Izabela Matyszczak: To flower or not to flower? How does barley know?
PhD defence, Friday 10 October 2014. Izabela Matyszczak.
As the world population is expanding, demand for food will increase tremendously in the near future, requiring raise in food production. It is a major challenge to ensure sustainable food production when land suitable for agriculture is decreasing and when global climate changes are expected to have a negative effect on crop yield. The plant breeding has to concentrate on traits with the highest potential to exploit yield under variable climate conditions. The flowering time is a critical adaptive trait and a key determinant of yield therefore it plays an important role for global food security and represents a major target for crop breeding.
During her studies, Izabela Matyszczak researched the historic early maturity barley mutants that require less time to flower and thus represents important breeding value for tuning adaptation to different geographic regions and climatic conditions. Izabela Matyszczak focused on detailed phenotypic and genetic characterization of so-called mat-a, mat-b and mat-c mutants in order to understand fundamental principles of crop-plant flowering control. Her studies greatly contribute to the available tools for optimizing flowering time in temperate cereals like barley. Comprehensive understanding of flowering time control will empower plant breeders to better target cultivars to specific environments, thus decreasing the risk of crop failure and maximizing crop yield.
The PhD degree was completed at the Carlsberg Laboratory, Copenhagen, and the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Flakkebjerg Research Center, Aarhus University.
Time: Friday 10 October 2014 at 14.00
Place: Festsalen, Carlsberg Research Center, Gamle Carlsberg Vej 10, 2500 København
Title of dissertation: Characterizaion of early maturity barely mutants praematurum-a, -b and -c.
Contact information: Izabela Matyszczak, e-mail: izabela.matyszczak@bayer.com
Members of the assessment committee:
Professor Klaus Pillen, Institute of Agricultural and Food Science/Plant Breeding,Martin?Luther?Universtität Halle?Wittenberg, Germany
Professor Gunter Backes, Ökologische Agrarwissenschaften, Universität Kassel, Germany
Associate Professor Søren Borg (chair), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Aarhus University
Main supervisor:
Senior Researcher Per Gregersen, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University
Co-supervisor:
Professor Mats Hansson, Copenhagen Plant Science Center, Copenhagen University
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English.
The defense is public.
The dissertation is available for reading at the Graduate School of Science and Technology/GSST, NyMunkegade 120, building 1521, room 112, 8000 Aarhus C.