Jan Masood

Dr. Jan Masood earned his Ph.D. in Plant Molecular Biology in 2019 in South Korea. Following his doctorate, he undertook a postdoctoral research position at the Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China, where he focused on plant abiotic stress and heat stress. After completing this two-year position, he secured another postdoctoral research position at Henan University, China, where his work centered on cotton single-cell analysis and stress physiology. Subsequently, he joined the Institute of Experimental Botany in the Czech Republic as a researcher, where his current research explores the regulation of hormonal signaling at the level of RNA splicing.

His research focuses on understanding plant responses to abiotic stresses, particularly drought and salinity, with the aim to apply this knowledge to crop improvement. Key areas of interest include identifying crucial stress-response genes, understanding plant stress signaling pathways, analyzing metabolic changes during stress, and translating research findings into agricultural advancements. His ambition is to identify genes that help plants survive drought and salinity by comparing stress-tolerant and sensitive plants, using tools such as CRISPR gene editing and RNA sequencing. Additionally, he is interested in decoding the intricate signaling networks plants use to sense and respond to stress, including how different signals interact. Using metabolomics and proteomics, he plans to study how stress alters plant metabolism and enables survival under adverse conditions. Ultimately, his goal is to translate this research into practical applications by collaborating with breeders and utilizing biotechnological approaches to develop crop varieties that can withstand abiotic stresses, particularly in staple crops like rice, wheat, and maize".

As part of CropPrime, Dr. Masood spent 4 months at VIB-UGent. Using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model plant, his study there focused on two priming agents, SuperFifty® and fucoidan, to investigate their role in helping plants withstand environmental stresses. His results highlight the significant impact of 1% SuperFifty on root germination and seed growth, surpassing lower concentrations and control treatments. While NaCl and mannitol were found to inhibit root growth as well, the effects of 1% SuperFifty were the most pronounced. Importantly, the research revealed that root growth inhibition caused by SuperFifty is reversible under less stressful conditions, such as plain ½ MS media, although recovery is impeded under high salinity (100 mM NaCl), pointing to the critical role of osmotic stress. Additionally, the study uncovered that priming with SuperFifty and fucoidan induces diverse histone modifications, crucial for plant development and stress responses, with specific changes validated through Western blot analysis. These modifications suggest an enhanced ability of plants to recover from environmental stress after priming. Furthermore, the research underscores the potential of SuperFifty and fucoidan as biostimulants in agriculture, highlighting their promise in improving plant health and resilience against environmental challenges, thereby offering innovative solutions for sustainable agricultural practices.