As autumn settles in, we are excited to bring you the latest updates from the world of plant science! Feel free to share this newsletter with anyone who might find it helpful. Click here to subscribe.
1) Register for PlantLink Day – December 5, Lund
What are the future directions for plant science and entrepreneurship in the Greater Copenhagen Region? Can we use our prior experiences to uncover repeating patterns that will guide us forward? The theme for this year’s PlantLink Day is “Lessons from the Past and Shaping the Future of Plant Science”.
Paleobotany expert Vivi Vajda (Naturhistoriska riksmuseet) will provide a talk on “How plants from the time of the dinosaurs can contribute to the understanding of future environmental challenges”. Teun Dekker (SLU) and Madeleine Fogde (SIANI) will examine the future of development research with a focus on climate change and food security. Finally, PlantLink’s Focus Group leaders, Kamil Demski (SLU) and Aakash Chawade (SLU), will present and discuss the most important outcomes of their groups “Preserved biodiversity, and reduction of pesticide use in agriculture” and “Advancing plant bioinformatics, agri-tech and crop phenotyping in AI-driven transformation”. The day will be concluded with a lively panel discussion on the future of plant research.
Join us on December 5 in Lund, 12:00-17:00!
Read the programme and register here
2) PlantLink’s Focus Group Discussions are taking shape
PlantLink-associated researchers joined voting to identify needs and future directions for plant science and entrepreneurship in the Greater Copenhagen Region. The two highest-scoring themes are further explored in Focus Groups with roundtable discussions and presented on PlantLink Day 2024!
SLU researchers Kamil Demski and Aakash Chawade are leading the work for the focus groups “Preserved biodiversity and reduction of pesticide use in agriculture” and “Advancing plant bioinformatics, agri-tech and crop phenotyping in AI-driven transformation”. The groups are getting their final shapes, and the first official meetings will be held next month. We will keep you updated!
3) New knowledge centre for sustainable food production will be established in Alnarp!
SLU and Sparbanken Skåne are jointly founding a research and education centre for primary production at SLU in Alnarp, with a budget of 50 MSEK. The focus is on the transition to more sustainable production processes within agriculture and horticulture in the initial stage of the food chain. The centre aims to be operational by the turn of the year, with a new centre director in place, engaging researchers, doctoral students, students, and professionals in primary production!
Read more here and here (in Swedish)
4) Plant Biologicals Network Symposium 2024 – 14 November, Copenhagen
The Plant Biologicals Network (PBN) Symposium will be held as a one-day event in Copenhagen on 14 November 2024, from 8:00 to 19:00. Participants from academia and industry are invited to submit abstracts describing original research and new projects. The symposium working group will review and select abstracts for short flash talks during the symposium sessions and/or for the poster session at the symposium.
The deadline for abstract submission is 7 October.
The session topics will include Regulation, Hands-on experiences, Lab-to-field transmission and Hot topics in biologicals. Confirmed speakers: Domenico Deserio, Policy Officer, European Commission – DG SANTE; Jürgen Köhl, Senior Scientist, Wageningen University & Research; Emil Elsborg Christensen, Plant breeding consultant, Agrovi; Mogens Humlekrog Greve, Professor and Section Manager, Aarhus University; Ramesh Raju Vetukuri, Associate Professor, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences; Marcela Mendoza-Suarez, CEO and co-founder, SymbioMatch; Elodie Lebastard, Senior Consultant, European Biostimulants Industry Council (EBIC); Mette Walter, Vice Director, Danish Technological Institute
More information and sign up
5) NBPPN annual meeting in Båstad – 21-22 November
The Nordic-Baltic Plant Phenotyping Network (NBPPN) will have its first annual meeting at Hotell Skansen in Båstad, Sweden, on 21-22 November. There will be a general theme on AI in plant phenotyping with keynotes and presenters from the 16 different private and academic member organisations.
Two keynote speakers will be accompanied by speakers from the 7 funding nations.
More information will be available soon, and the registration is open here. This year, it is also possible to submit an abstract!
6) EPSO online workshop: Gene editing in plant resistance against pathogens and pests – October 15
The EPSO Plant Health Working Group invites registrations and talks for its online workshop on 15th October. The Working Group aims to discuss the contribution of gene editing to improve disease and pest resistance and provide solutions for sustainable agricultural production and reduction of pesticide use. This online workshop will discuss current success stories and future directions of gene editing for sustainable crop protection. The workshop will also include a brief update on the state-of-the-art of the new breeding technologies (NBT) legislation initiative and a general scientific discussion on the advances and challenges ahead.
Registration deadline is September 30!
More information
7) Seminar: From ancient barley to arctic peas – Crop adaptation in the Nordic region – October 9, SLU Alnarp
Have you ever had a beverage made from barley or thought about growing crops under the Nordic climate? Then you are highly welcome to join a seminar “From ancient barley to arctic peas – Crop adaptation in the Nordic region,” in which Jenny Hagenblad talks about “6000 years of growing barley in Sweden” and Ulrica Carlsson-Nilsson from NordGen presents the project “Arctic pea”. The seminar will be held at SLU Alnarp, Horticum, room Triticum, on Oct 9, 9:30-11:00.
More information
8) Crafoord science lunch with Olivier van Aken: Blir växter gladare om man klappar dem? – November 13, Lund
Crafoord’s science lunches are a series of lectures highlighting research that has received grants from the Crafoord Foundation. Olivier van Aken, senior lecturer at the Department of Biology, Lund University, and PlantLink’s assistant director, will present his research on how plants sense and react to mechanical stimuli and how this reaction can be applied in agriculture.
The event is free, and no prior registration is required!
More information
9) Date change: Nordgen’s Nordic Conference on Genetic Resources postponed to December 11
Join a conference highlighting the role of genetic resources in sustainable development. Hear about the latest international policies, the Nordic ambition and solutions based on genetic resources in different forms. Be inspired by visions of how these resources can help us form a more sustainable and resilient society in the future!
Participation in the conference is free of charge, with a no-show fee. Venue: Malmö Arena Hotel, Hyllie, Sweden.
More information and registration
10) Save the date: IOBC-WPRS group meeting: “From single microbes to microbiomes targeting One Health”– June 11-14, 2025, Torino, Italy
The XVII Meeting of the IOBC Working Group ‘Biological and integrated control of plant pathogens’ will take place from June 11 to June 14, 2025, in Torino, Italy. The conference title is “From single microbes to microbiomes targeting One Health”. Discussions will centre on how biocontrol of plant diseases could favour plant, soil, animal, and human health through the holistic framework of One Health.
More information
11) Join the international student competition ReThink Food Challenge
By participating in the ReThink Food Challenge, you can revolutionise food production! Develop your ground-breaking business ideas to improve sustainability and resource efficiency in one of two tracks: alternative proteins and indoor farming. As a participant, you get coaching from business and academia experts. It is a perfect opportunity to boost your professional skills, make life-long connections globally and learn what it is to be an entrepreneur in the field of your interest. The top teams will receive a participation certificate and travel & accommodation budget to attend the Grand Finals in the Netherlands. The prize for the winning team is €7,000.
Interested, but not sure yet if you want to join? Attend the on-line info session on 24 October at 5.30 PM CET to learn more.
The deadline for registration is November 18.
More information
12) One of the world’s largest biofuel factories will be developed in Malmö
The Copenhagen Malmö Port (CMP) and Green2x have partnered with a focus on the design, establishment, and operation of one of the world’s largest biofuel plants to date at CMP’s terminals in the port of Malmö. The establishment contributes greatly to the green energy transition. The partnership aims to ensure a renewable energy supply, local growth and sustainable maritime transport in the future.
Read more
SLU Biogas team, led by Thomas Prade, Eva Johansson, Md Sani, Karl-Johan Bergstrand, and Siri Caspersen, together with the Biogas Solution Research Centre, are part of the dialogue. We will bring more information soon!
13) Vinnova establishes office in Singapore
Vinnova establishes a presence in Singapore to strengthen the ties between innovative companies and research environments in Sweden and Singapore. Singapore is a regional centre and an important country of innovation in several strategic and cutting-edge technologies. Vinnova will have a person stationed at the Swedish embassy. The assignment consists, among other things, of helping Swedish actors find relevant contacts in Singapore.
Read more
14) Courses
Breeding for Quantitative Traits in Plants – 21 January – 29 April 2025, online
This semester-long course (Spring 2025) is intended for M.S. and Ph.D. students, postdocs, and industry scientists. The course will take place via Zoom from 10:15 to 11:30 am (CET) on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The course instructor is Professor Rex Bernardo, Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota. The class time will comprise small-group problem sets, discussions, computer exercises, and short lectures. The participants will study how quantitative genetics applies to plant breeding. The goals and expectations are for each course participant to:
1. Understand fundamental concepts of population and quantitative genetics; 2. Explore how quantitative genetics principles can help a plant breeder design and implement a breeding program; and 3. Appreciate the theory, experimental approaches, and evidence that form the basis for these concepts and breeding strategies.
Registration starts on December 2.
More information
15) Open positions
SLU Alnarp
Professor (fully tenured) in conservation ecology
More information
PhD position in Forest Management
More information
Lund University
Project Assistant in Biotechnology
More information
Postdoctoral position in food technology, plant proteins in food products
More information
Post-doctoral fellow in biodiversity assessment for business and finance
More information
16) Øystein Opedal receives ERC starting grant!
Øystein Opedal, the associate senior lecturer at the Department of Biology, has been awarded an ERC Starting Grant; congratulations! “The project aims to understand better how plants adapt to new pollination environments, such as declining pollinator populations or local changes in the diversity of pollinator species.”
Read more
17) Researcher in the Spotlight – Mats Hansson
Mats Hansson is a professor of Plant Molecular Biology and the Head of the Division of Molecular Biosciences at the Department of Biology, Lund University. Previously, he was a professor at the Carlsberg Laboratory in Copenhagen and, before that, professor at the Department of Biochemistry in Lund. In his research, he tries to understand molecular processes in plants related to the design of plant architecture, time to flowering and chlorophyll biosynthesis. His favourite plant is barley (Hordeum vulgare L.); he often works with mutants!
Read more in the interview below!