A new bioRxiv preprint reports that a team from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences has synthesised fully penetrant apomictic hybrid rice — a potential game changer for breeding. doi.org/10.1101/2025... #Apomixis #HybridRice #PlantBreeding #Agriculture

Molecular and morphological data, powered by the #Boechera Microsatellite Website, revealed the hybrid origins of #apomictic triploid Boechera bodiensis - showcasing how genomic tools clarify species boundaries and support plant conservation. @annbot.bsky.social academic.oup.com/aob/advance-...

The updated BrassiBase v2025 is live - a global knowledge platform for Brassicaceae taxonomy, phylogenomics & trait data, now integrated with the Brassi_TEN expert network. link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Hybrid zones in Cardamine (Brassicaceae) reveal the formation of diverse triploid hybrids with evolutionary potential. Cardamine rivularis plays a key role as both a driver and a species at risk. @newphyt.bsky.social nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... @ceitec.eu @uebscimuni.bsky.social

Excellent work from @piotraz.bsky.social group demonstrating juxtaposition of heterozygous & homozygous regions in maize attracts meiotic recombination to het regions rdcu.be/eHmn9 @natplants.nature.com builds from work we did together in Cambridge on Arabidopsis way back in 2015. Great stuff Piotr!

Huge thanks to Malika Ainouche and @jonathanfwendel.bsky.social for inviting me to the fantastic #Polyploidy conference in Roscoff, Brittany - inspiring talks and wonderful people!

#Lobularia maritima (Brassicaceae) is often planted in strips next to vegetable fields in Brittany. It attracts pollinators and beneficial insects, helping to reduce pests and support healthy crops. 🐝🥬

Late summer vibes in the Tatra Mts, Slovakia.

Early morning FISHing of Arabidopsis rDNA.

Thrilled that our “Boechera or not?” paper has been recognized by @aspbofficial.bsky.social! Thanks for spotlighting our work! multibriefs.com/briefs/ASPB/...

So exciting to see Camelina sativa growing in Czech fields! Drought-tolerant, climate-smart, and a promising source of sustainable jet fuel. #Camelina #ClimateSmartAg #Biofuel #CzechAg

Propagating the #Kalanchoe collection @sphaeromeria.bsky.social

Not #Boechera! We used genomics, cytogenetics & phylogenetics to reveal that the mysterious Boechera calcarea is actually Parryodes calcarea - a rare Asian member of the Arabideae tribe (Brassicaceae): www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... @ceitec.eu @uebscimuni.bsky.social

Mendel’s pea has rolled its way into the Brno university campus for the Mendel Festival! @ceitec.eu

When you are obsessed with 5S rDNA…

Check out this recent article in #G3journal!

‼️Can we tune crossover hotspot activity by targeting chromatin modifiers? Absolutely!💥 Our screen shows dCas9-JMJ14 represses crossovers at targeted sites, while VP64 boosts them! 🧬 Check our new preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... #meiosis4ever #CRISPR #Arabidopsis

🍇 The oldest #grapevine in the world — Maribor, Slovenia. Over 400 years old, still growing and producing grapes!

The 6th B chromosome conference in Olomouc 🇨🇿 in 2026 #6BCC

#🔟 Herklotz, V., Zhang, M., Nascimento, T., et al. Bimodal centromeres in pentaploid dogroses shed light on their unique meiosis Nature (2025) www.nature.com/articles/s41...

🧵𝐀 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐚𝐛 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: 🧵 #1️⃣ Hofstatter, Thangavel, Lux et al. 2022 𝘊𝘦𝘭𝘭: 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁-𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗸𝗮𝗿𝘆𝗼𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 www.cell.com/cell/fulltex... @gokilavani.bsky.social #PlantSciences #Chromosome #Genomics #Meiosis4eva #Centromere 🌱🧬🔬

Poster is live #Evol25

We decoded the genome of #Boechera falcata, the only Eurasian species in a mostly North American plant group. It helps us understand how it evolved and how it reproduces. academic.oup.com/g3journal/ad... @ceitec.eu @uebscimuni.bsky.social

Peas in our garden — with a little Mendel inspiration 🌱🧬

The next talk in Session 7A was given by Petr Janás. He introduced us to how CRISPR-Cas engineering can rewind chromosome evolution in plants!🌿 Thank you for the inspiring talk!

The mutational dynamics of the Arabidopsis centromeres www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Absolutely stunning new preprint on centromere mutation from ‪@labschneeberger.bsky.social‬ @plantevolution.bsky.social ‪@jurriaanton.bsky.social‬ @lisasmith @plantylisasmith.bsky.social‬ & colleagues

@ibotcz.bsky.social smells like peonies. One of the most beautiful places to do research. Maybe only Kew Gardens comes close?

Visiting @ibotcz.bsky.social – grateful for years of collaboration with great colleagues and friends.

A three year postdoctoral position is available in my group, investigating plant centromere structure, function and evolution @camplantsci.bsky.social www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/51488/

Proud of my PhD student Petr Janas, who did great and successfully passed the state doctoral exam in Molecular Biology and Genetics. Well done, Petr! 👏🧬 @uebscimuni.bsky.social @ceitec.eu

Lady’s slipper orchid (Cypripedium calceolus) in bloom at Strabišov-Oulehla Nature Reserve, CZ.

Great Boechera project meeting with Duarte Figueiredo from @MPIMP_Potsdam at the @DFG_ICIPS conference in Berlin!

Excited to be attending the @icips.bsky.social conference and grateful for the opportunity to present my talk on the structure and origin of apomixis-associated loci in Boechera.

Paper "Triploid bridges enable gene flow in mixed-ploidy populations of Cardamine amara" published in Molecular Ecology! doi.org/10.1111/mec.... The study reveals how rare triploids help overcome ploidy barriers and mediate gene flow between diploid and tetraploid populations.

Adonis vernalis, a sign of spring, blooming in the Větrníky Nature Reserve (CZ) — a golden treasure in the early days of the season.

Winter hiking in the Beskydy Mts.

Fantastic review on the evolutionary new allopolyploids!

Californian beauty in full bloom! Triploid apomict #Boechera sierraensis showing off in the greenhouse.

Centromere evolution isn't a sudden switch! Our study shows centromere transitions are a step-by-step process driven by a combination of drift and selection. Discover how the kinetochore interface shapes this gradual change in our new preprint 🥳 doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.16.633479 🧵(1/8)

Closing out 2024 in the stunning Javorníky Mts. Soaking up the snow, the calm, and all the good vibes. Ready for new adventures and an amazing 2025. Let’s make it unforgettable!

In one year, I genetically engineered the boring Arabidopsis into a beautiful ornamental flower 🧬🌹 Here is how and why I gave this model organism a visual upgrade 🧵(1/7)

Heading to the Academic Senate of Masaryk University @muni_cz - our final meeting of the year! ✍️🎓 Grateful to be part of shaping the future of our university. #AcademicSenate

🔺🔺🔺RED TRIANGLE ALERT 🔺🔺🔺 Ever wonder how #TADs compare across the tree of life?Look no further & read our Review!!! Find out what genes & 3D chromatin can & can't do in Bacteria! Archeae! Yeast! Plants! Animals! SMCs & RNA-Pol are the only thing they have in common www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Grateful to have received a 3-year research grant from the Czech Science Foundation #GACR to study rDNA evolution! Huge thanks to my incredible co-applicant, Ales Kovarik - writing this proposal together was a true joy. Excited for the journey ahead!

What a day! Morning with rDNA friends at the Institute of Biophysics, Czech Academy of Sciences, and an afternoon with my Boechera team at CEITEC, Masaryk University. Great science all around!

Really enjoyed teaching this semester’s Practical Course in Plant Cytogenetics! 🌿🔬 Such a rewarding experience sharing knowledge and exploring science together. #PlantCytogenetics