Katrien M. Devos

My lab conducts basic and applied research in the area of grass genetics and comparative genome analysis. The target crops are wheat, millet and switchgrass. We study the structural organization of grass genomes and genome relationships in closely and more distantly related species to get insight into the evolutionary mechanisms that lead to changes in genome organization. We also study the genetic basis of important agronomic traits. Collaborative research with developing countries constitutes an important part of my research program. We work together with breeders in India and Africa to improve locally adapted millet varieties for selected traits using marker-assisted breeding