“Fickle Partnerships: Understanding the Relationships between Maize, the Environment, and the Microbiome” a Plant Breeding Seminar by Prof. Jason Wallace
February 12 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Jason Wallace, Associate Professor in the Department of Crop & Soil Sciences at the University of Georgia
When: Wednesday, February 12th, 2025
Where: Agronomy 3140, 3:00 – 4:00 pm
Description: Crop microbiomes have attracted significant interest for their potential to enhance crop performance and address challenges like sustainability and climate change. However, progress has been inconsistent, with few major breakthroughs and many unreliable commercial products. In this talk, I will discuss research from my lab and others aimed at quantifying these effects to better understand crop-microbiome interactions and determine how to effectively harness them for agriculture. I will explore the significant impact of the environment on these interactions, the high rate of gene-by-environment interactions, and the often disappointingly low impact of plant genetics. These findings suggest the most promising avenues for leveraging these symbiotic relationships to improve crop production in the 21st century.
Bio: Dr. Jason Wallace is an Associate Professor in the Department of Crop & Soil Sciences at the University of Georgia. His work brings together analyses of complex crop traits, especially their associations with microbes, and plant genetics to understand how to leverage these relationships to improve agriculture. His lab especially focuses on how the plant host affects its own microbiome, and how this relationship changes across different environments. Beyond research, he also promotes data science skills by leading workshops through the nonprofit Software Carpentry, and he co-hosts a monthly podcast, Gaming with Science, that uses board games to talk about science for the general public.