In the 2023 funding period, Prof. Kamal (as a postdoc at PGSB, Helmholtz Munich) received an ERC Starting Grant (News). The project, RESIST, aims to investigate the drought stress resistance of oats, a healthy emerging cereal crop. Drought represents a significant threat to agricultural yields with extensive economic consequences. Since oats are particularly vulnerable to drought, advancements in breeding drought-resistant varieties are essential. This research is enabled by the recently fully annotated oat genome, which opens new possibilities for improving water use efficiency and increasing yields under extreme environmental conditions.

The TRR356  "Genetic Diversity Shaping Biotic Interactions of Plants - PlantMicrobe" focuses on improving plant health by researching and utilizing genetic diversity and biotic interactions between plants and microorganisms. This innovative research project uses genetic variations as a key to deciphering and influencing these interactions, supported by modern genome research methods and bioinformatic analysis of large datasets. Together with PGSB we conduct comparative genomics and analyse the genetics diversity of the molecular interface of plant-microbe interactions in the TRR356 project "Z03: Comparative genomics to study the diversity and conserved components inherent to the molecular interface of plant-microbe interactions." and provide Bioinformatics support for the TRR356. The long-term goal is to identify genetic factors that promote plant health and to develop biotechnological approaches to improve nutrient supply and disease control in agriculture.