International recognition: Worku Kebede, PhD student at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, receives the Best Poster Award at the 68th Annual Congress of the Italian Society of Agricultural Genetics

Worku Kebede, a PhD student in Agrobiodiversity at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, received the Best Poster Award during the 68th Annual Congress of the Italian Society of Agricultural Genetics (SIGA).
Kebede, who is pursuing his PhD at the Plant Genetics and Genomics lab of the Institute of Plant Sciences, coordinated by Prof. Matteo Dell'Acqua, presented a poster entitled 'Development of a multiparental population and pan-genome to accelerate the cultivation of teff (Eragrostis tef), an underutilised African crop' and was recognised for his innovative approach and the potential impact of his work in promoting food security through crop improvement.

The research developed by Worku Kebede stems from the challenge of improving the production of teff (Eragrostis tef), a cereal with tiny seeds that is almost unknown to us, but which in East Africa is the daily staple food (unleavened bread injera) for over 120 million people, mainly in Ethiopia.
However, today's teff yield is still very low compared to other cereal crops such as maize, wheat and rice.

To address this challenge, Worku and his colleagues assembled the genomes of 23 varieties of this species, developing a reproductive population of over 1,800 lines. This resulted in the first complete genetic map of the teff pan-genome. This discovery will enable scientists to identify the genes that influence critical aspects of teff cultivation in order to develop better teff varieties more quickly. In the long term, this research will not only support Ethiopian farmers, but also strengthen food security across Africa.
The SIGA's recognition highlights the importance of this work aimed at developing innovative solutions for the improvement and dissemination of one of Africa's most important but least studied crops.