Boyce Thompson Institute

For hundreds of millions of years, plants and fungi have been trading nutrients underground. Plants provide lipids; fungi supply phosphorus in return. It's one of the most ancient partnerships in biology – and it helps plants thrive even in nutrient-poor soils.

But one basic question has never been answered: how do beneficial fungi grow into and through plant cells without destroying them in the process?

That's the question at the center of Dr. Natalie Hoffmann's research, and it's what earned her the inaugural Jane Silverthorne Postdoctoral Fellowship at BTI.

Working in the lab of Dr. Maria Harrison, Hoffmann will use cutting-edge imaging tools and CRISPR gene editing to understand how plants allow beneficial fungi to enter their cell walls. The answers could point toward new ways to support crop growth and food security.

The Jane Silverthorne Postdoctoral Fellowship was established through a generous gift from the estate of Dr. Jane Silverthorne, a celebrated plant biologist and BTI Board member whose belief in curiosity-driven science and cross-disciplinary collaboration lives on through this award.

“I’m incredibly honored to receive this fellowship,” Hoffmann said. “It will enable me to learn advanced microscopy techniques, build collaborations across three countries, and continue working at an institute that’s internationally recognized as a leader in plant research. BTI is the perfect environment for tackling a question this ambitious.”

Read the full story: https://btiscience.org/bti-names-dr-natalie-hoffmann-inaugural-jane-silverthorne-postdoctoral-fellow/

BTI names Dr. Natalie Hoffmann inaugural Jane Silverthorne Postdoctoral Fellow - Boyce Thompson Institute Fungi and plants have been trading nutrients underground for hundreds of millions of years. But one basic question has never been answered: how do beneficial

Ever wonder what makes watermelon so sweet and vibrantly red? It's genetics – shaped over millions of years and refined through centuries of human breeding. But this same process also stripped away traits that make watermelons more resilient against disease and environmental stress.

BTI scientist Dr. Zhangjun Fei and an international team just published a new resource to help change that: the watermelon super-pangenome, integrating 138 genomes from all seven wild and cultivated watermelon species. Published in Nature Genetics, the work identifies specific genetic variants linked to fruit sweetness, flesh color, and pathogen resistance – some of which couldn't have been detected with any previous method.

The team also built predictive breeding models from their findings. The application is faster, more targeted development of watermelons that are tough enough to handle disease pressure and good enough to keep earning a spot at the table.

Read the full story here: https://btiscience.org/super-powered-population-genomics-watermelon-super-pangenome-paves-the-way-for-precision-breeding/

Super-powered population genomics: Watermelon super-pangenome paves the way for precision breeding - Boyce Thompson Institute Watermelon is a quintessential summertime fruit, evoking images of warm, sunny afternoons and cookouts with friends and family. You can easily picture its