P3 Trainee, Jacob Zobrist, recently published part of his research in a Frontiers journal article, "Transformation of Teosinte (Zea mays ssp. parviglumis) via Biolistic Bombardment of Seedling-Derived Callus Tissues".

Jacob's advisor, Kan Wang, explained, "Maize is the major crop for Iowa and the world. Teosinte is the ancestor for maize. There is a strong desire of understanding the maize ancestry and process of breeding, this is to learn how to effectively make more resilient crops. Maize transformation is difficult, but it is now routine for some genotypes thanks to the huge investment made over the past 30 years by industry labs (and our lab here with NSF support). Teosinte transformation is even more difficult, because there was no prior knowledge and record in the literature."

Dr. Wang's team started this research on teosinte transformation in 2010, but had to pause the research. Her team resurrected this project in 2018 when Jacob joined the lab and she credits his skill and perseverance, as well as the P3 program's support, for the project's success.  She notes this is an important development for the community as, “the protocol established in this work provides a major enabling technology for research toward the understanding of this important plant in crop domestication.”

Congrats on your research success and publication, Jacob!