- Former Head of Department of Plant Sciences and Vice-Dean for Research at the Faculty of Biosciences, NMBU
- Currently President of EPSO (European Plant Science Organization)
My research interests are genomics and breeding of forage crop species. I have been active for many years in phenotypic and molecular characterization of genetic resources of forage grasses, especially timothy and perennial ryegrass. The main topics of the research have been development of genomics tools (molecular markers, genome sequences) to understand abiotic stress tolerance, specificially frost, drought and ice-encasement tolerance. We are also developing CRISPr tools for functional studies of genes involved in abiotic stress tolerance in perennial ryegrass.
- Population genomics; Molecular ecology; Abiotic stress; Climate adaptation; Forage Grass Species
Curriculum vitae Odd Arne Rognli
PERSONAL INFORMATION:
Family name, First name: Rognli, Odd Arne
Date of birth: 04.08.1954
Sex: Male
Nationality: Norwegian
Researcher unique identifiers: orcid.org/0000-0002-5787-752X
EDUCATION:
1975-1979 Cand. Agric., Crop Science at the Agricultural University of Norway (from 01.01.2005: Norwegian University of Life Sciences, UMB and from 2014 NMBU)
1981-1986 Ph.D. in Genetics and Plant Breeding at the Agricultural University of Norway
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Time period
Type of experience
Employer
1979-1981
Agronomist, head of extension service
Agricultural extension service (Gisund forsøks- og driftsplanring, Troms)
1981-1986
PhD- student
Research Council of Norway (RCN)
1987-1992
Research Scientist
Research scientist (Post.doc funded by RCN) 1987-92
1992-2007
Associate professor
Department of Biotechnological Sciences, UMB (from 01.01.1999 Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, from 01.09.2003 Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences)
2005-Present
Professor
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, from 2014 Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences, NMBU
TEACHING EXPERIENCE:
Extensive experience in teaching general genetics (course responsible and co-responsible for Introduction to Genetics for all undergraduate students at UMB/NMBU), and a several courses in Population Genetics and Molecular Evolution in the period 1992-2013. In addition, given lectures at courses in Plant Biotechnology (GMO and risk assessment), and genomics.
RESEARCH PROFILE:
- Population genetics and evolutionary biology
- Genomics of abiotic stress tolerance
- Natural variation, genetic diversity and adaptation of plants, molecular ecology
ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE
1996-1998 Deputy Head of Department of Biotechnological Sciences, IBF/UMB
1996-2000 Head of Genetics Division IBF/UMB
1999-2002 Head of Department of Biotechnological Sciences, IBF/UMB
2004-2007 Head of Research Committee at the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences (IPM)
2004-2007 Member of the UMB Research Committee
2003-2007 Head of the FUGE-NARC (Norwegian Arabidopsis Research Centre) activity at UMB
2005-2009 Member of the board of Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science (IKBM)
2011-2014 Member of the board of Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences (IPM)
2010-2017 Member of the board of the Centre for Plant Research in Controlled Climates (SKP)
2014- 2022 Head of Department of Plant Sciences (IPV), Faculty of Biosciences, NMBU
2016-2017 Acting Dean of the Faculty of Biosciences (merger of the Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences and the Department of Plant Sciences, NMBU)
2017-2021 Head of the Research Committee at the Faculty of Biosciences, NMBU
2019-2021 Vice-Dean for Research, Faculty of Biosciences, NMBU
2017-2021 Deputy head of the NMBU Research Committee
2018-present Head of the Imaging Centre, Faculty of Biosciences, NMBU
EXTERNAL COMMITTEES:
- NMBU representative to EPSO (European Plant Science Organisation)
- President of the board of EPSO (2023-2025)
- Member of the National Committee on the Ethics of Science and Technology (NENT) 1997-2000
- Member of the Advisory Board of the EU-funded Centre of Excellence in Plant Agrobiology and Molecular Genetics (PAGEN), Poznan, Poland, 2003-2006 (www.pagen.poznan.pl)
- Member of the Science Advisory Board for the Institute of Plant Genetics, Academy of Sciences, Poznan, Poland
- Member of the International Scientific Board of the International Symposiums “Molecular Breeding of Forage and Turf”
- Chairman of the organizing committee for the 1st National Plant Biology Conference in Oslo, October 17-18, 2012
- Chairman of the organizing committee for the International Conference on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in a Changing Climate, Lillehammer, Norway, January 27-29, 2014
- Chairman of the organizing committee for the 2nd National Plant Biology Conference at Gardermoen, November 4-6, 2014
- Member of Scientific Committee of the 26th General Meeting of the European Grassland Federation, Trondheim, Norway, 4-8 September 2016
- Member of the board of the Arena Program Heidner Biocluster (http://heidner.no)
- Chairman of the National Strategic Body for Biosciences (Nasjonalt fagorgan for biofagene, UHR), (2018-2020)
- Member of steering committee Digital Life Norway (DLN) project DigiBrain at the University of Oslo
- Member of steering committee of the Research Council of Norway project AGROPRO, a BIONÆR project
- Member of scientific board of the The Norwegian Centennial Chair Programme (NOCC)
- Subject editor of the journals Plant Breeding and Frontiers in Plant Science
RESEARCH GRANTS:
- Improving adaptability and resilience of perennial ryegrass for safe and sustainable food systems through CRISPR-Cas9 technology (EditGrass4Food), #EEA-RESEARCH-64, Baltic Research Program, 2021-2024, Co-PI
- Securing adaptation of timothy cultivars under climate change and during seed multiplication using genomics and big-data approaches, #303258, Research Council of Norway (RCN), 2021-2024, PI
- Public Private Partnership (PPP) for prebreeding in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), phase I (2012-2014), phase II (2015-2017), and phase III (2018-220), funding agency: The Nordic Council of Ministers, PI
- Genomic tools for improving yield and forage quality in timothy (Phleum pratense L.) #255428/E50, Research Council of Norway/Norwegian Research Funding for Agriculture and Food Industry, 2016-2019, PI
- Controlling diseases in sweet potato and enset in South Sudan and Ethiopia to improve productivity and livelihoods under changing climatic conditions using modern technologies. Funding agency: NORAD (Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation), 2013-2018. Role: Co-PI
- Improving seed yield potential in tetraploid red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), 2011-2014. Funding agency: Research Council of Norway. Role: Co-PI.
- NORFOCGRAN – Nordic Forage Crops Genetic Resource Adaptation Network, 2011-2013, funding agency: Nordforsk. Role: PI
- Understanding the genetic and physiological basis for adaptation of Norwegian perennial forage crops to future climates (VARCLIM), 2010-2014, funding agency: Research Council of Norway. Role: PI
- Multi-species swards and multi scale strategies for multifunctional grassland-base ruminant production systems (MULTISWARD), 2010-2014, funding agency: EU-FP7. Role: Partner
- Phenotypic and molecular characterization of genetic resources of Nordic timothy (Phleum pratense L.). Funding agency: Nordic Joint Committee for Agricultural Research – NKJ, 2007-2011. Role: PI
- Festulolium with improved forage quality and winter survival for Norwegian farming. Funding agency: Research Council of Norway, 2006-2010. Role: PI
- Arabidopsis Molecular Ecology Group - AMEGO. Funding agency: Nordforsk, 2006-2010. Role: project partner.
- Opportunities for Norwegian production of biodiesel from agricultural crops. Funding agency: Research Council of Norway, 2006-2010. Role: Partner.
- China-Bilateral collaboration in the field of comparative genomics of stress tolerance in grasses. Funding agency: Research Council of Norway, 2007. Role: PI
- GRASP – Development of ryegrass allele-specific markers for sustainable grassland improvement. Funding agency: EU-FP5, QLRT-2001-00862, 2003-2006. Role: Partner
- NARC – Norwegian Arabidopsis Research Centre. Funding agency: Research Council of Norway, 2002-2007. Role: Partner
- Assessment of genetic diversity in Nordic and Baltic accessions of meadow fescue by means of molecular markers. Funding agency: Nordic Gene Bank, 2002-2003. Role: PI
- ICONFORS – Improving germplasm conservation methods for perennial European forage species. Funding agency: EU-FP5, QLK5-CT-2000-0062, 2001-2004. Role: sub-contractor
- Increased seed production capacity in perennial grasses. Funding agency: Research Council of Norway, 2001-2005. Role: Partner
- Genome analyses of Festuca x Lolium hybrids. Funding agency: Research Council of Norway, 2001-2003. Role: PI
- SAGES – Sustainable Grasslands Withstanding Environmental Stresses. Funding agency: EU-FP5, QLK5-CT-2000-00764, 2001-2003. Role: Partner
- EGRAM - European Gramineae Mapping Programme. Funding agency: EU-FP4, BIO4972220, 1998-2001. Role: partner
- Identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL’s) for frost tolerance in forage grasses. Funding agency: Research Council of Norway, 1997-2000. Role: PI
- Genetic linkage mapping in forage grasses. Funding agency: Research Council of Norway, 1997-99. Role: PI
PHD STUDENTS:
Currently main supervisor for one PhD student, and co-supervisor for one. Have been main supervisor or co-supervisor of a total number of 14 PhD students, 5 postdocs and a number of master students since 1995.
REFEREE FOR INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS:
Alpine Biology; Annals of Botany; Annals of Applied Biology; Basic and Applied Biology; Bioenergy Research; Biologia Plantarum; Bioresource Technology; BMC Genetics; BMC Plant Biology; Canadian Journal of Botany; Crop & Pasture Science; Crop Science; Ecology and Evolution; Environmental and Experimental Botany; Environmental Biosafety Research; Euphytica; Frontiers in Plant Science; Genome; Grass and Forage Science; Heredity; Journal of Experimental Botany; Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science; Molecular and General Genetics; Molecular Breeding; Molecular Biotechnology; New Phytologist; Plant Biology; Plant Biotechnology; Plant Breeding; Plant Genetic Resources; Plant Physiology; Plant Physiology and Biochemistry; Plant Science; Planta; Science; Scientific Reports; Theoretical and Applied Genetics; The Crop Journal
REVIEWING FOR FUNDING AGENCIES:
The United States - Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD, US); Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC, UK); Research Council of Norway (RCN); The Swedish Research Council (Formas); The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO); Research Foundation – Flanders, Belgium (FWO); Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF); Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR), France; Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Canada; German Research Foundation (DFG); The Czech Science Foundation (CAČR); National Science Centre (NCN), Poland; CGIAR CPR program; The Norwegian Centennial Chair Programme (NOCC);
GUEST RESEARCH:
- Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, 1983 (2 months)
- John Innes Centre, Cereals Research Dept. (Dr. M.D. Gale), 1991-92
- John Innes Centre, Comparative Genetics Unit (Dr. M.D. Gale), 2002-2003
- JSPS Fellowship, Japan, March 2004
- China Agricultural University, August 2006
- University of Minnesota, St Paul, Fulbright Fellowship (from Aug 2009-Sept 2010)PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS:
- EUCARPIA – European Association for Plant Breeding Research
- Nordic Association of Agricultural Scientists (NJF)
- Norwegian Biochemical Society (NBS)
- Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society (SPPS)PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS (last 5 years)
Barre P, Asp T, Byrne S, Casler M, Faville M, Rognli OA, Roldan-Ruiz I, Skøt L, Ghesquière M (2022) Genomic Prediction of Complex traits in Forage Plants Species: Perennial Grasses Case. In: Ahmadi N, Bartholomé J (eds) Complex Trait Prediction: Methods and Protocols. Springer US, New York, NY, pp 521-541
Kinmonth-Schultz H, Lewandowska-Sabat A, Imaizumi T, Ward JK, Rognli OA, Fjellheim S (2021) Flowering Times of Wild Arabidopsis Accessions From Across Norway Correlate With Expression Levels of FT, CO, and FLC Genes. Frontiers in Plant Science 12: 747740, 13 pp.
Rognli OA, Pecetti L, Kovi MR, Annicchiarico P (2021) Grass and legume breeding matching the future needs of European grassland farming. Grass and Forage Science 76:175-185.
Zanotto S, Palmé A, Helgadóttir Á, Daugstad K, Isolahti M, Öhlund L, Marum P, Moen MA, Veteläinen M, Rognli OA, Ergon Å (2021). Trait characterization of genetic resources reveals useful variation for the improvement of cultivated Nordic red clover. - Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science 207: 492-503
Abdelhalim M, Brurberg MB, Hofgaard IS, Rognli OA, Tronsmo AM (2020) Pathogenicity, host specificity and genetic diversity in Norwegian isolates of Microdochium nivale and Microdochium majus. Eur J Plant Pathol 156:885-895
Samy JKA, Rognli OA, Kovi MR (2020) ForageGrassBase: molecular resource for the forage grass meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds.). Database 2020
Ergon Å, Skøt L, Sæther VE, Rognli OA (2019) Allele Frequency Changes Provide Evidence for Selection and Identification of Candidate Loci for Survival in Red Clover (Trifolium pratense L.). Frontiers in Plant Science 10
Østrem L, Rapacz M, Larsen A, Marum P, Rognli OA (2018) Chlorophyll a Fluorescence and Freezing Tests as Selection Methods for Growth Cessation and Increased Winter Survival in ×Festulolium. Frontiers in Plant Science 9.
Helgadóttir Á, Aavola R, Isolahti M, Marum P, Persson C, Aleliūnas A, Brazauskas G, Krisjánsdóttir TA, Asp T, (2018) Adaptability and phenotypic stability of Lolium perenne L. cultivars of diverse origin grown at the margin of the species distribution. J Agron Crop Sci 204:493-504. Rognli OA
Rognli OA, Aavola R, Aleliūnas A, Asp T, Brazauskas G, Gylstrøm KH, Helgadottir A, Isolahti M, Kovi MR, Kristjánsdóttir TA, Larsen AS, Marum P, Paina C, Persson C, Rancāne S (2018) Utilization of Genebank Accessions to Improve Northern Adaptation of Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). In G. Brazauskas et al. (Eds.): Breeding Grasses and Protein Crops in the Era of Genomics, pp. 3–8.
Østrem L, Asp T, Ghesquière M, Sanada Y, Rognli OA (2018) Low Crown Rust Resistance in Norwegian Material of Lolium perenne and ×Festulolium. In G. Brazauskas et al. (Eds.): Breeding Grasses and Protein Crops in the Era of Genomics, pp 145-149.
Lewandowska-Sabat AM, Fjellheim S, Olsen JE, Rognli OA (2017) Local populations of Arabidopsis thaliana show clear relationship between photoperiodic sensitivity of flowering time and altitude. Frontiers in Plant Science 8, 1046
Kovi MR, Amdahl H, Alsheikh M, Rognli OA (2017) De novo and reference transcriptome assembly of transcripts expressed during flowering provide insight into seed setting in tetraploid red clover. Scientific Reports 7:44383
Amdahl H, Aamlid TS, Marum P, Ergon Å, Alsheikh M, Rognli OA (2017) Seed Yield Components in Single Plants of Diverse Scandinavian Tetraploid Red Clover Populations (Trifolium pratense L.). Crop Sci 57:108-117
Dalmannsdottir S, Jørgensen M, Rapacz M, Østrem L, Larsen A, Rødven R, Rognli OA (2017) Cold acclimation in warmer extended autumns impairs freezing tolerance of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and timothy (Phleum pratense). Physiol Plant 160:266-281.
Ergon Å, Kirwan L, Fystro G, Bleken MA, Collins RP, Rognli OA (2017) Species interactions in a grassland mixture under low nitrogen fertilization and two cutting frequencies. II. Nutritional quality. Grass and Forage Science 72: 333-342
Wendell M, Ripel L, Lee Y, Rognli OA, Torre S, Olsen JE (2017) Thermoperiodic Control of Floral Induction Involves Modulation of the Diurnal FLOWERING LOCUS T Expression Pattern. Plant Cell Physiol 58:466-477.