GAIN4CROPS

GAIN4CROPS

@gain4crops.eu

H2020 EU project developing nature-inspired solutions sustainably to increase crop yield 🌻 We focus on sunflowers, embracing nature and plant breeding. Grant agreement ID: 862087 Visit the project website at gain4crops.eu

474 followers 455 following84 posts

GAIN4CROPS reposted

@somssich.bsky.social

This week we had Rosa Lozano-Durán from @geminiteamlab.bsky.social @zmbp-tuebingen.bsky.social here at our @kwsgroup.bsky.social Einbeck Headquarter. A fantastic opportunity to hear about her research & discuss future cooperation to tackle virus diseases of our crops. #PlantScience #PlantImmunity

The @europarl.europa.eu adopted new genomic techniques to help farmer access new plants that are climate and pest resistant, give higher yields and require fewer pesticides. 💪 🌾 Our #H2020 project was a supporter from the start! 🇪🇺 #GiveGenesAChance www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/pres...

europarl.europa.euNew genomic techniques for plants to boost innovation in sustainable agriculture | News | European ParliamentParliament has adopted new rules facilitating access to new plants that are climate and pest resistant, give higher yields and require fewer pesticides.

GAIN4CROPS reposted

@weplanetint.bsky.social

Today is a big moment for the future of European agriculture. After over two years of negotiations the EU Parliament's ENVI committee will vote on the New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) file. We've been there since the beginning advocating for NGTs to improve EU sustainability & food security.

Our project’s “Results in Brief” have been published on the @scienceinnovation.ec.europa.eu’s CORDIS page! Read about how our team worked to redesign the inefficient photorespiration process to increase carbon retention and biomass production in crops. 🌾 📈 cordis.europa.eu/article/id/4...

cordis.europa.euRewiring photorespiration could boost crop productivityLeveraging cutting-edge experimental and computational tools, GAIN4CROPS showed that redesigning the inefficient photorespiration process...

GAIN4CROPS reposted

@weplanetint.bsky.social

Right now anti-gene-editing groups are lobbying MEPs to block crucial innovation that will make European agriculture more sustainable. The final vote on legislation governing the use of New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) will take place next week. Sign our petition: act.weplanet.org/p/eu-support...

Project publication highlight: single-cell expression atlases find molecular patterns underlying C4 photosynthesis—a more efficient form of photosynthesis that reduces energy loss from photorespiration. Read the @natplants.nature.com article at doi.org/10.1111/nph.... gain4crops.eu/new-insights...

gain4crops.euNew Insights into Photosynthesis Evolution Support Crop Efficiency Goals of GAIN4CROPS - Gain4CropsEU project researchers report breakthrough findings on the molecular patterns underlying C4 photosynthesis.

The team identified a conserved set of gene regulators across independent C4 lineages, advancing our understanding of how nature repeatedly achieves high carbon-fixation efficiency.

GAIN4CROPS reposted

Andreas P.M. Weber 🌾🌱🧬

@apmweber.bsky.social

Promote brilliant plant science #ECRs 🌱 @plantsciencedbg.bsky.social Awards 2026 are open. monetary prize, a certificate & a plenary talk at Botanik-Tagung. Deadline: 26 Apr 2026. Pro tip: 👉 Self-noms welcome for Horst Wiehe Award Details: www.deutsche-botanische-gesellschaft.de/u/3awards

deutsche-botanische-gesellschaft.deActualia (2026) - Notifications of the SocietyNotifications from our Society (Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft, DBG) for its members (2026)

GAIN4CROPS reposted

@forscherrobert.bsky.social

Open for registration now! 🌱 The new working group on Plant Biotechnology within the German Society for Plant Breeding will held its first workshop in March 2026. I'm looking forward to an amazing meeting!

Leibniz IPK@leibnizipk.bsky.social

The aim of the new Plant Biotechnology group of the @plantsciencedbg.bsky.social is to facilitate the exchange of expertise between research, breeding and biotech companies. An initial workshop will take place on 9 and 10 March at the @leibnizipk.bsky.social. ➡️All information: tinyurl.com/4nn5ufnr

The last interview we have to share is with Laura Martinelli, our partner from INsociety. They are helping our #H2020 engage stakeholders so our project and any follow-ups can have a greater impact on society! 🌻🇪🇺 More at gain4crops.eu

INsociety also helped develop a suitable business model to support the project's participating companies, as well as with outreach and communication and assessing sustainability through an LCA analysis. Thank you! 👏

Hear from our partner Laia Segura Broncano from the @hhu.de on how she and her team translated knowledge from model plants to crops like the sunflower. “We tried to improve carbon fixation and optimize the photosynthetic efficiency in Arabidopsis thaliana — our model organism for plants.”

Today we share our interview with Riccardo Scodeller, our partner from the Estonian University of Life Sciences who recently joined the project to support our research into plant anatomy to improve photosynthesis. 🌿🔬 More about our hashtag#H2020 project at gain4crops.eu

After some fieldwork at Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and teaching at a secondary school, Riccardo is now working on the lab Ülo Niinemets. He collects anatomical and physiological data from higher plants to study which factors affect mesophyll conductance.

Our partner, Tiina Tosen, from the Estonian University of Life Sciences, studies the fundamentals of photosynthesis in the sunflower family. 🌼🌻 “For example, what are the trait combinations underlying more efficient photosynthesis?” Visit us at gain4crops.eu to learn more about our #H2020 project.

Meet our partner Urte Schlüter @urtes.bsky.social, from the @hhu.de. She and her team helped our #H2020 project explore natural improvements to photosynthesis that could be useful for plant breeding or synthetic solutions. 🌿🌻 Watch the full interview or visit us at gain4crops.eu to learn more.

Our partner, Goetz Hensel from the @hhu.de, reflects on a defining feature of GAIN4CROPS: the complete translational pipeline. 🧪➡️🌻 “I‘m not aware of many other projects where you go from the design of the enzymes until the proof of concept in plants.” More about our #H2020 project at gain4crops.eu

He and his team supported our hashtag#H2020 project by translating what we learned in relatively simple organisms — bacteria and algae — to model plants and crops like the sunflower.

We sat down with @tianshu-sun.bsky.social, our partner from the @deptofwar.bsky.social, who shared her journey and contributions throughout our #H2020 project. “We’re are looking to generate data that’s valuable to the whole project and to anyone interested in photosynthesis.”

As our #H2020 project enters its last month, our coordinator, @apmweber.bsky.social, reflects on the importance and potential of the GAIN4CROPS to boost crop yields! 🌻 “Our project can [contribute] to a more sustainable agriculture in Europe, but also in other places in the world.”🌍

Andreas and his team are developing metabolic models of natural and synthetic pathways leading to increased photosynthetic efficiency. 🧑‍🔬 We will be sharing interviews from other project members soon, so stay tuned!

GAIN4CROPS reposted

Andreas P.M. Weber 🌾🌱🧬

@apmweber.bsky.social

Cleomaceae are the sister group to the Brassicaceae. In contrast to the Brassicaceae, they contain true C4 photosynthetic species. This indicates that the genetic capacity to evolve C4 is ancestral to the split of Brassicaceae and Cleomaceae. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

onlinelibrary.wiley.comCleomaceae: diversity and potential of a model family for studies on the evolution of photosynthesisThe Cleomaceae family integrates floral diversity, physiological plasticity, and the evolution of C4 photosynthesis, serving as an important model to investigate plant adaptation and evolutionary inn...

GAIN4CROPS reposted

SPS Saclay Plant Sciences

@spsplantsciences.bsky.social

"Plant single cell RNAseq workshop: From current technologies to data analyses" Saclay Plant Sciences Summer School, June 28 - July 3, 2026 – Versailles (France)

eng-saclay-plant-sciences.hub.inrae.fr"Plant single cell RNAseq workshop: From current technologies to data analyses" Saclay Plant Sciences Summer School, June 28 - July 3, 2026 – Versailles (France)This Summer school is organized by the Saclay Plant Sciences (SPS) network, one of the largest European plant sciences communities. scRNAseq approaches have revolutionized the way biologists approach their research subjects, by making it possible to dissect molecular mechanisms at the single-cell level. But although technological developments have recently made these approaches more accessible, their expensive use still requires significant technical training, including the good conception of experimental designs, the preparation of samples as well as their bioinformatics analyses. In addition, different protocols and various bioinformatics and statistical analyzes are available, and it can be difficult to choose the most relevant ones for the biological question at hand. Over five days, the SPS Summer School 2026 will cover all the stages of a scRNAseq project in plants. Through a combination of lectures and practical work, the many specific features of plant models will be highlighted by experts from the Saclay Plant Sciences network (CNRS and INRAE), the ViB in Ghent and the Pasteur Institute. After this international school, participants will: – Have an overview of the different scRNAseq technologies and understand their pros and cons. – Be able to design experiments depending on the biological question. – Be trained on sample preparation techniques for single cell and single nuclei – Understand the different steps of bioinformatics and statistical analysis – Have a better biological interpretation of results – Have facilitated exchanges with technology platforms, bioinformaticians, and biostatisticians in order to successfully complete their scRNAseq project The summer school will bring together outstanding and enthusiastic young scientists (PhD students and post-docs) from all over the world in order to exchange knowledge and ideas. It is limited to a small group of participants (20 maximum) to privilege informal interactions and scientific discussions Application deadline: March 12, 2026 (midnight) Answers will be sent mid-April at the latest.

GAIN4CROPS reposted

@forscherrobert.bsky.social

The EU will #GiveGenesAChance! 🇪🇺💚 www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/pres... #Trilogue #NGTs

europarl.europa.euNew genomic techniques: deal to support the green transition in farming | News | European ParliamentThe new rules will make the EU food system more secure and sustainable, with climate- and pest-resistant plants that give higher yields and require fewer fertilisers and pesticides.

GAIN4CROPS reposted

German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG)

@plantsciencedbg.bsky.social

👀 Early Career Researchers in #PlantSci: There are only 4 days left ... if you want to join Molecular Biology of Plants (#MBP2026) Conference in Hennef, Germany Registration + abstract submission end on 🗓️ 23rd November 2025 www.pflanzen-molekularbiologie.de/en/conferenc...

GAIN4CROPS reposted

@somssich.bsky.social

I highly recommend the #MBP2026 #PlantScience Meeting in Hennef, especially if you're an ECR or #NewPI trying to connect to the German Plant Science Community. It's interactive, fun and relaxed. Unfortunately, I won't be there this year, but I'll be back in 2027 👍

German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG)@plantsciencedbg.bsky.social

👀 Early Career Researchers in #PlantSci: There are only 4 days left ... if you want to join Molecular Biology of Plants (#MBP2026) Conference in Hennef, Germany Registration + abstract submission end on 🗓️ 23rd November 2025 www.pflanzen-molekularbiologie.de/en/conferenc...

GAIN4CROPS reposted

@somssich.bsky.social

"The expanding world of plant NLR pairs" Cheng-Wei Sang, Yan-Mei Zhang, Sai-Xi Li, Jian-Qun Chen, and Zhu-Qing Shao in @cp-trendsplantsci.bsky.social. #PlantScience #PlantImmunity www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

sciencedirect.comThe expanding world of plant NLR pairsThree recent studies, by Zhu et al.,Klymiuk et al., and Hu et al., identified paired nucleotide-binding site–leucine-rich repeat receptors (NLRs) in w…

Researchers made use of recent advances in sequencing techniques to study how “cellular specialisation affects interconnected pathways”. This could help us understand the genetic basis for C3-C4 intermediacy in specific plants. 🌿

Journal of Experimental Botany@jxbotany.bsky.social

🌿 RESEARCH 🌿 Single-nucleus RNAseq reveals bundle sheath cell-specific photorespiration pathways in Moricandia arvensis, incl ammonium assimilation & redox regulation, highlighting metabolic compartmentalization in C3–C4 photosynthesis – Triesch et al. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/... #PlantScience 🧪

GAIN4CROPS reposted

@somssich.bsky.social

Rick van de Zedde was here at @kwsgroup.bsky.social to talk about his work making sense of the tons of data generated by the #PlantScience NPEC phenotyping platform run by @wurplant.bsky.social & @utrechtuniversity.bsky.social. Very interesting work, including producing smartphone apps for easy use.

GAIN4CROPS reposted

EU Science, Research & Innovation

@scienceinnovation.ec.europa.eu

The European Commission is pleased to launch this new Science, Research & Innovation account. We look forward to connecting with the community on Bluesky! 🧪 Here you will find: - EU scientific news - Horizon Europe funding opportunities - Innovative EU-supported projects - Events, tools & resources

GAIN4CROPS reposted

Andreas P.M. Weber 🌾🌱🧬

@apmweber.bsky.social

A new crop in the lab. 🌱 Field day with TaCoCass team members — working to boost photosynthetic efficiency in cassava and secure a more sustainable food future. #Cassava #Photosynthesis #FoodSecurity

GAIN4CROPS reposted

Andreas P.M. Weber 🌾🌱🧬

@apmweber.bsky.social

🌱 The #TaCoCass Team in the field: evaluating #cassava lines with diverse architecture and productivity. The trials highlight the genetic variation that underpins efforts to boost photosynthetic efficiency in cassava, paving the way toward more resilience and higher yield #Cassava #Photosynthesis

GAIN4CROPS reposted

@leibnizipk.bsky.social

A research team led by the @leibnizipk.bsky.social has revealed that modern barley has a “mosaic origin”, meaning it stems from several wild populations across the Fertile Crescent. The findings were published in @nature.com. ➡️Paper: tinyurl.com/ytzyn4re ➡️PR: tinyurl.com/5e2v7cp5

Over 100 European policymakers, scientists, & agricultural stakeholders were at our webinar yesterday! Together, we examined how New Genomic Techniques can drive sustainability in European agriculture! 🇪🇺 🌾 Organised by #EUSAGE, @reimagineeuropa.bsky.social, & our @horizoneu.bsky.social project!

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Professor @apmweber.bsky.social, our project coordinator from @hhu.de talked about how to improve water use efficiency in maize through genome editing. 🌽 He pointed out that the EU should allow gene editing to make organic farming more sustainable: www.eurekalert.org/news-release...

@forscherrobert.bsky.social from @leibnizipk.bsky.social explained how his research team used genome editing to replicate wild mutations found in East Asian barley, successfully transferring virus resistance to European breeding lines. 🌾🛡 #GiveGenesAChance

Over 100 European policymakers, scientists, & agricultural stakeholders were at our webinar yesterday! Together, we examined how New Genomic Techniques can drive sustainability in European agriculture! 🇪🇺 🌾 Organised by #EUSAGE, @reimagineeuropa.bsky.social, & our @horizoneu.bsky.social project!

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Kathleen Lehmann from the European Commission’ Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety provided an update on the long-awaited NGT proposal — currently in trilogue between @europarl.europa.eu, the European Council, and @ec.europa.eu. The Biotech Act, scheduled late 2026, was also discussed.

Garlich Essen, Secretary General at Euroseeds, presented a sobering analysis of Europe’s position in the global regulatory landscape of New Genomic Techniques: largely restricted under current #GMO legislation. Map by @seedfed.bsky.social

Over 100 European policymakers, scientists, & agricultural stakeholders were at our webinar yesterday! Together, we examined how New Genomic Techniques can drive sustainability in European agriculture! 🇪🇺 🌾 Organised by #EUSAGE, @reimagineeuropa.bsky.social, & our @horizoneu.bsky.social project!

Our four speakers were loud and clear about the critical need for swift regulatory action to prevent Europe from falling further behind global competitors. ✅

GAIN4CROPS reposted

Our @horizoneu.bsky.social project partner, Andrea Lodetti, has his poster at the European Plant Phenomics Symposium #EPPS2025! Check his research on “Sensing the Dynamic Response of Photosynthesis to Abiotic Stressors with Forced Oscillating Light” today from 17:30–19:00 or tomorrow 15:45–17:00!

GAIN4CROPS reposted

Our project partners from @SorbonneUniversity and @ecolenormalesuperieure @cnrs will introduce our #HorizonEU project @EuroBioImaging “Plant Imaging Expert Group“ meeting! 🌿🔬 Hear from Ludovic Jullien, Aliénor Lahlou, and Ian Coghill this Wednesday 24 September, at 13:00 CEST

Robert Hoffie @forscherrobert.bsky.social, head of Biotechnology & Genome Editing, at @leibnizipk.bsky.social joins our webinar on New Genomic Techniques to boost sustainability in Europe”! 🇪🇺🌾 Join us Sep 18 at 16:00 CEST! 📅 Free Registrations at forms.office.com/e/RXJwce0Y4G

Robert also co-chairs the @oekoprog.bsky.social Eco-progressive Network, a science-based environmental #NGO that is leading the #GiveGenesAChance campaign to advocate for the use of genome editing in plant breeding. 🌱🧬⚙️

GAIN4CROPS reposted

@somssich.bsky.social

The discovery of genes underlying interesting traits for #PlantBreeding is one of the most important & difficult tasks here @kwsgroup.bsky.social. We are looking for a Quantitative Geneticist to help us with this! #PlantScience #PlantBreeding #PlantGenetics #PlantScienceJobs #PlantSciJobs

jobs.kws.comScientist (m/f/d) in Quantitative Genetics for Trait DiscoveryScientist (m/f/d) in Quantitative Genetics for Trait Discovery

Garlich von Essen, Secretary General & CEO at Euroseeds, will join our free webinar “Innovating Agriculture: How New Genomic Techniques Can Boost Sustainability in Europe” on Thursday, 18 September! Free registrations at forms.office.com/e/RXJwce0Y4G

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We will be joined by #EUSAGE, @reimagineeuropa.bsky.social , head researchers from @leibnizipk.bsky.social , and a representative of the Directorate General Health and Food Safety of the European Commission @ec.europa.eu.

More info on the science and legislation of #NGTs is available at www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/ne...

efsa.europa.euNew genomic techniquesNew genomic techniques (NGTs) are breeding techniques that alter the genetic material of plants, animals or microorganisms.

Garlich von Essen, Secretary General & CEO at Euroseeds, will join our free webinar “Innovating Agriculture: How New Genomic Techniques Can Boost Sustainability in Europe” on Thursday, 18 September! Free registrations at forms.office.com/e/RXJwce0Y4G

This webinar is for everyone—from policymakers & innovators, to farmers & researchers—who wants to discuss how these genetic technologies could enhance crop resilience, and contribute to agriculture’s sustainability & #FoodSecurity.