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Professor Gerhard Leubner

 

Chair of Plant Biochemistry, Royal Holloway University of London
Head of Seed Science and Technology
Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life Sciences and the Environment
Plant Molecular Science and Centre for Systems and Synthetic Biology
Bourne Building 3-30 Egham , Surrey, TW20 0EX United Kingdom
Phone ++44-1784-44-3553
Web 'The Seed Biology Place' - www.seedbiology.eu
Email Gerhard.Leubner@rhul.ac.uk

Gerhard Leubner Summer 2011  

 

Research into plant seeds, fruits, and tubers for food supply chain security and sustainability
Publications
Academic Career
Supervised PhD and MSc students
Collaborator Network
Seed Milestones (1995-2012) and Research Interests
Selected Talks Presented at Conferences



 

Research into plant seeds, fruits, and tubers for food supply chain security and sustainability

Seed Science and Technology Group at Royal Holloway University of London
  • The Seed Science and Technology Group of Professor Gerhard Leubner, Royal Holloway University of London (RHUL), made important discoveries in the field of crop and weed seed germination, dormancy and quality using interdisciplinary and integrative approaches. Plant seeds, fruits and tubers are at the beginning and the end of almost all important food supply chains that are central to human existence (food security and sustainability).
  • Plant propagules include seeds, fruits, tubers, buds and bulbs. Increasing their quality properties by breeding (molecular marker), innovative physiological enhancement technologies and beneficial microbes improves primary crop establishment and thereby increases the yield potential. Unlocking the untapped biodiversity to discover novel stress resilience and other quality trait genes, as well as developing innovative methods for breaking seed and bud dormancy to stimulate germination and sprouting, are key for adressing the global challenges.
  • The team of Professor Gerhard Leubner has long-standing expertise in the field with relevance to collaborations with partners from industry (e.g. KWS, Syngenta, Tozer Seeds), organisations (e.g. Kew, RHS) and academia (e.g. Loughborough University gas plasma expert Dr Felipe Iza). This impactful research into industrial and global challenges is relevant to the plant food value supply chain (seed and seedling stress resilience, extreme weather events, global climate change). Developing environment-friendly sustainable seed technologies include non-thermal (cold) atmospheric gas plasma and other refinement technologies to improving crop seed quality.
  • Hyperlink to our currently active research projects

Seed biology - impactful research into germination, longevity, dormancy and quality of plant seeds
  • Plant seed and fruit germination is the most important adaptive early life-history trait and is timed by dormancy to avoid germination at unfavourable weather conditions for subsequent plant establishment and reproductive growth. Adaptation of germination to abiotic stresses and changing environmental conditions is decisive for fitness and survival of a species.
  • Two opposing forces provide the basic physiological mechanism for the control of seed germination timing and synchrony: The increase in the growth potential of the embryo leading to cell-wall extension growth, and the restraint weakening of the various seed covering layers including endosperm, testa (seed coat), pericarp (fruit coat), and artificial envelopes applied by seed technologists.
  • Our long-term goal is to understand the mechanistic basis underlying seed dormancy, longevity and germination to be able to improve seed quality and seedling performance (vigour, timing, uniformity and environmental control of germination) of horticultural and agricultural crops, and to develop effective and environment-friendly weed management strategies to increase the resilience of food supply chains to the climate crisis.
  • Hyperlink to our movie about the seed & biotechnology research at Royal Holloway University of London
Seeds as delivery systems for innovative crop enhancement technologies
  • Improved crop seed quality and seedling performance achieved by breeding and innovative seed enhancement technologies is the cornerstone for maximum yield potential. Seed refinement technologies including priming, pelleting and the application of beneficial compounds lead to rapid germination, enhanced vigour and uniform seedling establishment even upon abiotic stress.
  • Seeds are therefore the delivery systems of genetic and technological innovation for the sustainable intensification of agricultural systems and for managing environmental change. Improving crop seed quality trough refinement technologies is the topic of our REF Impact Case Study. Seed additives include fertilisers, crop protection chemicals, and biologicals such as plant hormones, allelochemicals and beneficial microbes
  • High-quality crop seeds resilient to abiotic stresses is at the very core of the 'input plant value supply chain' and involves developing environment-friendly sustainable seed technologies, identifying molecular marker and novel assays enabling breeding of crop seed quality. The science, engineering and economics of agri-technologies converge at the seed.
  • Hyperlink to a poster of the Seed Group about copllaboration and impact for vegetable industry and the horticulture sector.

RHUL's Seed Science and Technology Research Group Collaborator Network
  • The team uses comparative approaches with model, weed and crop species representing diverse phylogenetic clades and distinct seed types for the identification of evolutionary conserved and species-specific mechanisms that control seed dormancy and germination. We combine population-based threshold modelling, novel biomechanics and engineering techniques, advanced imaging methods (multispectral imaging (MSI), synchrotron-based radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy (SRXTM), SEM), tissue-specific hormone, transcriptome, RT-qPCR, next-generation RNA sequencing, reverse-genetics and mutant analyses to enhance the understanding of seed tissue interactions by an integrated cross-species systems biology approach.
  • The ERA-CAPS Consortium SeedAdapt had 'dimorphic fruits, seeds and seedlings as adaptation mechanisms to abiotic stresses in unpredictable environments' as its research focus. Seeds are the preferred germplasm that can be conserved and maintained for hundreds of years, and, thus, are central to the conservation of biodiversity of crop and wild species as genetic resources for future crop breeding programs also related to climate change. 'The Millennium Seed Bank Project' of Kew Royal Botanical Gardens (www.kew.org) is the largest ex situ plant conservation project in the world (collaboration), and seed storage at seed companies is an important field for applied research.
  • Our collaboration projects with I ndustry include sugarbeet seed technology with KWS Seed SE (www.kws.de), vegetable and herb seed quality with Tozer Seeds (www.tozerseeds.com), and developing novel weed seed and seedling management tools with Syngenta (www.syngenta.com). Our research contributed to the success of the Rocket Science Project of the Royal Horticultural Society (www.rhs.org.uk) and the UK Space Agency. Our Rocket Science publication (Chandler et al 2020) demonstrated that the spaceflight caused seed ageing and revealed molecular biomarker for seed quality.
Impact for industry and the agriculture, horticulture and food sector
  • Novel technologies for improving seed, fruit, bulb and tuber quality.
  • Improved uniformity and sturdiness of vegetable, flower and crop seedlings.
  • Enhanced seed and seedling performance in stressful environments.
  • Novel seed treatments to increase stress tolerance and resilience, e.g. heat or cold stress during leafy salad seedling raising.
  • Reduction of post-harvest storage losses in quality and yield.
  • Reliable material properties of vegetable and flower seed pellets.
  • Reduced vegetable and flower seed and bud dormancy issues.
  • New technologies and compounds to manage weed seed banks.
  • Hyperlink to Impact article (2017) "Improving crop seed quality and seedling performance"


Academic Career

Since April 2012

Chair of Plant Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences Royal Holloway, University of London, United Kingdom

Summary: Professor Gerhard Leubner is the Chair of Plant Biochemistry and Head of the Seed Science and Technology Group at Royal Holloway University of London. He has more than 25 years’ experience in seed research and is the curator of  'The Seed Biology Place' (www.seedbiology.eu) website. He was the lead PI of the ERA-CAPS Consortium SeedAdapt on dimorphic fruits, seeds and seedlings as bet-hedging adaptation mechanisms to abiotic stress and unpredictable environments. More applied projects are into weed ecophysiology and improving crop seed quality and seedling performance is crucial for plant/food value supply chain resilience to climate change. Improved crop seed quality and seedling performance achieved by breeding and innovative seed enhancement technologies is the cornerstone for maximum yield potential. Seed refinement technologies including priming, pelleting and the application of beneficial compounds lead to rapid germination, enhanced vigour and uniform seedling establishment even upon abiotic stress. Seeds are therefore the delivery systems of genetic and technological innovation for the sustainable intensification of agricultural systems and for managing environmental change. Collaboration projects with industry including into "Sugarbeet seed quality, production and technology" with KWS Seed SE and into the "Chemical manipulation and mechanisms of weed seed persistence" with Syngenta's Jealott’s Hill International Research Centre. The science, engineering and economics of agri-technologies converge at the seed.

Members of the Seed Science and Technology Group at Royal Holloway University of London: People

Seed molecular ecophysiology and biomechanics: Impactful research into germination, longevity, dormancy, dispersal and quality of plant seeds. Seed and fruit biomechanics and functional morphology (expertise of Dr Tina Steinbrecher). Plant seeds, fruits and tubers are at the beginning and the end of almost all important food supply chains that are central to human existence (food security and sustainability).

Weed seed molecular ecophysiology research: Research stream led by Dr Kazumi Nakabayashi. Novel weed managment tools for weed soil seed banks. Collaboration with Syngenta.
Crop seed technology and "gas plasma agriculture": Research stream led by Dr Tina Steinbrecher. Seeds as delivery systems for innovative crop enhancement technologies ("agri-tech"). High-quality crop seeds resilient to abiotic stresses is at the very core of the 'input plant value supply chain' and involves developing environment-friendly sustainable seed technologies including with gas plasma technology, identifying molecular marker and novel assays enabling breeding seed quality.
Sugar beet seed quality: Research stream led by Dr Jake Chandler. Molecular physiology into seed and seedling abiotic stress resilience trait biodiversity. Collaboration with KWS Seed SE.

Key words about our research interest: Environmental-friendly precision agri-technologies; Sustainable gas plasma crop seed treatments; Sustainable biochemistry and green biotechnology; Weed seed molecular ecophysiology; Unlocking the untapped biodiversity of novel abiotic stress resilience traits; Seed treatment with beneficial microbes; Mitigating extreme weather and climate change; Vertical farming.

Elected Trustee, Member of the ISSS Executive Commitee since 2011: International Society for Seed Science (ISSS)

Alfred Mayer Plenary Lecture "The germination of diaspores: origin, diversity and destiny of the seed habit" (2021): ISSS Awards and Honours
at the 13th Triennial Meeting of the International Society for Seed Science (ISSS) - Seed innovation systems for the 21st century. Online, United Kingdom 7-11 September 2021.
The invited Alfred Mayer Plenary Lecture is an overview lecture on seed biology will be presented by a well-recognized and respected seed researcher, chosen or approved by the ISSS Executive Committee.

2004-2012

Botany/Plant Physiology, Albert Ludwigs University, Freiburg i. Br., Germany
"Hochschuldozent" and independent group leader at the Institute for Biology II, Botany/Plant Physiology, Molecular Plant Sciences, Faculty Biology.
Since September 2010 "W3-Vertretungsprofessor" for Molecular Plant Physiology and Botany.
From Freiburg to London: During 2012 as a transition phase my group was working at two place, at Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL) and University of Freiburg (F). Dr. Ada Linkies was leading the group in Freiburg.
Postdocs and PhD students in 2012: Dr. Ada Linkies, Dr. Annette Büttner-Mainik, Dr. Tina Steinbrecher, Kai Gräber, Karin Weitbrecht, Antje Vögele.
Main research areas: Our group has long research experience in basic and applied seed biology. The role of the seed covering layers for germination, water uptake, seed storage, after-ripening and dormancy release is an important research focus of our lab. We are interested in the molecular mechanisms of endosperm weakening and in the release of coat dormancy. The different covering layers are determinants of seed quality and exhibit the biodiversity of seed structures. We have expertise in various methods of seed and seedling technology, physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology. Our basic and applied seed research projects focus on environmental factors (light, temperature, water, abiotic stress) and on plant hormones as endogenous regulators (gibberellins, abscisic acid, ethylene, auxin, cytokinins, brassinosteroids). The utilization of plant hormones and inhibitors of their biosynthesis and action in seed treatment technologies affects seed germination and seedling emergence.
Basic research: Molecular mechanisms of endosperm weakening by hydrolases and/or reactive oxygen species (ROS). Grants by the "Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft", the ERA-NET Plant Genomics (vSEED) and the "Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft Freiburg".
Applied research: Seed quality and seedling performance of ornamental and crop plant species. Collaborations with international seed companies. These projects are part of the Plant Biotechnology section of the ZAB (Zentrum für Angewandte Biowissenschaften).
Editorial Board Member: Seed Science Research, AoB Plants, Associate Editor Journal of Experimental Botany, Reviews Editor Planta
Elected Trustee, Member of the ISSS Executive Commitee since 2011: International Society for Seed Science (ISSS)

2000-2003

Botany/Plant Physiology, Albert Ludwigs University, Freiburg i. Br., Germany
Habilitand and independent groupleader at the Institute for Biology II, Botany/Plant Physiology.
Habilitation grant of the DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft). Project and "Habilitationsschrift: Molekulare Physiologie der Dormanz, Nachreifung und Keimung von Pflanzensamen".
Habilitation and "Privatdozent" since the end of 2003. Venia legendi in Botany/Plant Physiology.
Member of the organizing committee of the "Botanikertagung 2002 Freiburg i. Br.", especially responsible for the internet issues of the conference and the dynamic website for the conference organization.
"Baden-Württemberg Zertifikat hochschuldidaktischer Kompetenzen".

1993-2000

Friedrich Miescher Institute, Basel, Switzerland
With Prof. Dr. F. Meins (plant development).
I established an independent research project on the function and regulation of ß-1,3-glucanases and chitinases (PR-proteins) during plant development. Special focus on seed dormancy and germination of tobacco, tomato and pea. Regulation of PR gene expression and signal transduction by hormones and environmental factors.
Education in webdesign and internet technologies - Certificate WebPublisher SIZ® ("Schweizerisches Informatikzertifikat").

1991-1992

Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
With Prof. Dr. O. C. Yoder (plant pathology).
Project on the molecular biology of the mating type genes of Cochliobolus heterostrophus, fungal pathogen of maize.
Postdoctoral fellowship granted by the DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft).

1986-1990

Doctoral work (Ph.D.)
Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Switzerland
With Prof. Dr. N. Amrhein (plant physiology & biochemistry).
Thesis "The role of hydroxycinnamoylputrescines in the tuberization process of potato plants".

1985-1986

Diploma work at the Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany.
With Prof. Dr. N. Amrhein (plant physiology & biochemistry).
Thesis "Phenylalanine-analogues as inhibitors of L-phenylalanine-tRNA synthetase".

1980-1986

Study of biology at the Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany.

 

Supervised PhD and MSc students

Supervised PhD students at Royal Holloway University of London (after 2012, as lead supervisor)
Supervised MSc students at Royal Holloway University of London (after 2012)
  • 2021-2022 Joseph King, MSc "Impact of seed treatment with biostimulants on the resilience of sugar beet early development." (with Betaseed as industrial partner)
  • 2019-2020 Lena Fatelnig, MSc "Priming of morphologically dormant vegetable seeds of the Apiaceae."
  • 2018-2019 Blyte Soper, MSc "Morphological dormancy and germination in the seeds of Daucus carota and Pastinaca sativa under various environmental conditions."
  • 2016-2017 Bliss Buttery, MSc "Physiological and molecular mechanisms of Lepidium sativum seed longevity and vigour."
  Supervised Doctoral, Diploma, Master, Bachelor and 'Staatsexamen' students at University of Freiburg (before 2012)
  • Jahreszahl ist bei beendeten experimentellen Arbeiten das Jahr der Abgabe:
  • 2006 Kerstin Müller, Diplomarbeit "Endosperm weakening bei Lepidium sativum"
  • 2007 Karin Weitbrecht, Diplomarbeit "Weinrebe-Pathogen Interaktion" (in collaboration with Hanns-Heinz Kassemeyer)
  • 2007 Meike Wenk, Diplomarbeit "Ethylen und Samenkeimung"
  • 2007 Uta Schuster, Diplomarbeit "Samenperoxidasen"
  • 2008 Tina Carstens, Diplomarbeit "Induzierbare Promotoren in der Samenkeimung"
  • 2008 Sonja Rentzsch, Staatsexamensarbeit (Labor) "Amylase in Weizenkörnern" - Preis für die beste Staatsexamensarbeit der Fakultät 2009
  • 2008 Dagmara Podzimska, Masterarbeit, Sokrates/Erasmus Poland "Potato tuber sprouting"
  • 2008 Kai Gräber, Diplomarbeit "Lepidium DOG1-vermittelte Samendormanz" - Preis für eine der drei besten Diplomarbeiten der Fakultät 2010
  • 2009 Lydia Buller, Staatsexamensarbeit (Labor) "Lepidium DOG1-Genklonierung"
  • 2009 Barbara Wippermann, externe ESBS-Masterarbeit "Terpenstoffwechsel"
  • 2009 Anita Rott, Diplomarbeit "Nachreifung und Stressphysiologie von Samen"
  • 2009 Antje Schulz, Diplomarbeit "GA-Signaltransduktion und Samenkeimung"
  • 2010 Dominique Jacquemoud, Masterarbeit, internship from Lyon "Seed allelopathy"
  • 2010 Linda Kern, Diplomarbeit "Powdery mildew - Grapevine interaction" (in collaboration with Hanns-Heinz Kassemeyer)
  • 2011 Claudia Scheler, Diplomarbeit "Pectin and seed germination"
  • 2011 Johannes Lörcher, Staatsexamensarbeit (Labor) "RT-qPCR, transformation and cress seed germination"
  • 2011 Maren Siegrist, Staatsexamensarbeit Labor "Lepidium seed dormancy"
  • 2011 Sophie Berckhan, Bachelorarbeit "Hormone receptors in Lepidium endosperm weakening"
  • 2011 Janina Hitzfeld, Staatsexamensarbeit (Literaturarbeit) "Biofortification"
  • 2011 Katrin Biermann, Diplomarbeit "Hormonal interactions in Lepidium endosperm weakening"
  • 2011 Andrea Freund, Bachelorarbeit "Hormonal interactions in Lepidium seed germination"

  • 2006-2009 Kerstin Müller, Doktorarbeit (DFG LE720/6)
    "Reactive oxygen species play a positive role in seed germination and after-ripening"
    Phinished with very good 'mit Auszeichnung' (summa cum laude)

  • 2006-2010 Ada Linkies, Doktorarbeit (DFG LE720/6)
    "A comparative Brassicaceae approach with Lepidium sativum and Arabidopsis thaliana to investigate mechanisms of seed germination and endosperm weakening"
    Phinished with very good, PhD thesis itself  'mit Auszeichnung' (summa cum laude)

  • 2009-2013 Kai Gräber, Doktorarbeit (DFG LE720/7); a part of the experimental work was conducted at Royal Holloway University of London
    "The plant-specific gene DELAY OF GERMINATION1 (DOG1) mediates a conserved seed dormancy pathway"
    Phinished with very good 'mit Auszeichnung' (summa cum laude)

  • 2009-2012 Karin Weitbrecht, Doktorarbeit (DFG LE720/8, ERA-NET PG vSEED)
    "Physiological and molecular analysis of early seed germination via heterologous microarrays in Lepidium sativum (garden cress)"
    Phinished with good

  • 2010-2013 Antje Voegele, Doktorarbeit (DFG LE720/6 and DFG LE720/7); a part of the experimental work was conducted at Royal Holloway University of London
    "Hormonal, developmental and environmental control of endosperm weakening and embryo growth during Brassicaceae seed germination"
    Phinished with very good, PhD thesis itself  'mit Auszeichnung' (summa cum laude)


Network of some of our collaborators


  • Dr Felipe Iza and Dr Junchen Ren
    School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University, UK
    Sustainable seed treatment agri-technologies based on non-thermal (cold) gas plasma ("plasma agriculture")

  • Prof Klaus Mummenhoff
    Department of Systematic Botany, University of Osnabrück, Germany
    Cross-species Brassicaceae EVO-DEVO research, fruit
    development and dispersal

  • Prof Stefan Rensing
    Plantco.de and Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany
    Plant evolution and bioinformatics of seed and fruit syndromes

  • Prof Miroslav Strnad, Prof Ondrej Novák, Dr Dana Tarkowská, Dr Veronika Tureckov, Dr Jiri Gruz, Dr Iva Pavlovi
    Laboratory of Growth Regulators, Palacký University Olomouc & Institute of Experimental Botany, Olomouc, Czech Republic
    Seed hormone analyses of seed and fruit development, dormancy and germination

  • Prof Hugh Pritchard, Dr Louise Colville, Dr Anne Visscher
    Seed and Stress Biology Team, Royal Botanik Gardens Kew, Wakehurst Place, UK
    Seed storage and longevity in extreme environments including space
    , seed trait biodiversity and evolution of domestication

  • Dr John Dickie
    Science Collections Team, Royal Botanik Gardens Kew, Richmond and Wakehurst Place, UK
    Seed and Lab-Based Collections - research, Millenium Seed Bank Project - teaching collaboration

  • Prof Alistair Griffiths
    Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), Director of science and collections team, Wisley, UK
    Rocket Science collaboration (Chandler et al 2020) with RHS, Tozer Seeds and UK Space Agency

  • Dr Uwe Fischer, Dr Juliane Meinhard, and others
    KWS Seed SE, Einbeck, Germany
    Sugar beet seed quality, molecular physiology into seed and seedling abiotic stress resilience trait biodiversity

  • Dr Thomas Holloway and others
    Syngenta Jealott's Hill International Research Centre, Bracknell, UK, and Syngenta in Switzerland and USA
    Developing novel sustainable weed seed and seedling management tools

  • Dr Matthew Walker, Dr Frances Gawthrop, and others
    Tozer Seeds, Vegetable Seed Expertise, Cobham, UK

    Apiaceae morphological dormasncy and seed quality, e.g. Walker et al. Plant Journal (2021)

  • Dr Yvette Bakker, Rae Cook, and others
    Bejo, Warmenhuizen, The Netherlands, and Elsoms Seed, Spalding, UK
    Sustainable seed treatment agri-technologies based on non-thermal (cold) gas plasma ("plasma agriculture")

  • Prof Alessandra Fidelis, Dr Rosana Kolb, Dr Aline Redondo Martins
    Sao Paulo State University, Brazil - Fire, grassland and savanna ecology
    Fire-adapted seed traits in Cerrado species

  • Dr Solomon Chanyalew Kassa (Director DZARC), Prof Zerihun Tadele (DZARC and University Berne, CH)
    Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Centre (DZARC), Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), Ethiopia
    Enabling precision-agriculture in Ethiopia’s “orphan” teff (Eragrostis tef) crop by suastainable seed technologies

  • Dr Said Mohammed Hassen
    Debre Birhan University, Ethiopia
    Crop and weed seed dormancy and germination including Mohammed et al Weed Science (2019)

  • Prof Steven Footitt
    Bogaziçi University, Molecular Biology and Genetics, Istanbul, Turkey
    Seeds as environmental sensors, improving seed quality and seedling establishment

  • Prof Margaret Collinson
    Plant Palaeobiology Research Group, Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway Univserity of London, UK
    Synchrotron-based radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy (SRXTM) of seeds and fruits

  • Prof. Stephen Fry and Dr. Robert Vreeburg
    The Edinburgh Cell Wall Group, The University of Edinburgh, UK
    Reactive oxygen species during seed germination of Brassicaceae

  • Prof. Xiaofeng Wang
    College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, P. R. China
    Endosperm hydrolases during seed germination

  • PD Dr. Andreas Börner and Dr Manuela Nagel
    IPK Gatersleben, Genebank, Germany
    Amylases gene expression in cereal grains of hormone mutants

  • PD Dr. Anja Liszkay
    Service de Bioenergetique, CNRS, CEA Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
    Reactive oxygen species during seed germination and seedling growth

  • Prof. Kent J. Bradford
    Department of Vegetable Crops and Director Seed Biotechnology Center, University of California, Davis, USA
    ß-1,3-Glucanase, Chitinase and seed germination of tomato

  • PD Dr. Frank Volke and Dr. B. Manz
    Arbeitsgruppe Magnetische Resonanz, Fraunhofer Institut für Biomedizinische Technik (IBMT), St. Ingbert/Saar, Germany
    NMR analyses during seed germination, NMR microimaging of seed imbibition

  • Seed industry
    Seed germination and seedling growth of ornamental and crop species, collaborations with two international seed companies.


Selected Seed Milestones (1995-2012) and Research Interests

Research
interests

  • Plant physiology, development and allelopathy with a special focus on plant hormones and molecular biology of seeds and seedlings.
  • All aspects of seed biology, in particular seed germination, seed dormancy, seed after-ripening, seed ecology, seed technology and seed quality.
  • Biochemical and molecular mechanisms that control embryo growth, coat-enhanced dormancy and after-ripening.
  • Seed evolution, especially with regard to the seed covering layers. Ecophysiology and evolutionary developmental biology (EVO-DEVO).
  • Phylogeny-driven comparative seed biology projects with interdisciplinary methods and systems biology modeling.
  • Molecular mechanisms of endosperm weakening: hydrolases, reactive oxygen species (ROS), hydrolases, and other cell-wall remodeling proteins.
  • Pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins, especially ß-1,3-glucanase (ßGlu), chitinases, peroxidases, NADPH oxidases.
  • Signal transduction pathways and gene regulation by plant hormones, temperature and light. Stress physiology and population-based threshold models.
  • Seed biomechanics and systems biology, cross-species mathematical modelling of seed germination (vSEED).
  • Seed storage, longevity and aging, basic and applied research in this area.
  • Biotechnological properties of seeds and seedlings (seed quality, enhancements, technology, priming, coating, pelleting, resistance towards seed-associated pathogens).
  • Our long term goal is to understand the molecular basis underlying seed dormancy and germination to be able to improve
    seed quality and seedling performance (vigor, timing, uniformity and environmental control of germination) of horticultural and agricuctural crops.
  • Endosperm weakening: In members of the Solanaceae the endosperm appears to be a mechanical hindrance to seed germination. The endospermic hole of the germinated tobacco seed seems to be formed by "dissolution" rather than by "pushing" action. Class I ß-1,3-glucanase (ßGlu I) is induced just prior to endosperm rupture (after testa rupture) and is localized exclusively in the micropylar region of the endosperm where the radicle will penetrate. Transgenic seeds over-expressing ßGlu I in the seed covering layers directly demonstrate that ßGlu I promote radicle protrusion to facilitate germination by contributing to endosperm rupture of tobacco. After-ripening promotes testa rupture and releases coat dormancy. ßGlu I over-expression can replace the after-ripening effect on testa rupture, in reciprocal crosses only if the mother plant is an over-expresser.
  • Testa and endosperm rupture are distinct events during the germination of Nicotiana spp. seeds (Cestroideae subgroup of Solanaceae) and of the Brassicaceae species Lepidium sativum and Arabidopsis thaliana (Müller et al. 2006, Linkies et al. 2009, Graeber et al. 2010, Morris et al. 2011). We have measured endosperm weakening of Lepidium sativum by using the puncture-force method and found it to be controlled by an ABA-GA and an ABA-ethylene antagonism (working model).
  • Model species at different positions of the phylogenetic tree will help to unravel the evolution of the molecular mechanisms of endosperm weakening. Moving beyond Arabidopsis with cross-species work will make the Brassicaceae a model family. Brassicaceae family-wide qRT-PCR of seed germination and phylotranscriptomics require cross-species approaches (state-of-the-art cross-species qRT-PCR guideline: Graeber, Linkes, Wood, Leubner-Metzger 2011).

1995

Abscisic acid (ABA) delays endosperm rupture and inhibits the transcriptional induction of ßGlu I in the micropylar endosperm.

1998

Ethylene signalling pathways acting via EREBP-type transcription factors are involved in regulating ßGlu I induction and seed germination.

2000

Sense transformation reveals a novel role for ßGlu I in tobacco seed germination. 

2001

Brassinosteroids and gibberellins promote tobacco seed germination by distinct pathways

2003

Review: Functions and regulation of ß-1,3-glucanases during seed germination, dormancy release and after-ripening and Distinct expression patterns of ß-1,3-glucanases and chitinases during the germination of Solanaceous seeds

Cover photograph of the May 2003 issue of Plant, Cell & Environment related to the publication:
Calcium requirement for ethylene-dependent responses involving 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase in radicle tissues of germinated pea seeds
  Ethylene and pea seed germination

2005

Water uptake and distribution in germinating tobacco seeds investigated in vivo by nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and
Review: Plant hormone interactions during seed dormancy release and germination

2006

Endosperm-limited Brassicaceae seed germination: Abscisic acid inhibits embryo-induced endosperm weakening of Lepidium sativum (cress) and endosperm rupture of cress and Arabidopsis thaliana and Tansley review: Seed dormancy and the control of germination

2007 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid and abscisic acid during the germination of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) - a comparative study of fruits and seeds
2009 In vivo cell wall loosening by hydroxyl radicals during cress (Lepidium sativum L.) seed germination and elongation growth and
Ethylene interacts with abscisic acid to regulate endosperm rupture during germination: a comparative approach using Lepidium sativum and Arabidopsis thaliana
2010 Cross-species approaches to seed dormancy and germination: conservation and biodiversity of ABA-regulated mechanisms and the Brassicaceae DOG1 genes
and Tansley review: The evolution of seeds
2011 Regulation of seed germination in the close Arabidopsis relative Lepidium sativum: A global tissue specific transcript analysis
and Darwin review: First off the mark: early seed germination and
A guideline to family-wide comparative state-of-the-art qRT-PCR analysis exemplified with a Brassicaceae cross-species seed germination case study and
Members of the gibberellin receptor gene family GID1 (GIBBERELLIN INSENSITIVE DWARF1) play distinct roles during Lepidium sativum and Arabidopsis thaliana seed germination

2012
Special Focus Issue 'Seed Biology' Plant Cell Physiology 53 (1) January 2012

Myrigalone A inhibits Lepidium sativum seed germination by interference with gibberellin metabolism and apoplastic superoxide production required for embryo extension growth and endosperm rupture

Review: Beyond gibberellins and abscisic acid: how ethylene and jasmonates control, seed germination

Dose- and tissue-specific interaction of monoterpenes with the gibberellin-mediated release of potato tuber bud dormancy, sprout growth and induction of α-amylases and β-amylases

Embryo growth, testa permeability, and endosperm weakening are major targets for the environmentally regulated inhibition of Lepidium sativum seed germination by myrigalone A

  Special Issue Seed Biology
   
 

Selected Talks Presented at International and National Conferences


  • Invited Plenary Speaker "Improving crop seed quality and stress resilience through environmentally sustainable technologies"
    at the 7th Turkish Seed Congress with International Participation, November 2021, Turkey and online (hybrid conference).

  • The Alfred Mayer Plenary Lecture 2021 "The germination of diaspores: origin, diversity and destiny of the seed habit"
    at the 13th Triennial Meeting of the International Society for Seed Science (ISSS) - Seed innovation systems for the 21st century, September 2021, United Kingdom online.
    The invited Alfred Mayer Plenary Lecture is an overview lecture on seed biology will be presented by a well-recognized and respected seed researcher, chosen or approved by the ISSS Executive Committee (Awards and Honours).

  • Speaker "The roles of "coats" and hormones for crop seed quality, weed emergence and innovative precision agri-technologies "
    and organiser of the online GCRF workshop "Tef (Eragostis tef) and other Ethiopian "orphan" crops, focus on using seed technologies to improve tef seed quality", September 2021, online UK-Ethiopia.

  • Invited Seminar Speaker “Seeds as delivery systems for innovative crop enhancement technologies"
    at Syngenta's Swiss R&D Centre, January 2020, Syngenta Stein, Switzerland.

  • Chairman of session "Agro-Ecology and Seed Systems" at the 3rd International Workshop on Tef Improvement, October 2019, Adulala Resorts & Spa (Ethio-Resorts), Bishoftu (Debre Zeit), Ethiopia.

  • Speaker “Molecular mechanisms of Beta vulgaris chilling-induced secondary dormancy”
    and session chairman, 6th Workshop on the Molecular Aspects of Seed Dormancy and Germination, September 2019, Volendam, The Netherlands.

  • Invited Keynote Speaker “All seasons seed mix – molecular and physiological mechanisms of seed and fruit ecology"
    of the session "Molecular and Physiological Aspects of Seed Ecology", 4th ISSS Seed Ecology Meeting, July/August 2019, Regensburg, Germany.

  • Speaker “Hormonal control of chilling-induced secondary dormancy”
    at the Conference Current Progress in Gibberellin Research, June/July 2019, Olomouc, Czech Republic.

  • Speaker "Seed-focused research, climate change, food security and the UN Sustainable Development Goals"
    and organiser of the GCRF workshop and networking event "Seed systems, agricultural technology and food security in Ethiopia using the example of Teff", June 2019, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia.

  • Attendee at Westminster Insight Conference, "The Future of Farming and Agriculture" about the Agricultural Bill, January 2019, London, UK.

  • Invited Seminar Speaker “SeedAdapt: A tale of two seeds with distinct dormancy, dispersal, transcriptomes, hormonomes, and stress responses",
    December 2018, INRA Versailles, France.

  • Speaker “SeedAdapt: Dormancy and dispersal in Aethionema arabicum – a tale of two seeds with distinct transcriptomes and hormonomes”.
    ERA-CAPS Grandholder Meeting, November 2018, Bonn, Germany.

  • Speaker: “Dimorphic fruits and seeds with contrasting dormancy and dispersal as adaptative strategy of Aethionema arabicum
    and chairman at the 6th Plant Dormancy Symposium, October 2018, Kyoto, Japan.

  • Invited lead speaker “Improving crop seed quality and seedling performance”,
    May 2018, Seed & Seed Treatment Conference, London, UK.

  • Invited Speaker “Applying Concepts and Technologies of Seed Quality and Seedling Performance to Support Ecosystem Services”
    at NASSTEC (The NAtive Seed Science, TEchnology and Conservation Initial Training Network), International Conference organised by Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, September 2017, London, UK.

  • Speaker “Rocket Science – molecular mechanisms underpinning vegetable seed aging and vigor loss during space travel”
    at the 12th Triennial International Society for Seed Science (ISSS), September 2017, Monterey, California, USA.

  • Invited Faculty Seminar “Improving crop seed quality and seedling performance”,
    July 2017, University of Münster, Germany.

  • Invited Keynote Speaker "Plant hormone interactions and technologies to improve seed germination and seedling uniformity"
    at the IIBR meeting (International Institute of Sugar Beet Research), September 2016, Einbeck, Germany.

  • Invited Speaker "Plant hormone interactions and technologies to improve seed germination and seedling uniformity",
    Ag-Bio Summit & Informa Life Sciences Conference on The Science of Seed Treatments, September 2016, Nice, France.

  • Invited Lead Speaker "From weed seed heteromorphism to crop uniformity: Pioneer work into the full spread of adaptation mechanisms to unpredictable environments”
    of the Seed Biology Session at Society for Experimental Biology - SEB Annual Meeting, July 2016, Brighton, UK.

  • Invited Seminar "Vigour and seedling resilience of crop and weed seeds",
    June 2016, Palacky University Olomouc, Czech Republic.

  • Invited Speaker "Tissue-specific hormone metabolism as quality marker for seed technology and storage",
    Ag-Bio Congress & Informa Life Sciences Annual Conference on Seed Treatments, December 2015, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

  • Invited Speaker "Abiotic stress tolerance in sugar beet during germination and early seedling development with focus on chilling tolerance",
    November 2015, KWS Seed SE Annual Meeting Einbeck, Germany.

  • Invited Plenum Speaker "The Power of Seeds: Sleeping Beauties and Food Security",
    BARLOMICS PhD Student Summer School, September 2015, Wernigerode, Germany.

  • Speaker "Tissue-specific hormone metabolism as quality marker for seed technology and storage",
    ISSS Seed Longevity Workshop, July 2015, Wernigerode, Germany.

  • Speaker "Integrated projects with novel biomaterial engineering technologies and molecular stress physiology to improve vegetable seed quality ",
    4th AGRI-Net International Conference on Plant Chemical Biology, May 2015, Syngenta’s Jealott’s Hill International Research Station in Bracknell, UK.

  • Invited Lead Speaker "Molecular mechanics, allelophysiology and stress biology of seed germination",
    3rd Plantum Seed Symposium, October 2014, Wageningen, The Netherlands.

  • Speaker "Heatshock Gene Expression and Heatshock Transcription Factors (HSFs)",
    KWS meeting and workshop, June 2014, Einbeck, Germany.

  • Invited Lead Speaker "Molecular biomechanics and stress physiology of coat-dormancy release and seed germination",
    5th International Symposium Plant Dormancy, November 2013, Auckland, New Zealand.

  • Invited Speaker "Molecular mechanics, phylogenetics and stress biology of seeds",
    November 2013, Kew's Royal Botanical Garden Millenium Seed Bank, Wakehurst Place, UK.

  • Invitated Faculty Seminar "Molecular mechanics and stress biology of seed germination",
    November 2013, University of Oxford, UK.

  • Taster Day presentation "The Power of Seeds: Sleeping Beauties and Food Security",
    July 2013, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, UK.

  • Invitated Faculty Seminar "Molecular mechanics and stress biology of seed germination",
    June 2013, University of York, UK. Speaker "Struktur, Mechanismen und Biophysik von Weizensaatgut", May 2013, Buehler AG, Uzwil, Switzerland.

  • Invited Seminar "Multilevel cross-species approaches to model and crop seed germination: molecular biomechanics, biochemistry, evolution and ecophysiology",
    November 2012, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Köln, Germany.

  • Invitated Institute Seminar "Multilevel cross-species approaches to model and crop seed germination: molecular biomechanics, biochemistry, evolution and ecophysiology",
    October 2012, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK.

  • Invited seminar "Multilevel cross-species approaches to model and crop seed germination: molecular biomechanics, biochemistry, evolution and ecophysiology",
    September 2012, Palacky University Olomouc, Czech Republic.

  • Speaker "A cross-species systems biology approach to molecular networks regulating the biomechanics of seed germination (vSEED - 'virtual SEED')",
    July 2012, Grant holder Workshop ERA-NET Plant Genomics Freiburg, Germany.

  • Speaker "Biomechanische und molekulare Mechanismen von Samenkeimung und Saatgutphysiologie ",
    June 2012, Buehler AG, Uzwil, Switzerland.

  • Botanikertagung 'Diversity makes the difference', September 2011, Berlin, Germany. Chair and organisator of the Workshop 'Seed Biology'.
    Oral presentation together with Dr. Ada Linkies "Multilevel cross-species approaches to identify evolutionary conserved and diverse mechanisms that control seed dormancy and germination".

  • 25. Getreide-Tagung der deutschen Arbeitsgemeinschaft Getreideforschung e.V. (www.agfdt.de), March 2011, Detmold, Germany.
    Eingeladener Hauptvortrag "Physiologische Grundlagen der Keimruhe und Bedeutung für die Fallzahl von Getreide".

  • DanSeed Symposium 2011 of the Danish Seed Industry and the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus University, March 2011, Slagese, Denmark.
    Invited lead speaker "Computer modeling of seed germination" about vSEED as an example for an Europaen Seed Systems Biology Network project.

  • Science meets Business Day: "Erfolgreiche Kooperationen aus Wirtschaft und Wissenschaft", Konzerthaus Freiburg, 23. Nov. 2010
    Tandem-Vortrag gemeinsam mit Dr. Uwe Fischer (KWS Seed SE, Einbeck, Germany):
    "Gene, Hormone und Stress bei der Samenkeimung und was das mit der Saatgutqualität der Zuckerrübe zu tun hat".

  • 29th ISTA (International Seed Testing Association) Congress, June 2010, Köln, Germany.
    Invited Lead Speaker and chairman of the basic research session "Basic approaches to physiological processes in seeds" (ISSS collaborative session).
    My keynote: "Comparative seed biology will lead the way: Evolutionary conservation and biodiversity of physiological mechanisms that control germination".
    The ISTA is the most important international organization for seed testing and applied seed research.

  • 3rd ISSS Workshop on the Molecular Aspects of Seed Dormancy and Germination, July 2010, York, UK.
    Session Chair. Oral presentations by several group members: Antje Voegele "GID1 gene family members fulfill distinct regulatory functions during seed germination".
    Dr. Ada Linkies "Superior housekeeping genes for state-of-the-art qPCR normalization during seed germination obtained by tissue-specific transcriptome analysis and cross-species comparison". Kai Gräber "Cross-species investigations on the DOG1 seed dormancy gene - evidence for an evolutionary conserved mechanism".

  • SEST2009 - 5th International Symposium on "Seed, Transplant and Stand Establishment of Horticultural Crops: Integrating Methods for Producing More with Less.", Sept./Oct. 2009, Murcia - Almeria, Spain. Invited Lead Speaker Session 9 "The 'virtual Seed' project: Integrating comparative seed biology, biomechanical modeling, and functional genomics." and member of the scientific committee.

  • 4th International Symposium Plant Dormancy, Juni 2009, Fargo, North Dakota, USA. Invited Lead Speaker ISSS-Minisymposium "Cross-species approaches to seed dormancy and germination: Evolutionary conservation and biodiversity of mechanisms". Oral presentation by Kai Gräber "Seed dormancy in the genus Lepidium (Brassicaceae) and the distribution of the dormancy gene DOG1".

  • Syngenta Global Seed Care Institute (SCI) Seed Science Symposium, October 2008, Basel and Stein, Switzerland.
    Invited Lead Speaker "Comparative seed physiology: How hormones, genes, biomechanics and climate change interact to control germination".

  • 9th ISSS (International Seed Science Society) Workshop on Seed Biology, June 2008, Olsztyn, Poland. Member of the scientific committee and chairman. Oral presentations by several group members: Ada Linkies "A reverse genetics approach to endosperm weakening by using Brassicaceae relatives". Kerstin Müller "Hydroxyl radicals and in vivo scission of cress seed cell walls", Awarded as the best student presentation.

  • Workshop "Sleeping Beauties - Dormancy and resistance in harsh environments: Molecular, proteomic and metabolomic aspects", May 2008, MPI Dahlem-Berlin, Germany.
    Oral presentation "Seed awakening mechanisms: Dormancy release, after-ripening and germination".

  • Gemeinsame Vortragstagung "Klimawandel als Herausforderung: Entwicklung und Nutzung stresstoleranter Sorten für Nahrung und Energie" der Arbeitsgemeinschaften Ertrags- und Stressphysiologie, Saatgut- und Sortenwesen sowie Getreide der Gesellschaft für Pflanzenzüchtung e.V. (GPZ) und der Gesellschaft für Pflanzenbauwissenschaften e.V., Oktober 2007, Halle a.d. Saale, Germany. Vortrag "Samendormanz und Keimungskontrolle: Gene, Umweltfaktoren und Klimawandel".

  • 2nd Workshop on Molecular Aspects of Seed Dormancy and Germination, July 2007, Salamanca, Spain.
    Invited plenum talk: "Seed dormancy and the control of germination". Session chairman.

  • 8th International Workshop on Seeds, May 2005, Brisbane, Australia
    Oral presentation "Emerging and established model systems for endosperm weakening"

  • 3rd International Symposium on Plant Dormancy, May 2004, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
    Oral presentation "Gene expression in low-hydrated tobacco seeds as a mechanism for after-ripening and dormancy release"

  • 9th International Symposium on Plant Seeds / The 7th Gatersleben Research Conference "Seeds in the 'omics Era", May 2004, Gatersleben / Chateau Meisdorf, Germany.
    Oral presentation "Gene expression in low-hydrated tobacco seeds as a mechanism for after-ripening and dormancy release".

  • 17. Tagung "Molekularbiologie der Pflanzen", März 2004, Dabringhausen, Germany
    Vortrag "Molekulare Biologie der Dormanzbrechung und Keimung endospermhaltiger Samen"

  • Workshop "Zukunft der Saatgutforschung bei Gartenbaulichen Kulturpflanzen", Oktober 2002, Institut für Gemüse- und Zierpflanzenbau Grossbeeren/Erfurt, Germany
    Eingeladener Hauptredner mit Vortrag "Neue Erkenntnisse der Samenbiologie zur Saatgutqualität"

  • 7th International Workshop on Seeds, May 2002, Salamanca, Spain
    Invited main speaker of the session "Seed Dormancy and Germination"
    Oral presentation "Hormonal and molecular events during seed dormancy release and germination"

  • 1st International Congress on Stress Tolerance in Seeds - Genetic, Molecular and Physiological Mechanisms, April 2001, Wageningen, The Netherlands
    Oral presentation "Brassinosteroids and gibberellins promote tobacco seed germination by distinct pathways"

  • 8th International Symposium on Plant Seeds / The 5th Gatersleben Research Conference “Seed Development, Metabolism and Biotechnology”, August 2000, Gatersleben / Chateau Meisdorf, Germany
    Oral presentation “Sense and antisense transformation reveals novel roles for ß-1,3-glucanase in afterripening, photodormancy and seed germination”

  • 10th FESPP Congress "From Molecular Mechanisms to the Plant: An Integrated Approach", September 1996, Firenze, Italy,
    Oral presentation "Effects of Plant Hormones on Endosperm Rupture and Class I ß-1,3-Glucanase Induction in Tobacco Seed Germination."

  • Invited speaker at the second platform meeting of the EC Concerted Action Program on "Integration of Physiological and Molecular Disciplines in Seed Quality Analysis", September 1996, Milano, Italy

  • 4th International Workshop on Pathogenesis-Related Proteins in Plants: Biology and Biotechnological Potential, September 1995, Schwäbisches Bildungszentrum Kloster Irsee, Irsee, Germany. Oral presentation "Evidence for a Role of ß-1,3-Glucanase in Dicot Seed Germination."

  • 15th International Conference on Plant Growth Substances, July 1995, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
    Oral presentation "Evidence for a Role of ß-1,3-Glucanase in Dicot Seed Germination."


 
 


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