Hey et al. publish a reference transcriptome for maize root hairs in Journal of Experimental Botany.

Alina Osthoff joins the GRK 2064 group as PhD-student and Postdoc Felix P. Frey supports the BMBF-project MAZE.

Sequencing and de novo assembly of the European Flint maize inbred lines EP1 and F7 adds the first two Flint reference genome sequences to the maize pan genome and increases the total number of maize reference genomes to six.

Dr. Nina Opitz wird für Ihre Dissertation "Transcriptomic plasticity in the maize (Zea mays L.) primary root and its tissues upon water deficit" der DMK-Förderpreis für Nachwuchswissenschaftler 2016 verliehen.

Li et al. describe the cloning and characterization of the rth6 mutant, which is defective in root hair development. The rth6 gene was mapped using a combination of BSRseq and Seq-walking. The gene is root hair specific and encodes a Cellulose synthase like D gene, which is involved in the synthesis of the secondary cell wall at the root hair shaft.

Huanhuan Tai met former PhD student Yanxiang Zhang during a visit in Beijing.

Nina Opitz has received her PhD certificate from the dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Prof. Dr. P. Stehle.