Cereal biotechnology research for crop improvement
Plant Biotechnology
Cereals, such as rice and wheat, are important source of food worldwide but they contain very low levels of bioavailable micronutrients (such as iron and zinc) for a balanced human diet. Thus, micronutrient malnutrition is a serious global health challenge. Biofortification of edible plant parts has been proposed as the most relevant options to combat micronutrient malnutrition. In our group, we contribute towards cereal biofortification through biotechnological approaches.
Furthermore, plants are known to maintain metal ion homeostasis through sophisticated mechanisms that tightly control the acquisition and distribution of metal ions to the specific compartments and for storage. We study the molecular mechanisms underlying micro-nutrient composition in the cereal grains, focusing on zinc and iron. These metal homeostasis studies are expected to provide novel insights into molecular and agronomic aspects of plant biofortification of essential micro-nutrients.
In addition to engineering for micronutrient traits, we are interested in screening of cereal germplasm for novel stress related traits (including drought tolerance in rice and resistance to rice blast). It is of utmost importance for crop breeding to uncover the underlying genetic components from un-adapted germplasm that have poor agronomic performance but stronger tolerance mechanisms against biotic and abiotic stresses. Subsequent transfer of these genetic components to elite high-yielding varieties will allow closing yield gaps, ultimately contributing towards food security.
Research topics
Micronutrient biofortification of cereals
Metal homeostasis in plants
Plant biotic and abiotic stresses
Allele/gene mining from genetic resources
Interdisciplinary
Molecular basis of plant metal homeostasis
Crop improvement and molecular plant breeding
