Research project Identifying the bottlenecks of the hairy roots technology

Main research question

Despite its economic and environmental benefits, the flow from Ri technology to commercial plant breeding is still limited due to a number of bottlenecks identified in each of the three major steps of the technology: 1) Induction of hairy roots is strongly genotype-dependent and morphological identification is often not possible; 2) Regeneration efficiency of shoots from hairy roots is uncertain and too low; and 3) Optimal selection criteria for Ri lines suitable for further improvement, easily applicable at company level, are lacking. The aim of this co-cultivation platform is to address these bottlenecks.

Research approach

These 3 aspects will be addressed by using (1) reporter genes, (2) examining the role of the TR-DNA in regeneration, (3) looking for the correlation between Ri genotype and phenotype and then developing a suitable breeding strategy.

Relevance/Valorization

Solving these bottlenecks will facilitate the flow of scientific knowledge to the business and boost the implementation of the technology.