Rainer Melzer

This paper develops an optimized sterilization protocol for industrial hemp seeds to improve axenic culture establishment and hypocotyl regeneration.

GENE-FAM is an automated pipeline for gene family mining applied to MADS-box genes in Cannabis sativa, identifying conserved and divergent subfamilies across species.

The paper characterizes the PEBP gene family in Cannabis sativa and H. lupulus, identifying copy-number variation and sex-specific expression that may explain flowering time differences.

The paper develops a PCR-based method to accurately determine the sex genotype of Cannabis sativa using a gene polymorphic between X and Y chromosomes, achieving 100% accuracy across multiple samples and developmental stages.

The paper identifies a locus on the X chromosome in Cannabis sativa that contains three genes potentially controlling sex determination, with distinct expression patterns across monoecious and dioecious plants.

The paper analyzes morphological and genetic differences in inflorescence and flower development between male and female hemp plants, identifying early divergence in developmental pathways.

This study identifies a conserved leucine zipper-like motif in SEPALLATA-like MADS-domain proteins that enables tetramerization, essential for flower development regulation.