Who We Are, What We Do and... Why

Plants are life. They make up 80% of the food we eat and produce 98% of the oxygen we breath [1]. In addition to addressing food waste and distribution, FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations) estimates that agriculture production must rise by about 60% by 2050 to feed a larger and richer population. Also, climate changes threaten to reduce the quantity of produced crops, lowering yields and their nutritional values. For more information and infographics on climate changes, consult the website “Fakta o změně klimatu”.

Crop production depends on sexual plant reproduction, ranging from flower formation, pollination and fertilization to seed production. Plant growth and development are regulated by signaling substances such as plant hormones. In plants, interactions between hormonal pathways and environmental cues, such as temperatures, represent crucial factors that modulate plant morphology, including seed production. However the molecular basis for hormonal-environment crosstalk is largely unknown, especially in seeds.

Our research aims at understanding the effects of endogenous and environmental regulators on plant morphogenesis and seed formation. We perform this work on two plant models: Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica napus. Our objectives are to identify the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the regulation of hormonal pathways during seed production.

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