Zespół Cytogenetyki i Biologii Molekularnej Roślin

10/10/2026

🌱 New publication in the Journal of Experimental Botany! 🌱

We are excited to share our latest research on improving the quality of Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing!

🌾 Can we make Tartary buckwheat less bitter while preserving its nutritional potential?

Tartary buckwheat is a climate-resilient pseudocereal valued for its rich content of rutin, a flavonoid with important health-promoting properties. However, its naturally bitter seeds remain a challenge for wider food applications.

In our new study, we used CRISPR/Cas9 to disrupt the FtRDE2 gene, which encodes an enzyme involved in the breakdown of rutin into quercetin.

🔬 What did we discover?
✅ Two independent ftrde2 mutant lines showed no detectable rutinosidase activity.
✅ The mutants maintained stable rutin levels and did not show the rapid accumulation of quercetin observed in wild-type seeds.
✅ Sensory evaluation confirmed that wild-type flour was consistently perceived as more bitter than flour from either mutant line.

These findings provide direct genetic evidence that FtRDE2 is a major determinant of rutin-degradation-associated seed bitterness and highlight the potential of genome editing to improve the sensory quality of Tartary buckwheat.

🌍 By combining plant biotechnology with the nutritional potential of pseudocereals, we are taking another step towards developing improved crops for more sustainable food systems.

👏 Congratulations to all co-authors and collaborators involved in this work!

📖 Read the publication:
https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erag506

Abstract. Tartary buckwheat (F. tataricum) is a climate-resilient pseudocereal, yet its global adoption is constrained by its bitter seeds. Here, we employ

21/09/2026

🔬 New paper from our group!

I am very happy to share that our new work has just been published in Frontiers in Plant Science! 🎉

“CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated FeS-ELF3 Inactivation Overcomes Heteromorphic Self-Incompatibility in Common Buckwheat”

This has been a particularly exciting project because common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is naturally self-incompatible, which is one of the important limitations for its breeding and wider agricultural use.

In this study, we established an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation protocol for common buckwheat and used CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to target the FeS-ELF3 gene, a key regulator of the self-incompatibility system.

🌱 The edited plant developed long-homostylous flowers and showed self-compatibility, demonstrating that genome editing can be used to overcome the heteromorphic self-incompatibility of buckwheat.

Importantly, the edited plants did not show an apparent reduction in seed yield under greenhouse conditions, providing a promising proof-of-concept for the genetic improvement of this valuable pseudocereal.

This is a great example of how modern genome-editing technologies can help unlock the breeding potential of non-model crops. 🌾🧬

Huge congratulations and many thanks to all co-authors and collaborators for the excellent work and dedication! 👏

📖 Read the full paper:
Frontiers in Plant Science

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1919002/full

Common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is a climate-resilient pseudocereal; however, its global adoption is constrained by the heteromorphic self-incompatib...

18/09/2026

"Have we entered a ‘post-model’ era in plant biology?"

Here (https://www.cell.com/trends/plant-science/fulltext/S1360-1385(26)00277-3) is a new opinion paper from our group - potentially of interest to those of you who have recently been asking the question posed in the title of this post and in the paper itself.

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01/09/2026

A fascinating new study of our group published in Plant Science investigates how early exposure to light affects flowering, photosynthesis, and yield in common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum).

Key findings from the research on cv. ‘Panda’:
🔬 Long Days Accelerate Flowering: Long-day conditions (16h light) sped up flower bud formation by 10 days and increased flower numbers by more than 5x compared to short days.
💡 LEDs Boost Photosystem II: Blue- and red-enriched LED lighting enhanced PSII performance, although efficiency to PSI was slightly lower than in greenhouse daylight.
🌾 Yield is Resilient: Despite massive differences in early flowering and photosynthesis, final seed number and weight remained unchanged. The plant compensated effectively!

Why this matters: This research suggests that for the ‘Panda’ cultivar, flowering alone isn’t a reliable predictor of final productivity. This is critical insight for designing controlled-environment agriculture and speed-breeding protocols, allowing researchers to accelerate development without sacrificing seed production.

📄 Read the full paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plantsci.2026.113404

11/08/2026

🌾 Unlocking the potential of Tartary buckwheat!

A new pangenome-guided breeding study reveals how restoring wild genes can boost high-altitude adaptation & yield in this Himalayan superfood.

Key discoveries:
🧬 Telomere-to-telomere reference genome + 16-accession pangenome
🌱 123,131 structural variations identified, including gene copy-number changes
🏔️ FtRNH – a wild-specific gene for high-altitude survival
🌿 FtPLATZ variations linked to seed size – key for yield

By combining superior alleles, researchers developed high-yield, altitude-resilient buckwheat lines – a win for food security & sustainable farming in challenging environments.

🇵🇱🤝🇨🇳 This research was supported by the National Science Centre, Poland (NCN) under the SHENG funding scheme – a great example of international collaboration advancing agricultural science.

📖 Full study in Cell: https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1nb7xL7PXy3va

14/05/2026

We would like to invite everyone to our next seminars!

13/03/2026

🧵 New publication of our Group in collaboration with Professor Meiliang Zhou’s Group were published in The Plant Cell: How can we protect crops from heat stress? A study on Tartary buckwheat reveals a clever mechanism.

🌡️ Heat causes a protein (FtAT-hook) to "clump" via phase separation, which harms seed development.

🔬 Researchers found that a flavonoid called kaempferitrin can stop this clumping.

🌱 When applied externally, kaempferitrin boosted seed size under heat stress! This points to new, compound-based strategies for protecting crops against global warming.

A cellular process triggered by heat ensures proper seed growth by organizing vital molecules.

12/03/2026

A new study of our Group was published in

Read the full paper here 👉

10/02/2026

We are looking for two PhD students to join our Team 😊

Opublikowana 13:34:16. Two Positions: PhD Student in the Discipline of Biological SciencesProject Implementation Unit:… Zobacz tę i więcej podobnych ofert pracy na LinkedIn.

16/12/2025

It is with immense pride that I congratulate my brilliant former PhD students, Dr. Magdalena Zaranek and Dr. Renee Perez-Perez, on their outstanding achievements.

Not only have they both successfully defended their doctoral theses, but they have also been honored with the prestigious Prof. Stefan Barbacki Award from the Institute of Plant Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences.

We are all incredibly proud of you, Doctors! The future of science is bright with researchers like you.

👉 Learn more about the award: https://www.igr.poznan.pl/pl/about-institute-the-barbacki-award-prof-stefan-barbacki-award-regulations