Field Afternoon - BOKU Plant Breeding

Monday June 22, 2026

Current projects of BOKU plant breeding research: Look at gene-edited plants and learn why we need these for breeding research. Experience what crop plant genetic genetic diversity looks like. See yourself why we need landraces and wild relatives for breeding, ... but also why farmes do not grow landraces themselves in their fields.

 

We invite you to spend an afternoon with us at the BOKU Campus Tulln.
We will showcase our current research projects in the field of plant breeding and breeding research, discuss current topics in our field with you, and treat you to light refreshments.

Monday, June 22, 2026
Start: 1:30 PM
Meeting point: Entrance area of IFA-Tulln, Konrad Lorenz Str. 20, 3430 Tulln.
End of the program approx. 5:00 PM
followed by an open-ended gathering with snacks and drinks.

Program - Overview

  • CRISPR/Cas9 – mutants induced by the “genetic scissor” in the greenhouse, basic research to identify causal genes.
  • Mirabilis jalapa and intermediate inheritance, following Gregor Mendel's footsteps.
  • Rain Out Shelter: a new facility for testing crop plants for drought stress resistance under field conditions.
  • Soybean: Testing and selection for drought stress resistance, including hyperspectral measurements.
  • Soybean as a food crop, a contribution to satisfying our protein needs in a climate-neutral way.
  • 10,000 years of grains in one field: all our grain varieties from ancient to brand-new, including some really “wild” relatives.
  • Fusarium head blight—one of the world’s most significant cereal diseases: we conduct resistance research.
  • Stinking wheat is back, especially in organic farming: we develop methods and lines for resistance breeding.
  • Cereal viruses are climate change winners: we use biodiversity to prepare the next generation of our varieties against them.
  • Fusarium resistance testing under near-natural conditions: corn stover inoculation.
  • Performance testing of new experimental lines with high resistance to smut and/or ear fusariosis.

Please register by June 15, 2026 at:
https://eu-s.zoom.us/m/bUlAdtjpH 

 

04.06.2026