Ruairidh J. H. Sawers

Strigolactone effects on Sorghum bicolor ecophysiology and symbioses

This study examines the effects of strigolactone mutants in Sorghum bicolor on ecophysiology and symbioses, revealing trade-offs in parasitic plant resistance and mycorrhizal interactions.

Uncoupling the Effects of Highland Maize Chromosomal Inversion Inv4m from Leaf Phosphorus Deficiency Responses

This study investigates the role of maize inversion Inv4m in adaptation to phosphorus-deficient soils and finds that phosphorus deficiency does not drive its adaptive value.

The teosinte mexicana chromosomal inversion Inv4m modulates maize flowering time, plant height, and growth regulation gene networks

This paper identifies the chromosomal inversion Inv4m in teosinte mexicana and shows it affects maize flowering time, plant height, and gene networks through JMJ histone demethylases.

Metabolic modeling predicts synergistic growth benefits between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and theoretical N2-fixing rhizobia symbiosis in maize

The paper uses metabolic modeling to predict growth benefits of combining arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and hypothetical N2-fixing rhizobia in maize, finding synergies under nutrient limitation and antagonism under nutrient sufficiency.

The MexMAGIC population reveals the genetic architecture of clinal trait variation in Mexican native maize

The paper uses a MAGIC population to study genetic architecture of clinal traits in Mexican maize, finding one major QTL for tassel branching and multiple QTL for flowering time with complex environmental associations.

The genetic architecture of leaf vein density traits and its importance for photosynthesis in maize

The paper examines the genetic basis of leaf vein density in maize and links it to photosynthesis, finding that higher vein density correlates with increased photosynthetic rates in small intermediate veins.

Ploidy alters root anatomy and shapes the evolution of wheat polyploids

This study identifies ploidy-induced root anatomical changes in wheat that improved nutrient use efficiency and adaptation to Neolithic agroecosystems.

The utility of environmental data from traditionalvarieties for climate-adaptive maize breeding

This study evaluates the use of environmental and genomic data to identify climate-adaptive maize varieties, finding that genomic data better predict yield traits than environmental data alone.

In silico analysis of the evolution of root phenotypes during maize domestication in Neolithic soils of Tehuacan

This study analyzes the evolution of root phenotypes in maize during domestication by linking ancient DNA, paleobotany, and modeling to environmental changes in Tehuacan Valley.

Maladaptation in cereal crop landraces following a soot-producing climate catastrophe

This study assesses how landraces of four cereal crops would maladapt to soot-induced climate changes following a global catastrophe using climate models and genomic data.

Heritable microbiome variation is correlated with source environment in locally adapted maize varieties

The paper investigates how host genotype and source environment influence the microbiome of maize, finding genetic variants linked to microbiome composition and environmental adaptation.

Portrait of a genus: genome sequencing reveals evidence of adaptive variation in Zea

The paper characterizes genomic variation across 744 Zea genomes, identifies adaptive variants, and highlights their potential for breeding applications.

Gene regulatory effects of a large chromosomal inversion in highland maize

This study investigates the gene regulatory effects of a 13 Mb chromosomal inversion in highland maize using transcriptomic data to identify its adaptive significance.