressing ethylene production (ACCd), form symbiosis with plant roots to enhance plant growth and stress tolerance. The objectives of this study were to determine growth‐promoting effects and effective rates of inoculation with ACCd‐producing Paraburkholderia aspalathi (WSF23 and WSF14) on creeping bentgrass ( Agrostis stolonifera L.) performance under deficit irrigation in field conditions and effectiveness on post‐stress recovery during re‐watering. Turf field plots established with ‘L‐93’ creeping bentgrass were inoculated with P. aspalathi strains (WSF23 and WSF14) through soil drenching either as a single strain or as a combination of both strains. After inoculation, plots were subjected to drought stress with deficit irrigation to replace 60% of the daily evapotranspiration rate, followed by re‐watering for post‐stress recovery. Three inoculant rates of 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 × 10 7 colony‐forming units (CFUs) were evaluated to determine the most effective dosage to apply under field conditions. Inoculation of plants with the consortium of the two strains at 1.5 × 10 7 CFUs was most effective in enhancing turf quality, percent green cover, normalized difference vegetation index, and dark green color index during drought stress and recovery periods. These results suggest that creeping bentgrass tolerance to drought stress and improved post‐stress recovery could benefit from inoculation with P. aspalathi strains under field conditions and also ACC deaminase‐producing rhizobacteria could be incorporated into turf management programs to maintain creeping bentgrass during abiotic stress conditions.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Paper of the Year Finalists Named for Society Flagship Journals

  CSA News · 2024-09-27

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Turfgrass Evapotranspiration

  2024-10-15 · 5 citations

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding

  This paper reviews factors influencing water use and methods to reduce it. Water use in turfgrass typically is quantified by evapotranspiration rate (ET), which refers to the loss of water from the soil through evaporation and from the plant through transpiration. Turf-grass ET rates vary among species and cultivars within a species. Inter-and intraspecific variations in ET rates could be explained by differences in stomatal characteristics, growth rate and habit, canopy configuration, and rooting characteristics. The ET rates also are influenced by environmental conditions and cultural practices. Environmental conditions include climatic factors such as temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, and wind and edaphic factors such as soil temperature, water availability, and soil texture. Cultural practices include mowing, irrigation, fertility, use of antitranspirants, and plant growth regulators. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-342-9678. E-mail address: getinfo@haworthpressinc.com &lt;Website: https://www.haworthpressinc.com &gt;]

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Zhimin Yang

  65 shared

• Jingjin Yu

  55 shared

• Michelle DaCosta

  University of Massachusetts Amherst

  35 shared

• Lili Zhuang

  Jiangsu Province Hospital

  34 shared

• Emily Merewitz

  Michigan State University

  34 shared

• Hongmei Du

  32 shared

• Qiuqiang Zhan

  South China Normal University

  32 shared

• Jinmin Fu

  Ludong University

  27 shared

Labs

• Department of Plant BiologyPI