Branching Out: Genetic and Epigenetic Control of Axillary Bud Fate in Berries

Berries are part of a healthy diet and offer added health benefits due to their high antioxidant content. This makes
them very popular among British consumers, and they represent a third of the total fruit bought in the UK. Their
increase in popularity requires a concerted increase in berry production, so Cardiff University and the soft fruit
breeders Edward Vinson have partnered to improve strawberry and raspberry yield and propagation, both of
which are highly influenced by plant architecture. Plant architecture is defined as the number, size, and spatial
organisation of organs in the plant body, including flowers, branches, and runners. All these structures originate
from axillary buds, which integrate different plant signals to determine whether they will develop into lateral
branches to produce leaves and fruits, or into runners. However, there is very little knowledge of the genes
involved in this decision and of their epigenetic regulation. Most of the current knowledge about plant
architecture originates from established model species that have simpler architecture and do not reproduce
clonally through runners.

This project will address the fundamental questions that underlie plant architecture in strawberry and raspberry
using a combination of genomics and epigenetic techniques. You will lead a comparative analysis of gene
expression in axillary buds of different species to understand how lateral development is controlled in berry
plants, acquiring big data handling and bioinformatic skills. You will also explore how DNA methylation drives
dynamic changes in gene expression and the impact of epigenetic regulation during clonal propagation of
commercially important rootstocks. The knowledge gained from these studies will help EV develop new breeding
strategies to obtain berry plants with improved architecture and will generate exciting data on gene regulation of
axillary bud fate. You will also contribute to establishing new gene transformation protocols, which could be
applied to other important horticultural crops, in order to help study gene function in under-researched species.
This project offers an opportunity to learn a range of transferable skills, including molecular biology, genomics,
and bioinformatics, both in model and non-model plant species. The partnership with Edward Vinson will also
provide you with valuable insights into commercial plant breeding and an opportunity to understand knowledge
transfer between academia and industry. This studentship will equip you to succeed in a wide range of career
opportunities.