Invited Speakers

Dr. Zachary Lippman
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Title: From Paralogs in Pan-Genomes to Eggplants in Africa

Abstract: Decades of research on the few model systems that dominate plant studies have revealed the genetic and molecular mechanisms that govern stem cell control and the natural and agricultural traits they influence. While the core factors and their interconnected regulation are highly conserved, recent advances in pan-genomes and genome editing have led to the emergence of new model systems that uncover previously hidden complexities of stem cell control within and between lineages. I will present our recent findings on using pan-genomics and pan-genetics in the Solanaceae family to expose critical roles for gene duplications, their diversifications, and interactions among stem cell regulators controlling flowering, inflorescence architecture, and fruit size. These findings have implications for the evolvability of phenotypes in nature and the engineering of traits in agriculture.

Dr. Allison J. Miller
Saint Louis University
TBD

Dr. Jeffrey Endelman
University of Wisconsin-Madison
TBD

Dr. Christine Diepenbrock
University of California, Davis

Title: Genomics-enabled breeding for crop nutritional quality and environmental stress tolerance

Abstract: Our research group works on improving nutritional quality and tolerance to environmental stresses, namely drought and high temperatures, in staple and specialty crops. I will present recent and ongoing work by our group and collaborative teams. For example, I will describe multiple approaches to sensing- and -omics-enabled dissection and prediction in grain legumes, cereals, and leafy greens, with a focus on field-collected agronomic traits and/or lab-collected compositional traits in the edible portion of the crop. I will also describe genotypic and phenotypic characterization of the lima bean USDA National Plant Germplasm System collection, much of which is photoperiod-sensitive, and the development of a conditional core collection. Finally, I will describe how we are using genetic/genomic information in our applied varietal development efforts, namely for lima beans (among other Phaseolus beans) and chickpea.

Dr. Taylor Ferebee

Title: Cultivating Genome Intelligence for Next-Generation Agricultural Solutions

Abstract: TBD