Dana MacGregor

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We really did try everything, throwing the kitchen sink of VERG techniques at these rice plants... but nothing we tried worked. We're hoping that by sharing our negative data, others won't walk down the same deadends! Full data at doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Figure 3. Virus-mediated protein overexpression (VOX) using Foxtail mosaic virus (FoMV) vector. Phenotypes of wheat (A) and rice (D) leaves that have been inoculated with FoMV carrying a multi cloning site (MCS) or GFP gene under white light or using blue light with a GFP filter set. Photos of the fourth leaf, up next the rub-inoculate leaf with a sap containing grinded leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana agroinfiltrated with FoMV:GFP and the abrasive carborundum. Phenotype of whole wheat (B) and Setaria viridis (C) plants that have been inoculated with FoMV:GFP showing systemic infection.

We tried and we tried... but none of our virus-enabled reverse genetics tricks worked in rice! We're trying to let the scientific community know to keep others from wasting their time trying the same things. www.rothamsted.ac.uk/news/rices-r... with the full article at doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Join me for a pint 🍻 tomorrow night as I dig into the genetics of wicked weeds 🌱. No biology degree required just a fair dose of curiosity. A bit of heckling welcome....

📍 Harpenden Arms AL5 2TR
📅 8/7/25 at 7pm

#WeedScience #PlantGenetics #Blackgrass #ScienceTalk

UK moonshot factory ARIA hosts upbeat London summit ahead of government spending review Techno-optimists talked about how to change the world, ahead of a government spending review which they're hoping won't hamper ARIA's ambition

I've just spent the last two days at the first ever ARIA Summit. What a rush! It was so inspiring to be surrounded by people for whom "Having Ambition" was not a detriment and think that saving the world is a real and achievable milestone. More? See @amyrlewin.bsky.social sifted.eu/articles/ari...

Image of a female duck taken at https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/wrest-park/

Sometimes you just have to shout "Duck" and see what happens. Credit to my daughter for incredible photo and www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places... for the great location.

I am proud of my Rothamsted science! We are uncovering how weeds overcome human and abiotic agroecosystem stresses and which resilience traits can inform weed control and crop improvement. Hoping to demonstrate my own resilience and keep building toward even greater impact despite upcoming changes.

Picture of ivy-leaved toadflax taken at Sizergh Gardens, National Trust, near Kendal, Cumbria, LA8 8DZ

Grant deadlines & manuscript revisions have kept me busy - but this sneakily resilient ivy-leaved toadflax flourishing in the walls and crevices at Sizergh @nationaltrust.org.uk www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-d... caught my eye over Easter. Even the prettiest plants are weeds to someone else!

We're all looking forward to your outputs which will put a lot of the important P450s, into order.

It is blackgrass to its friends (and enemies...) but the Latin name is Alopecurus myosuroides. It can be found growing wild in the US and other places around the world, but is only an agricultural weed in winter cereals of Western Europe and China - fortunate for you as it is a problematic weed!

🌱PhD Opportunity: A Greener Way to Control Weeds – Using the Soil Microbiome to Combat Blackgrass 🌱 Blackgrass is Western Europe’s most problematic weed. With evolved resistance to conventional control methods, it threatens UK crop production. We need new solutions. Could soil microbes hold the key? At Rothamsted Research, in collaboration with Lancaster University, we are offering a fully funded PhD through the Envision DTP. It aims to explore how naturally occurring soil microbes can suppress herbicide-resistant blackgrass and builds toward developing this interaction into a promising new approach to sustainable weed control. Further details at https://www.envision-dtp.org/2025/a-greener-way-to-control-weeds-using-the-soil-microbiome-to-combat-blackgrass/ ✅Eligibility: Open to UK “home” applicants only. Candidates should have a good honours degree in a relevant subject or equivalent qualifications and experience. Applicants who have previously completed an Envision Research Experience Placement (REP) will be guaranteed an interview. Interested? Apply! https://www.envision-dtp.org/projects/apply/ DEADLINE: 17:00 on Wed 12th March For informal enquiries, contact Dana MacGregor (Dana.MacGregor@Rothamsted.ac.uk).

#PhD Opportunity: A Greener Way to Control Weeds
We need new solutions to combat #Blackgrass; Could naturally occurring soil microbes hold the key?

Full details www.envision-dtp.org/2025/a-green...

Open to UK “home” applicants only.
DEADLINE: 17:00 Wed 12 March
dana.macgregor@rothamsted.ac.uk

Government committed to unlocking precision breeding technology The UK Government has committed to a timeline for introducing legislation that will empower researchers, companies, farmers, and consumers to benefit from precision breeding techniques.

💬 "The DEFRA Secretary’s commitment to implementing the new Precision Breeding Act is great news.

“The regulation that will be established by this legislation will create new markets for healthier, more environmentally beneficial plant products." - Prof Neil Hall, Director of the Earlham Institute.

Very excited to see both these papers out! Press release at www.rothamsted.ac.uk/news/new-seq... We've worked hard to understand Alopecurus weeds and having genomes for both A. myosuroides and A. aequalis will be incredibly enabling. Thanks so much to the many collaborators who have been involved!

Thanks also to @biggenomes.bsky.social!

Data below shows the Orange foxtail genome structure is more similar to barley than blackgrass!

We expect this new T2T quality genome will be a valuable tool for researchers. Although fully open acces, I would love to hear from anyone using it.

Chromosome-scale genome assembly and de novo annotation of Alopecurus aequalis Scientific Data - Chromosome-scale genome assembly and de novo annotation of Alopecurus aequalis

New #OpenAccess tool for #WeedGenomics, #HerbicideResistance, and #ComparativeGenomics. Chromosome-scale genome assembly for Alopecurus aequalis - rdcu.be/d335n
@rothamsted.bsky.social @earlhaminst.bsky.social @jonwright99.bsky.social @gemygk.bsky.social @ergabiodiv.bsky.social and all 24 authors!

Thank you so much for your interest! Perhaps we should talk more? Get in touch www.rothamsted.ac.uk/people/dana-...

Last days to apply for www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin... #PhD The enemy of my enemy. Answers to "why does Zymoseptoria infect wheat but not wheat's worst weed blackgrass?" BBSRC #SWBioDTP studentship for 2025. Closing midnight 11th December 2024. @rothamsted.bsky.social @quietscientist.bsky.social

Last chance to apply for our www.rothamsted.ac.uk/studentship/... PhD project, where your data will help develop rapid and effective strategies to control unmanageable seed-dispersed weed populations

Apply samis.bath.ac.uk/urd/sits.urd... before midnight 11th December 2024

@rothamsted.bsky.social

📢 SWBio DTP PhD Opportunity: What Makes Weeds Flower?
Disrupting Seed Production in Herbicide-Resistant Weeds to Improve Sustainable Agriculture @rothamsted.bsky.social
📄 www.swbio.ac.uk/agriculture-...
Apply samis.bath.ac.uk/urd/sits.urd...
🗓️ Closing Wed 11 Dec
#PhD #WeedScience #Bioinformatics

📢 SWBio DTP PhD Opportunity - The enemy of my enemy… why does Zymoseptoria infect wheat but not wheat’s worst weed blackgrass?
📄 Full details: www.swbio.ac.uk/agriculture-...
Apply www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...
🗓️ Closing Date: Midnight, Wed 11 Dec #PhD #PlantPathology #WeedScience #AgriResearch