It’s the first Spring Friday of 2024 and 75 enthusiastic plant biotechnology researchers converge at the Wits professional development hub (pdh) for a full day of discussions about microbes that affect plants: the good and the bad.
A diverse audience hears about the potential of microbial communities surviving in harsh environments, of fungi that live inside plants with possible human health benefits, of devastating viruses and bacteria; and how plants can prepare themselves for future pathogen attack and respond quicker (analogous to human vaccination).
Constructive discussions follow the presentations with suggestions for improved experimental design, follow-up work, and importantly- how potential solutions can be scaled to field settings.
Seven universities, two science councils, an IP law firm, science vendors and the SA biodiversity institute ensure a highly multidisciplinary audience.
The event sponsor, inqaba biotec, donated a sequencing prize for the best motivation to utilize their newly installed PacBio Revio and Onso sequencers at their Pretoria headquarters. This includes machine time and consumables. These sequencers have the capacity to unravel the highly complex and large genomes of plants as well as their associated microbes.
Some key takeaways from the event:
- Young plant biotechnology researchers are doing great research with cutting-edge tools;
- There are numerous beneficial microorganisms under study and their potential for commercialization should be investigated;
- The level of interaction and collaborative spirit among the younger researchers are very encouraging.
The ACGT thanks Proffs Chrissie Rey and Timothy Sibanda for co-organizing the event.
We look forward to the next instalment, focusing on Genome Editing, in early 2025.
Story by Dr. John Becker