Plant genomics, nitrogen use efficiency and gene editing for climate resilient crops (NMBU, Norway)

The SustainPlant Group at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Department of Plant Sciences, offers research expertise as a Norwegian partner in projects under the Applied Research and Innovation Programme.

What we offer:

Genomics and transcriptomics of crops, including bulk and single cell RNA-seq, spatial transcriptomics, pangenomics and GWAS in forage grasses (Lolium, Festuca, timothy), clover, barley and potato.

Nitrogen use efficiency biology: physiology, gene discovery and breeding strategies for lower fertilizer input in grassland and arable systems.

Gene editing (CRISPR) in potato and ryegrass, including target gene characterization and gRNA design tools.

Digital phenotyping: drone and 3D point cloud based plant phenotyping and AI based trait prediction.

Field trials and controlled environment experiments at NMBU, Ås, with access to Norwegian breeding material through our partnership with Graminor AS.

Bioinformatics and data analysis pipelines.

We have experience from Research Council of Norway projects (Soil2Milk, DLT-Farming, GE-Sustain, TWIN-NUE), Nordic public-private partnerships in plant breeding and international consortia such as the Lolium-Festuca pangenome project with ETH Zurich.

We are interested in collaborating with Polish research institutes, universities and companies on crop resilience to drought, disease and nutrient stress, sustainable fertilizer use, gene editing and data driven plant breeding.

Contact: Mallikarjuna Rao Kovi, Senior Research Scientist, mallikarjuna.rao.kovi@nmbu.no, https://www.sustainplantgroup.com/