How single cells empower plant breeding

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About the research

Imagine potatoes that are resistant to potato blight. Belgian witloof that tastes less bitter. Or chrysanthemums with new, innovative flower colors. Science fiction? No. While all of this is difficult to achieve efficiently with traditional plant crossing, so-called 'protoplasts' can be the solution. ILVO researcher Tom Eeckhaut explains how these isolated plant cells can help us achieve these things.

Agriculture
Tom Eeckhaut
ILVO

A love of plants, a fascination with science, a healthy dose of curiosity, and a good dose of stubbornness laid the foundation for Tom’s career in in vitro plant breeding. His analytical mind comes into its own when designing culture media, with a focus on regeneration methods for various breeding purposes. Today, he focuses on CRISPR, ploidy breeding, and somatic fusions.

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