b'I am intrigued by the potential of seeds to survive storage and to time germination to appropriate moments that allow successful establishment of the seedling.Leonie Bentsink that regulate seed dormancy, we used genetic variation that isSW: How does breeding, producing and selling seeds in present in nature. The idea behind this is to identify loci/genesa sustainable way help with the seed economy? that are important for the regulation of this trait and moreLB: Currently there is not much breeding for seed related traits. I importantly, that it has been selected for in nature. The varia- think this has to do with the lack of knowledge on how germina-tion we find in nature is the result of adaptation to the plants ortion is regulated (so there is work to do). Seed quality problems seeds local environment. One of the genes that was identified inare largely overcome by seed treatments, like sorting and prim-this way is Delay of Germination 1 (DOG1). It is the key regulatoring. These are generally costly processes. It would be great if this of seed dormancy and many groups work on this gene. It turnedcould be overcome by seeds that have obtained the required out to be conserved and involved in regulating seed germina- characteristics by breeding or genetic modification.SWtion in many species.SW: Can you tell us about a research project currently underway?LB: Im very excited by an ongoing study in which we investigate the regulation of seed germination. We revealed that germina-tion is largely regulated at the translational level, meaning that its not the presence of messenger RNAs (mRNA) that deter- WHAT IS WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY & RESEARCH?mine whether a protein is formed, but an additional layer of regulation that determines whether an mRNA is translated intoSince Wageningen opened its doors a century ago, the university and research a protein. What I find even more interesting is that seed ger-mination is started based on the mRNAs that are stored in drypowerhouse has risen to become one of the worlds best in the fields of life seeds. These mRNAs that are known as very instable moleculessciences, agricultural and environmental science.can survive for many years in seeds. There are even examples ofWhile operations are centered at Wageningen, Gelderland, Netherlands (roughly seeds that can still germinate after 2,000 years of storage. The50 miles southwest of Amsterdam), the public university employees 6,500 study of how translation is regulated is still ongoing. On top of that, we can start investigating how mRNAs are being stored/ people and has over 12,000 students working around the world. protected in seeds thanks to funding that is now in place.Governed by an edict called the Wageningen Approach, the strength of the facility lies in its ability to bring together the forces of specialized research SW: What is the labs ultimate goal?institutes with the university. It also lies in the combined efforts of the various LB: There is not just one goal. Scientifically, we aim at under-standing how seed germination is regulated in the broadestfields of natural and social sciences. This union of expertise leads to scientific sense. Whether or not a seed can germinate depends on itsbreakthroughs that can quickly be put into practice and be incorporated into physiological state. Dormant or aged seeds will not germinate,education.or at least not at full capacity. We aim at understanding both dormancy and longevity. How are these processes regulated,The university offers 19 Bachelors of Science programs along with 36 Masters of can we use this knowledge in applications? Both traits areScience programs (with two additional online options). Theres also a four-year strongly influenced by the environment in which the seeds areDoctor of Philosophy (PhD) program. developed. This also means that the quality of seeds is changingWageningen is home to an impressive list of research institutes including as a result of climate change. The better we understand these processes, the higher the chance that we can ensure optimalWageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen Economic Research, germination in a changed climate. On top of dormancy and ger- Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Wageningen Centre for Development mination, there is also the regulation of the germination processInnovation, Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, Wageningen Livestock itself. During its germination, the seed senses its environment,Research, Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen Plant Research and and depending on this environment, it can decide to germinateWageningen Food Safety Research.or not (there are at least two check points that allow this).46/ SEEDWORLD.COMFEBRUARY 2020'