1. Dept. of Crop and Soil Sciences
Katrien M. Devos
Dept. of Crop and Soil Sciences
Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics
Dept. of Plant Biology
0.5 EFT Research
0.25 EFT Teaching
Adjunct status
Dept. of Genetics
Institute of Bioinformatics

2. The Devos lab: 2009 - 2014 Post-docs: Xiangyang Xu (2006-2010)
Xuewen Wang (2008 – 2012)
Xiaomei Wu (2009 – 2011)
Bochra Bahri (2009 – 2010)
Stephan Schröder (2011 – 2013)
Guillaume Daverdin (2011 – 2014)
Currently 3 post-doc positions open
Visiting Scientists:
Bochra Bahri (2010 – current: several months each year) - Tunisia
Ignatius Angarawai (2010: 3 months) – Nigeria
Dipnarayan Saha (2013– 2014: 8 months) – India
Visiting Graduate Students:
Anabelle Grimm (2012: 6 months) - Germany
Dagnachew Lule (2013: 8 months) – Ethiopia
Davis Gimode (2014: 2.5 months) - Kenya

3. The Devos lab: 2009 - 2014 Graduate Students: MSc
Sandra Odonkor (MSc: 2012 – current) - IPBGG
PhD
Rajiv Parvathaneni (PhD: current) - IPBGG
Doug Eudy (PhD: 2009 – current) – IPBGG
Alex Johnson (PhD: 2013 – current) – Plant biology
Christian Schwoyer (PhD: 2013 – current) – Genetics
Debkanta Chakraborty (PhD: 2013 – current) – IOB
Technicians:
Trudi Thomas
Funding:
Total funding to KMD Lab: 2.5 M
Funding sources: NSF, USDA, DOE, BESC
BioInnovate, ICRISAT

4. Research Overview: 2009 - 2014 Pearl millet finger millet
Seashore Paspalum
Foxtail millet
Wheat
Switchgrass

5. Switchgrass for Bioenergy
Objectives:
Resource development
Trait mapping
Biomass yield
Biomass quality
Cold tolerance
Colonization by AMF
- Identification of the A and B genomes
Upland
Lowland
Funding:
USDA (2007 – 2011)
BESC/DOE (2007 – 2017)
DOE (2014 – 2017)
Publications:
Linkage Maps of Lowland and Upland Tetraploid Switchgrass Ecotypes (BioEnergy Research 2013)*
Comparative relationships and chromosome evolution in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and its genomic model, foxtail millet (Setaria italica) (BioEnergy Research 2014)*
Quantitative trait loci (QTL) underlying biomass yield and plant height in switchgrass (BioEnergy Research – Under revision)

6. Setaria: A Model for Switchgrass
Objectives:
Sequencing of the Setaria genome
Comparative analysis with switchgrass
Trait mapping
Biomass yield
Biomass quality
Domestication traits
Funding:
USDA (2008 – 2013)
JGI Community Sequencing Program
Publications:
Foxtail millet (Setaria italica): a sequence-driven grass model system (Plant Physiology 2009)
Sequencing and analysis of a reference genome for the model plant Setaria (Nature Biotechnology 2012)*
Genetic control and comparative genomic analysis of flowering time in Setaria (Poaceae) (G3 2013)

7. Setaria viridis: A Ubiquitous Weed
Objectives:
Population structure analysis of US and global S. viridis collection
Effects of herbicide resistance on linkage disequilibrium
Funding:
NSF (2010 – 2015)
Publications:
Population genetics of Setaria viridis, a new model system (Molecular Ecology – Submitted)*

8. Aegilops tauschii – A Model for Wheat
Objectives:
Sequencing of the Ae. tauschii genome
Understanding the structure and evolution of large genomes
Genome size is correlated with gene space – Implications?
What drives the formation of gene islands?
Ae. tauschii
(DD)
Wheat
(AABBDD)
Funding:
NSF (2007 – 2010; )
Publications:
Gene space dynamics during the evolution of Aegilops tauschii, Brachypodium distachyon, Oryza sativa, and Sorghum bicolor genomes (Molecular Biology and Evolution 2011)*
The insular organization of gene space in grass genomes and its evolution (PLoS One 2013)*

9. Pearl millet – Characterization of d2
Objectives:
Isolation of the d2 dwarfing gene
Characterization of ABCB1
Studying prevalence and mechanisms behind recurrent intron loss
Funding:
USDA (2008 – 2012)
NSF-DDIG (2013 – 2014)
Publications:
Fine-mapping and identification of a candidate gene underlying the d2 dwarfing phenotype in pearl millet, Cenchrus americanus (L.) Morrone (G3 2013)*
Recurrent loss of specific introns during angiosperm evolution (2014) PLoS Genetics (under revision)

10. Seashore paspalum – Mapping salt tolerance
Objectives:
Germplasm characterization
Mapping of salt tolerance
Effects of salt on gene expression
Funding:
NSF-GRFP to Doug Eudy ( )

11. Finger Millet – Germplasm characterization
Objectives:
Assist finger millet breeders/scientists in East Africa with research and training
Genotype mainly East African finger millet collection
Sequencing of the finger millet genome
Funding:
BioInnovate ( )

12. Program Impact (2009 – 2014) Publications: 14 Number of citations: 167
Overall H-index: 39
Provided genetic and genomic tools for breeders and the scientific community (e.g. markers, genetic maps, genome sequences)
Contributed to the overall knowledge on the structure, function and evolution of genes and genomes
Trained graduate students and international scientist

13. Future Goals
Move from trait loci to genes underlying those traits and their functional characterization
Exploit sequence/resequencing data to study natural variation and their phenotypic effects
Move beyond the genome to the mRNA and small RNA transcriptomes and their effect on phenotypes
Continue to enhance our understanding on genome structure, function and evolution

14. Teaching Service 2 credit hours per semester
Essential skills for graduate students (PBIO 8020) - Fall
Grant writing (PBIO 8840) – Spring/uneven years
Genetic mapping (PBGG 8871) – Spring/even years
Graduate seminar (PBIO 8820) – Spring/even years
Training of graduate students
Service
Editorial Board of 3 journals
Chair-elect, Chair, Past-chair of C-7 division of CSSA ( )
Program reviews (2)

15. Sandra
Stephan
Rajiv
Victoria
Trudi
Bochra
Doug
Guillaume
Dagne