Pioneering breakthroughs in crop science through collaboration and innovation

The project has recently seen significant developments through strategic collaborations and on-the-ground activities. BOOSTER partners, including the University of Düsseldorf (UDUS) in alliance with the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research (MPIPZ), and other key institutions, have been actively engaged in driving the project’s objectives forward.

In June, BOOSTER partners gathered at the Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB) in Ghent for a dynamic networking meeting. Representatives from UDUS, VIB, and MPIPZ met on the 26th and 27th of June to exchange insights and discuss exciting new molecular and bioinformatic technologies that align with BOOSTER’s objectives. This meeting, which built on the ongoing discussions from the 2nd Annual Meeting, provided an opportunity to share hands-on experiences and explore the potential of these innovative techniques, while also maintaining momentum and ensuring ongoing communication among partners.

As the field season reaches its peak, the MPIPZ in Cologne has been at the forefront of generating new hybrid maize lines for the BOOSTER project. One of the project’s core goals is to unlock the regulatory potential within European maize germplasm, which has remained largely inaccessible to genetic studies and smart breeding programmes. To overcome the challenges posed by genetic and developmental differences between maize lines, BOOSTER employs a novel F1 hybrid approach. This method enables the analysis of gene regulatory networks in F1 populations, allowing for more accurate comparisons. Sohini Mukherjee of MPIPZ has been overseeing the successful generation of these maize F1 hybrid lines, a critical step in advancing the project’s objectives.

Looking ahead, the BOOSTER project continues to push the boundaries of molecular biology with an upcoming workshop focused on improving the MOA-seq protocol. MOA-seq, a novel method developed in 2021, allows for the genome-wide identification of transcription factor footprints across species. Despite its success, the BOOSTER team from UDUS, in collaboration with the Bass and Dennis labs at Florida State University (FSU), aims to further streamline the protocol. The workshop, scheduled to take place from the 9th to 24th of September at FSU, will bring together experts to refine this technique, which is crucial for the project’s ongoing success.

The progress made in these recent meetings, fieldwork, and upcoming workshops will undoubtedly contribute to the project’s overarching goal of revolutionizing crop improvement strategies across Europe.