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Sam Wuest

@samwuest.bsky.social
922 followers 589 following 77 posts

breeding research, passionate about science, plants, crop ecology and modern breeding technologies; views are my own

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Reposted by Sam Wuest
Robert Finger @robertfinger.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
How a handful of big agriculture companies have taken over food production  I (and Max Koppenberg, @jennifer-clapp.bsky.social and others) was interviewed by swissinfo.ch for this article www.swissinfo.ch/eng/agribusi...
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Germain Montazeaud @germtz.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Very happy to share that the @erc.europa.eu has selected PHYTOPOGON for funding! 😁🌱 In this project, we will test whether plants have greenbeard genes — an evolutionary mechanism that could allow them to recognize the genetic identity of their neighbours.
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The Plant Cell @theplantcell.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The (un)likelihood of clock-driven lateral root priming; a modeling exploration (Kirsten H Ten Tusscher) doi.org/10.1093/plce... #PlantScience @aspbofficial
doi.org
The (un)likelihood of clock-driven lateral root priming; a modeling exploration
Abstract. Lateral root formation starts with priming, predisposing subsets of pericycle cells with the potential of future lateral root formation through s
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Anne Roulin @anneroulin.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
A good way to end the week: some rain and a new preprint! 🌧️🧬 Big 👏 to @lpiat.bsky.social for tackling a tricky genome assembly problem! We assembled the genome of a Swiss Lolium multiflorum ecotype, a forage grass with a large (~2.2 Gb), highly heterozygous genome. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
A chromosome-scale genome assembly of the Swiss Lolium multiflorum ecotype Tremona reveals a scalable method to purge spurious duplications
Italian ryegrass ( Lolium multiflorum ) is a key temperate forage species underpinning livestock production in Europe. Genomic resources remain limited by its large (2.2 Gb), repetitive, and highly he...
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Ralf Reski @reskilab.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
A smart move! Professor or Associate Professor within the natural sciences, with a focus on Innovation (4 positions). Aarhus, Denmark. www.academics.de/jobs/profess...
academics.de
Professor or Associate Professor within the natural sciences, with a focus on Innovation (f/m/d) - Aarhus Universitet
Aarhus Universitet bietet Stelle als Professor or Associate Professor within the natural sciences, with a focus on Innovation (f/m/d) in Aarhus (Dänemark) - jetzt bewerben!
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Reposted by Sam Wuest
Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 21/07/2026
1. We—@eduede.bsky.social, @mjcrockett.bsky.social, Kevin Gross, and I—have a new preprint on the arXiv today, based on ideas that emerged during an @sfiscience.bsky.social workshop in November 2024: The unintended consequences of large language models as a labor-augmenting technology in science.
arxiv.org
The unintended consequences of large language models as a labor-augmenting technology in science
As a labor-augmenting technology, large language models (LLMs) have the potential to accelerate scientific activity across the research pipeline. But even if LLMs perform on par with human experts at ...
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Journal of Experimental Botany @jxbotany.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
🌾🌱 RESEARCH 🌱🌾 In a durum wheat mixture, increased susceptibility to Septoria tritici blotch is linked to delayed defense response induction, probably triggered by early root competition resulting from contrasting root architectures - Mathieu et al. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/... #PlantScience 🧪
Fig. 7.Scheme of the proposed signaling cascade in a durum wheat varietal mixture. In the Cultur–Atoudur mixture, a below-ground signal—presumably associated with root architecture rather than root-derived metabolites—triggers a competitive response characterized by the down-regulation of primary metabolism and an increase in phenylpropanoid accumulation in Cultur. Additionally, the delayed activation of defense following Septoria tritici blotch (STB) inoculation probably explain the observed higher susceptibility to STB in this varietal mixture. Created in BioRender. Mathieu, L. (2026) under agreement #HJ2926JXGQ.
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Vaccines are humanity's greatest scientific achievement.
bbc.co.uk
Cervical cancer deaths fall to zero in young women given HPV vaccine
A new study finds that hundreds of lives have been saved since school-age girls were offered the HPV jab in 2008.
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Robert Hoffie @forscherrobert.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Das EU-Parlament hat gerade die Verordnung zur Regulierung von Neuen Genomischen Techniken bei Pflanzen beschlossen. In zwei Jahren treten die neuen Regeln in Kraft. Heute Vormittag habe ich mich @uedio.bsky.social darüber gesprochen, was das für Forschung, Züchtung und Verbraucher*innen bedeutet.
deutschlandfunk.de
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Robert Hoffie @forscherrobert.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
The European Parliament decided to #GiveGenesAChance! 💚🇪🇺 www.europarl.europa.eu/news/de/pres...
europarl.europa.eu
Neue genomische Techniken für Innovationen in nachhaltiger Landwirtschaft | Aktuelles | Europäisches Parlament
Das Parlament nahm heute neue Vorschriften an, die den Zugang zu neuen, klima- und schädlingsresistenten Pflanzen erleichtern.
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Sam Wuest @samwuest.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Our study on the evolution of shade avoidance, a "selfish trait" in plants, over 80 years of soybean breeding history. Led by @lukecoevo.bsky.social and Emanuel Kopp, and published here: doi.org/10.1111/eva..... Great stuff!
doi.org
Shade Avoidance Restricts Soybean Breeding Progress and Increases Herbivore Susceptibility
High planting densities expose field crops to competition for light, which typically induces shade avoidance responses such as stem elongation. While adaptive in natural environments, these responses...
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Reposted by Sam Wuest
Robert Finger @robertfinger.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
‚Do killer acquisitions by large pesticide producers hold back innovative pest control technologies?‘ ICYMI: New paper in Q Open led by Maximlian Koppenberg and with Ayoub Barissoul, Stefan Hirsch and @tobidal.bsky.social Open Access: academic.oup.com/qopen/articl...
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Germain Montazeaud @germtz.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Next fall, Paris-Saclay will host what promises to be a major scientific event for agroecology: the Mix4Agroecology conference.
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Sam Wuest @samwuest.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
What a relief, the buggers we were waiting for have arrived! #varietymixtures #diversification #wheat
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Guardian Environment @environment.theguardian.com · 08/05/2026
‘The worst time for wheat’: US farmers face losses to extreme heat and drought
theguardian.com
‘The worst time for wheat’: US farmers face losses to extreme heat and drought
Temperature swings have left crops across the Plains in terrible conditions, with some farmers opting not to harvest
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Barbara Tschirren @btschirren.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
New paper out: Artificial selection for increased reproductive effort accelerates actuarial senescence and reduces lifespan in a precocial bird url: royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article... @uniexecec.bsky.social @erikpostma.bsky.social @joelpick.bsky.social y.social @oscarvedder.bsky.social
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Yasuhiro (Yasu) Sato @yassato.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
New preprint with Kosuke Hamazaki is out in bioRxiv. The beta version of its R package is available via GitHub at github.com/yassato/rNei...
github.com
GitHub - yassato/rNeighborLMM: rNeighborLMM: Fitting mixed models for oligogenic and polygenic indirect genetic effects
rNeighborLMM: Fitting mixed models for oligogenic and polygenic indirect genetic effects - yassato/rNeighborLMM
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Mike Haydon 🌱 🌾 🧬 ⏰ @hikemaydon.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
😲
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Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 27/01/2026
1. The thing about science that these jokers don't understand is that science cannot be vibe-coded. Whatever its flaws, the point with vibe coding is that you're trying to quickly make something that sorta works, where you can immediately sorta see if it sorta works and then sorta use it.
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Karl Schmid @kjschmid.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
New preprint from our group: Phenotypic differentiation between highland and coastal quinoa under cold stress conditions We use both field trials and lab experiments under controlled conditions to show that the two major quinoa ecotypes differ in adaptive traits. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
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Agroscope @agroscope.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Research with a Focus on Impact and Practical Benefits: Agroscope’s New Work Programme 2026-2029 Places a Greater Focus on Impact and Practical Benefits. Areas such as #PlantProtection, #PlantBreeding, #ClimateChange adaptation and economic efficiency will also be strengthened.
youtube.com
Agroscope stellt sein Arbeitsprogramm 2026–2029 vor
YouTube video by agroscopevideo
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Alan Matthews @alanmatthews.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
Excellent overview of the strength of Europe's farm lobby in this Politico article by Bartosz Brzezinski today www.politico.eu/article/euro...
politico.eu
Europe’s farmers lost the Mercosur battle. They’re still ahead.
Europe’s farmers are a minority. You wouldn’t know it from the political power they wield.
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Sam Wuest @samwuest.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
Just wow!
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Kleinbauern-Vereinigung @kleinbauernvkmb.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
Eine sehr lesenswerte Analyse in der BauernZeitung. Er zeigt fundiert die Zusammenhänge zwischen Überproduktion und Wachstumszwang auf. Gleichzeitig weist er auf die Widersprüchlichkeit aktueller politischer Forderungen hin.
bauernzeitung.ch
Wenn aus Fülle ein Problem wird: Die Schweizer Landwirtschaft im Würgegriff der Überproduktion - bauernzeitung.ch
126 Millionen Kilo Milch zu viel, Schweineschlachtungen über Zielmarke, Weinlager randvoll: Die Schweizer Landwirtschaft kämpft mit massiver Überproduktion. Während die Politik mit Ertragsprämien noch...
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Anne Roulin @anneroulin.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
Have we been overstating the role of transposable elements in adaptation to local or rapidly changing environmental conditions? Happy to share my (somewhat unpopular?) opinion paper on this matter: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... Thanks to those who already shared the link!
sciencedirect.com
Blinded by the lights? Re-examining the adaptive role of transposable elements in plants with population genomics
Transposable elements (TEs) are ubiquitous components of the genome whose mobility can be triggered by environmental stress and influenced by genotype…
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Helge Thomas 🌻 @helgethomas.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
Imagine all cars were electric, and then one Volkswagen engineer comes up with another idea … #EMobility
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Robert Finger @robertfinger.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
Beyond the buzz: analyzing actors promoting regenerative agriculture in Europe Relevant new paper by Schreefel et al in npj Sustainable Agriculture www.nature.com/articles/s44...
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Robert Finger @robertfinger.bsky.social · 02/11/2025
'Identifying the safe operating space for food systems' Highly relevant new paper by Sofie te Wierik et al. in Nature Food www.nature.com/articles/s43... The paper shows: i) food systems are the single-largest pressure across Earth system processes, ii) all food system boundaries are transgressed
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Anne Roulin @anneroulin.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
@samwuest.bsky.social @samuelknapp.bsky.social @lauramathieu.bsky.social @lstefan.bsky.social
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Sam Wuest @samwuest.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
Extremely excited me on the sowing machine, for our collaborative project on wheat variety mixtures PreDiMix. With ETH, UZH, IPK Gatersleben and Agroscope.
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Sam Wuest @samwuest.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
Our latest preprint is out www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... . Fantastic work by @lukecoevo.bsky.social, with Emanuel Kopp, Simon Jäggi and Pascal Niklaus. #DarwinianAgriculture #soybean #breeding
biorxiv.org
Shade avoidance restricts soybean breeding progress and increases herbivore susceptibility
High planting densities expose field crops to competition for light, which typically induces shade avoidance responses such as stem elongation. While adaptive in natural environments, these responses ...
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Reposted by Sam Wuest
Alexander J. Stein @ajstein.bsky.social · 24/08/2025
The most honest #farmer in Britain: “I spent a lot of time looking at the evidence on the impact of #meat & it was overwhelming. 10 billion people can’t live sustainably on this planet if we’re eating anything like the level of meat consumed in a western diet… www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘People just lie’: How Riverford’s Guy Singh-Watson became the most brutally honest farmer in Britain
The organic veg pioneer talks to the Guardian about being unemployable, his unconventional father and his recent autism diagnosis
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Sam Wuest @samwuest.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
doi.org
Weak evidence for heritable changes in response to selection by aphids in Arabidopsis accessions
Strong selection by aphids only weakly affects epigenetic and phenotypic variation within three Arabidopsis thaliana accessions, demonstrating limited potential for adaptation by epigenetic differenti...
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German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG) @plantsciencedbg.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
“Utilizing new genomic techniques #NGT in #organic production could improve yields …. and will help achieve the #EU ’s sustainable #agriculture goals” several authors together with our president @apmweber.bsky.social advocate in Cell Reports Sustainability www.cell.com/cell-reports...
cell.com
New genomic techniques in organic production: Considerations for science-based, effective, and acceptable EU regulation
The EU has a goal of 25% organic farmland by 2030, but lower yields in organic farming versus non-organic farming puts strain on sustainable food production. Utilizing new genomic techniques (NGTs) in...
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Etienne Bucher 🌾🧬🇪🇺 @plantepigenetics.ch · 08/06/2025
❗ We have an open post-doc position in our group! 🌱🥔🧬 Are you interested in novel crop breeding techniques and potatoes? If yes, the CRISPS project (in collaboration with Wageningen University and SLU Sweden) may be something for you! You can apply here: jobs.admin.ch/job-vacancie... #NBTs
jobs.admin.ch
Post-doc position: Genome Editing Sustainable and Innovative Potatoes - Agroscope
Agroscope is looking for Post-doc position: Genome Editing Sustainable and Innovative Potatoes
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Mike Inouye @mikeinouye.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
📣 Latest from the lab: Performance of deep-learning-based approaches to improve polygenic scores www.nature.com/articles/s41... Its thought deep learning will substantially improve PGS but the reality is MANY have tried but no/little gain has been seen so far. Here we report our negative results.
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Ricard Solé @ricardsole.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
How can biological systems anticipate future events? In our new paper with @jordiplam.bsky.social, we show how a simple genetic circuit can predict future trends through a simple (and perhaps widespread) mechanism @drmichaellevin.bsky.social @koseskalab.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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Daniel Croll @danielcroll.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
Excited to do a postdoc in beautiful Neuchatel / Switzerland🇨🇭? We have several postdoc positions open at the moment! Check our website for the full ads here: pathogen-genomics.org/jobs Happy to answer any question and please spread the word to anyone who might be interested!
Swiss Alps seen from Neuchatel
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Laura MATHIEU @lauramathieu.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
I am deeply honored to receive the 2025 Women in Triticum Early Career Award from the BGRI (Cornell Univ. & CIMMYT) ! This award is not only a recognition of my work, but also an opportunity to encourage women to pursue their aspirations. #WomeninScience #Wheat bgri.cornell.edu/awards/wit-e...
bgri.cornell.edu
2025 WIT Award Winner Laura Mathieu
Laura Mathieu, from France, a postdoctoral researcher at the French National Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), based at the Plant Health Institute of Montpellier (PHIM).
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Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra @jrossibarra.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
Well written and sobering take-down of the blue origin flight. Worth a read. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
The Blue Origin flight showcased the utter defeat of American feminism | Moira Donegan
The trip leaned on a vision of women’s empowerment that is light on substance and heavy on a childlike, girlish silliness
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Germán Bonilla-Rosso @germusthermophilus.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
#Agroscope 🇨🇭🚜 is looking for a new leader. Please share! jobs.admin.ch/offene-stell...
jobs.admin.ch
Leiterin/Leiter Agroscope - Bundesamt für Landwirtschaft BLW
Bundesamt für Landwirtschaft BLW sucht Leiterin/Leiter Agroscope
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Arif Ashraf @aribidopsis.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
I grew up in Bangladesh and studied about the Sub1 gene as an undergrad! Every time I see this time lapse of Sub1 by Pamela Ronald makes me happy 🌾🌾🌾 Thanks for your tremendous contributions to Bangladeshi farmers over the years.
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David Mitchell :CApride: @davidm-yeg.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 08/04/2025
@yoginho “De-extinction” is the “carbon capture and storage” of ecology: a glitzy techy always-in-the-future promise meant to distract from having to do anything meaningful or disruptive today.
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Nature Portfolio @natureportfolio.nature.com · 03/04/2025
A paper in Nature presents a new method to increase the speed and efficiency of sunflower breeding. This new technique could increase the yield for this important oilseed crop while simplifying and shortening the breeding process. go.nature.com/41WCQAQ #horticulture 🧪
This is figure 1, which shows that latent parthenogenesis leads to haploid induction in sunflowers.
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PHD Comics @phdcomics.com · 28/03/2025
Things that could be happening outside
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Altmetric @altmetric.com · 27/03/2025
THREAD The numbers are in. @bsky.app research sharing volumes vs X Formerly Twitter In March 2024, on most days, Bluesky hosts more posts linked to research published in 2025 than X. By quite a lot. Release the Kraken... #AcademicSky #HigherEd #Altmetrics 1/11
Butterflies on a blue sky
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Etienne Bucher 🌾🧬🇪🇺 @plantepigenetics.ch · 24/03/2025
I am super happy to see that our institution has also chosen to come over to Bluesky!!! Welcome Agroscope! Follow if you’re interested in Swiss 🇨🇭 governmental research for agriculture. 🌱🌾🧬🚜🐖🐄👩‍🌾🧑‍🌾 @agroscope.bsky.social A quick presentation of Agroscope: m.youtube.com/watch?v=F8ue...
Wheat field trial with plots. Research together for the future.
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Sam Wuest @samwuest.bsky.social · 23/03/2025
Something I would recommend to every plant biologist: attending a tree pruning course
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Robert Hoffie @forscherrobert.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Es geht um eine Modernisierung des über 30 Jahre alten Gentechnikrechts in Europa. Den nun auf dem Tisch liegenden Verhandlungsmandaten nach sollen gleiche Pflanzen ähnlich reguliert werden. Das ist sinnvoll und folgt weitgehend den Empfehlungen aus der Wissenschaft.
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