On 1 July 2026, the Agri-Explore and Value Plant projects came together for their Summer Retreat at the Botanical Garden of MLU, marking one year since our first joint retreat.

For the first time, the retreat included a poster session, accompanied by coffee and snacks in the Kalthaus. The poster session was followed by a series of scientific talks, covering a broad range of topics in plant and crop research—from cytoplasmic male sterility and starch production to RNA regulation, calcium signalling, thermomorphogenesis and novel methods of plant transformation.

Despite the rainy start, the Summer Retreat was a great opportunity to bring the different research projects and groups together, exchange ideas, and strengthen the connections.