Åsa Grimberg

Can you provide a quick outline of your research? What is your field of interest?

My research focus is on the genetic regulation of seed quality and plant architecture, and how we can use such knowledge in plant breeding to develop a more sustainable food production. I am currently working with the leguminous crops faba bean and pea, and I have previously been working with oat, wheat, and quinoa.

If we better understand which genes regulate the presence of both major storage and minor compounds in seeds, we can use this knowledge in plant breeding. Breeding can develop improved cultivars that farmers want to grow, which gives a seed quality that food producers want to use for creating healthy and tasty products that people want to eat.

What made you interested in this particular area?

I want to contribute to a more sustainable food system through my research. A prerequisite for a more sustainable food system is that we eat less meat and more plant-based food. Increased cultivation of legumes (beans, lentils, and peas) is important for this diet shift because they contain high protein content in seeds and are climate-smart crops due to their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen.

Could you share some recent findings and/or highlights from your work?

In one of our recent publications, we characterized 220 different accessions of faba bean in the field and could identify genetic markers for seed quality parameters and flowering time, the latter being important for the development of early varieties targeting cultivation at Northern latitudes. In another study, we used comparative transcriptome analysis of developing seeds and showed that a network of transcription factors called the LAFL network, known to regulate seed development in several other plant species, is active in faba bean. Currently, we are investigating how varietal differences in the seed quality of faba bean and pea affect the taste of tortilla bread, which is really exciting.

How did you learn about the SLU Breeding Network, and how did it impact your research? What opportunities does the SLU Breeding Network provide to researchers and students?

I participated in workshops organised by the network, which is a great opportunity to get to know other SLU colleagues in breeding and to discuss topics we all have in common, such as genomics. I think it is good that the network also organize courses for PhD students and researchers within the field of breeding.

How do you see the future of breeding research?

The world needs more people with knowledge about plants in general and the role of plant breeding in the value chain for our food. Genetic markers and gene editing will be increasingly used as routine methods for increased precision in breeding programs in the future. Breeding research will be needed in the future, both at a basic and applied level.

What advice would you give young researchers pursuing a career in breeding research?

Focus on quality, not quantity, when it comes to publications. Ask more than one person when you need advice. Keep going; the world needs you!