Dr. Birutė Frercks

ORCiD iD: 0000-0003-2908-8694
Tel. +370 37 55 52 53
E-mail: birute.frercks@lammc.lt 
Kaunas St. 30, Babtai, LT-54333 Kaunas distr., Lithuania

Education           

2009–2013 Biomedical sciences, Agronomy, PhD, LAMMC Institute of Horticulture and Aleksandras Stulginskis University (since 2019 Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy).
2004–2009 diploma of bioinformatics, The Center for Bioinformatics of the University of Hamburg, Germany.
1999–2004 prediploma biology, The Faculty of Biology of the University of Hamburg, Germany.

Academic degrees and pedagogical titles

2014 PhD in Agronomy, doctoral thesis “Genetic variation of brown rot blossom blight pathogens and their hosts sweet and sour cherry”. 

Research fields

• Bioinformatics
• Agronomy

Professional experience

Since 2023 Head of Department of Orchard Plant Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Horticulture, LAMMC.
Since 2019 Senior researcher, Department of Orchard Plant Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Horticulture, LAMMC.
Since 2015 Lecturer, Institute of Biology Systems and Genetic Research, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences.
2014–2019 Researcher, Department of Orchard Plant Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Horticulture, LAMMC.
2013–2014 Junior researcher, Department of Orchard Plant Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Horticulture, LAMMC.

Memberships and affiliations with professional organizations

• 2014 European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR) Prunus working group member.

In-service training

• 20–22 January, 2015 “Ion Torrent^TM PGM^TM workflow training”, Akademija, Kaunas dist., Lithuania.
• 11–15 November, 2013 “R-training”, Akademija, Kėdainiai dist., Lithuania.
• 25 November–6 December, 2012 “Generation and Analysis of Next Generation Sequence (NGS) Data”, Gent, Belgium.

Involvement in programmes and projects

• 2012–2016 COST FA1104 “Sustainable production of high-quality cherries for the European marketˮ.
• 2013–2015 Lithuanian Research Council project “Regulation of in vitro plant stress induced production of reactive oxygen species by endophytesˮ, supervisor Prof. Dr. habil. Vidmantas Stanys, LAMMC.
• 2012–2015 Lithuanian Research Council, National Research programme “Healthy and Safe Food“, project “Expression of anthocyanin synthesis pathway genes in orchard plants”, supervisor Dr. Rytis Rugienius, LAMMC.
• 2010–2011 Grant provided by Research Council of Lithuania, Project number MIP-55/2010. “Characterisation of genetic polymorphism of Prunus avium cultivars and wild sweet cherry populations using molecular markers”, supervisor Prof. Dr. habil. Vidmantas Stanys, LAMMC.
• 2008–2009  “Efficient methods for the generation of circular molecular descriptors“,  Research Group for Computational Molecular Design at the Center for Bioinformatics of the University of Hamburg, supervisor Prof. Dr. Matthias Rarey.
• 2007 “Parallelisation of AutoClass”, Research Group for Biomolecular Modeling at the Center for Bioinformatics of the University of Hamburg supervisor Prof. Dr. Andrew Torda.
• 2006 “Standardisation  of  identification methods of Human herpesvirus (HSV-1,2, VZV, HHV-7 and HHV-8) for routine diagnostics” Dermatologikum Hamburg, supervisor Dr. Thomas Michael Falk.

Awards

• 2016–2017 Prize to young scientists of the Lithuanian Academy of Science
• 2013–2014 Prize to Ph. students of the Lithuanian Academy of Science

MAJOR RESEARCH OUTPUTS

Articles in journals indexed in Clarivate Analytics Web of Science database

1. Skuodienė R., Matyžiūtė V., Aleinikovienė J., Frercks B., Repšienė R. 2023. Seed bank community under different-intensity agrophytocenoses on hilly terrain in Lithuania. Plants, 12 (5): 1084. IF – 4,658
2. Kolytaitė A., Vaitiekūnaitė D., Antanynienė R., Baniulis D., Frercks B. 2022. Monilinia fructigena suppressing and plant growth promoting endophytic Pseudomonas spp. bacteria isolated from plum. Microorganisms, 10 (12): 2402. IF – 4,926
3. Starkus A., Frercks B., Gelvonauskiene D., Mazeikiene I., Rugienius R., Bendokas V., Stanys V. 2021. Potential markers for selecting self-eliminating apple genotypes. Plants, 10 (8): 1612. IF – 4,658
4. Mažeikienė I., Frercks B., Burokienė D., Mačionienė I., Šalaševičienė A. 2021. Endophytic community composition and genetic-enzymatic features of cultivable bacteria in Vaccinium myrtillus in forests of the Baltic-Nordic region. Forests, 12 (12): 1647. IF – 3,282
5. Mažeikienė I., Šikšnianienė J. B., Baniulis D., Gelvonauskienė D., Frercks B., Starkus A., Žebrauskienė A., Stanys  V. 2019. SSR analysis based on molecular characterisation of apple germplasm in Lithuania. Zemdirbyste-Agriculture, 106 (2): 159–166. IF – 0,833
6. Stanys V., Bendokas V., Rugienius R., Sasnauskas A., Frercks B., Mažeikienė I., Šikšnianas T. 2019. Management of anthocyanin amount and composition in genus Ribes using interspecific hybridisation. Scientia Horticulturae, 247: 123–129.  IF – 2,769
7. Rugienius R., Šnipaitienė L., Stanienė G., Šikšnianienė J. B., Haimi P., Baniulis D., Frercks B., Pranckietis V., Lukoševičiūtė V., Stanys V. 2016. Cold acclimation efficiency of different Prunus and Fragaria species and cultivars in vitro. Zemdirbyste-Agriculture, 103 (2): 207– IF – 0,644
8. Rugienius R., Siksnianiene J. B., Frercks B., Staniene G., Stepulaitiene J., Haimi P., Stanys V. 2015. Characterization of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) cultivars and hybrid clones using SSR and AFLP markers. Zemdirbyste-Agriculture, 102 (2): 177–184. IF – 0,579
9. Rugienius R., Blažytė A., Lukoševičiūtė V., Šikšnianienė J. B., Frercks B., Gelvonauskienė D., Gelvonauskis B., Sasnauskas A., Baniulis D., Stanys V. 2013. Genetic polymorphism of wild pear population in Lithuania. Baltic Forestry, 19 (1): 13–21. IF – 0,304
10. Stanys V., Baniulis D., Morkunaite-Haimi S., Siksnianienė J. B., Frercks B., Gelvonauskiene D., Stepulaitiene I., Staniene G., Siksnianas T. 2012. Characterization of genetic diversity of the Lithuanian sweet cherry (Prunus avium) cultivars using SSR markers. Scientia Horticulturae, 142: 136–142. IF – 1,396
11. Stanys V., Frercks B., Šikšnianienė J.-B., Stepulaitienė I., Gelvonauskienė D., Stanienė G., Bobinas Č. 2012. Identification of sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) cultivars using AFLP and SSR markers . Zemdirbyste-Agriculture, 99 (4): 437– IF – 0,567

Other peer-reviewed publications

1. Žukauskaitė R., Frercks B. 2019. Monilinia spp. rūšių genetinė įvairovė pagal atskirų genų DNR sekas. Sodininkystė ir daržininkystė, 38 (1-2): 3–20.
2. Rugienius R., Frercks B., Siksnianienė J. B., Stepulaitienė I., Stanienė G., Baniulis D., Stanys, V. 2015. Characterisation of genetic diversity of the Lithuanian sour cherry (Prunus cerasus) genetic resources using microsatellite markers. Acta Horticulturae (ISHS), 1100: 105–108.
3. Frercks B., Stanys V., Siksnianiene J. B., Stepulaitiene I., Gelvonauskiene D., Staniene G., Rugienius R., Siksnianas T. 2014. Efficiency of AFLP marker attributes in the genetic analysis of sweet cherry cultivars. Journal Food, Agriculture and Environment, 12 (1): 122–127.
4. Frercks B., Stanys V. 2014. Identification of sweet and sour cherry brown rot causing (Monilinia spp.) species by molecular methods. Sodininkystė ir daržininkystė, 33 (1–2): 33–44.
5. Baniulis D., Gelvonauskienė D., Rugienius R., Sasnauskas A., Stanienė G., Stepulaitienė I., Frercks B., Sikorskaitė S., Lukoševičiūtė V., Mažeikienė I., Šikšnianienė J. B., Morkūnaite-Haimi Š., Haimi P., Bendokas V., Gelvonauskis B., Šikšnianas T., Stanys V. 2013. Orchard plant breeding, genetics, and biotechnology research at the Institute of Horticulture, LAMMC. Sodininkystė ir daržininkystė, 32 (3–4): 21–48.
6. Frercks B., Stepulaitienė I., Šikšnianienė J. B., Stanys V. 2013. Assesment of AFLP markers linked to fungal diseases and to spring frost resistance in sour cherry. Proceedings of the 6th international scientific conference Rural Development 2013, 6: 84–88.
7. Gelvonauskienė D., Frercks B., Stepulaitiene I., Stanys V. 2013. Diversity of resistance to Monilinia laxa and spring frost of sour cherry germplasm. Acta Horticulturae (ISHS), 976: 537–542.
8. Lukoševičiūtė V., Gelvonauskienė D., Baniulis D., Frercks B., Sasnauskas A., Stanys V., Rugienius R. 2013. Characterization of pear (Pyrus communis) cultivars from Lithuania using microsatellite. Acta Horticulturae (ISHS), 976: 257–263.
9. Baniulis D., Liobikas J., Agarwal S. M., Frercks B., Vaitiekaitis G., Stanys V. 2010. Phylogeny of structural domains of plant serine ß-lactamase family proteins. Biologija, 56 (1–4): 62–69.

Monographs and books published by international publishers 

1. Frercks B., Gelvonauskiene D., Juskyte A. D., Sikorskaite-Gudziuniene S., Mazeikiene I., Bendokas V., Graham J. 2022. Development of biotic stress tolerant berries. Ch. Kole (ed.). Genomic Designing for Biotic Stress Resistant Fruit Crops. Springer, p. 331–384.

2. Rugienius R., Frercks B., Mažeikienė I., Rasiukevičiūtė N., Baniulis D., Stanys V. 2020.Development of climate-resilient varieties in Rosaceous berries. Ch. Kole (ed.): Genomic Designing of Climate-Smart Fruit Crops. Springer, p. 333–384.

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