Seminar

Title: Incorporating complex physiological traits into wheat breeding pipelines

Speaker: Gemma Molero

Affiliation: CIMMYT - International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center

Abstract: Available soon

Short Bio:

Gemma Molero is a wheat Scientist working at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre since 2011 after completing her PhD in Plant Ecophysiology at the University of Barcelona. Her main research activities consist of studying adaptive traits that enhance yield under different environments, with special emphasis on photosynthesis and phenotyping of genetic resources.

She is coordinating the photosynthesis research experiments at the IWYP-HUB (International Wheat Yield Partnership) and she is the leader of MasAgro-Trigo, a Mexican initiative aiming to increase yield potential and climate resilience of wheat. She has developed panels of germplasm to capture diversity in expression of radiation use efficiency (RUE) enabling the identification of genetic basis of RUE and related traits. Her research in photosynthesis and assimilate partitioning is used routinely to design strategic crosses in physiological pre-breeding at CIMMYT. She has published papers on plant physiology, plant response to abiotic stress and the development of specific tools in high-ranking international journals. Molero is also in charge of coordinating activities from visitors and doctorate students to CIMMYT’s experimental station in Ciudad Obregon, Mexico, and is involved in project management and funding activities.