Academic CentreThe "kick-off event" of the EEA-RESEARCH-64 project "EditGrass4Food"
The public opening event of the project EditGrass4Food (EEA-RESEARCH-64) took place at the University of Latvia on 8 October this year. The event was attended by cooperation partners of all four countries, representatives of the State Education Development Agency and the Ministry of Finance of Latvia, as well as interested parties from the faculties and scientific institutes of the University of Latvia.
At the beginning of the event, the project manager, UL associate professor Nils Rostoks introduced the project goal, tasks, as well as the planned course of the research.
The perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) is a perennial grass with a wide range of uses in animal feed and lawnmaking, but it is not well adapted to the climatic conditions of the Baltic and Nordic countries, which are also changing due to climate change. In order to improve the adaptability of perennial ryegrass to drought and low temperature stress, it is planned to conduct an extensive study to determine the genetic factors that affect the plant's ability to adapt. For this purpose, it is planned to use the method of genome editing, the discovery of which in 2020 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Dr. Rostoks introduced the essence of this method and told about its potential applications in science and plant breeding. Given that the method involves targeted and accurate modifications to the genome, biosafety aspects related to genomically modified plant risk assessment were also discussed.
Photo: Dacīte Beķere
Kristina Jaškūnė, lead researcher of the Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, spoke in detail about the potential impacts of climate change on the perennial airliner and presented this agricultural crop. The LAMMC project will carry out a phenotypic evaluation of existing multiannual airen varieties as well as mutanto plants to assess the impact of genetic factors on the variation of the phenotype. Underlined that the results of this project will allow for more efficient multiannual grass-growing schemes that will ensure better climate-adjusted crops.
Photo: Dacīte Beķere
Then the scientific co-worker of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Mallikarjuna Rao Kovi, presented the planned studies of Lolium perenne transcriptoma, including the acquisition of plant material under certain stress conditions, the protocols for removal and sequencing of RNA, as well as the experience of bioinformational analysis and differential of transscriptomic data, classification of expressed genes. He points out that, in the future, the project aims to introduce new integrated breeding technologies to accelerate genetic benefits.
Photo: Dacīte Beķere
The workshop concluded with a discussion of participants and listeners.
In addition to the public opening of the project, the participants discussed technical and administrative issues relating to the implementation of the project on 7 and 8 October.
Link to the post on the website of the Faculty of Biology: https://www.bf.lu.lv/par-mums/zinas/zina/t/68268/