Dear ASPS members,

Just a reminder to submit your ASPS2019 poster abstract before October.

Submit your abstract HERE

Register for ASPS2019 HERE

View the draft ASPS2019 program HERE

If you haven’t already read the September edition of Phytogen it can be viewed HERE.

The International Journal of Molecular Sciences (IJMS, ISSN 1422-0067, Impact Factor: 4.183) is an open access journal which provides an advanced forum for molecular studies in biology, chemistry and biophysics. Our aim is to provide rigorous peer review and enable rapid publication of cutting-edge research to educate and inspire the scientific community worldwide. IJMS is indexed by the Science Citation Index Expanded (Web of Science), MEDLINE (PubMed) and other important databases. Manuscripts are peer-reviewed and a first decision provided to authors approximately 17 days after submission; acceptance to publication is undertaken in 4.9 days (median values for papers published in this journal in the second half of 2018).

Plants (ISSN 2223-7747; Impact Factor: 2.632) is an open access journal of plant science. Our aim is to encourage scientists and research groups to publish theoretical and experimental results of research in all fundamental and applied fields of plant science. Plants is indexed by the Science Citation Index Expanded (Web of Science), BIOSIS Previews (Clarivate Analytics), Scopus and other important databases. Citations are available in PubMed and full-text are archived in PubMed Central. Manuscripts are peer-reviewed and a first decision provided to authors approximately 13.7 days after submission; acceptance to publication is undertaken in 5.8 days (median values for papers published in 2018).

Hello ASPS members,

The August edition of Phytogen has been published and can be accessed here.

The GPC August e-bulletin can be viewed here.

New employment opportunities have been posted on the ASPS job board and can be viewed here.

Hello ASPS members,

The deadline for 2019 ASPS student travel grant applications has been extended to 5.00pm June 28th 2019. If you are a student or supervisor of a student who has been meaning to apply there is still time. Application attached.

You can also download the June edition of Phytogen here.

The Global Plant Council June E-Bulletin is available here.

Hello ASPS members,

The deadline for 2019 ASPS student travel grant applications has been extended to 5.00pm June 28th 2019. If you are a student or supervisor of a student who has been meaning to apply there is still time. Application attached.

You can also download the June edition of Phytogen here.

The Global Plant Council June E-Bulletin is available here.

Hello ASPS members,

The March edition of Phytogen is out now. You can access it here.

Remember to register and submit your abstract for our annual conference ASPS 2019 in Melbourne this November.

ASPS 2019 registration here.

ASPS 2019 abstract submission here.

Global Plant Council E-Bulletin February 2019

Forward to a Friend | View web version (also click here to translate to other languages!)

E-Bulletin / February 2019

Welcome to another month of plant science: take a look to the news, upcoming events, job opportunities and a call for help on science communication

Copyright © 2019 Global Plant Council, All rights reserved.

The Global Plant Council is a not-for-profit entity registered in Canada.
Our registered mailing address is: 

Global Plant Council

3rd Floor, Bow House

1a Bow Lane

London, EC4M 9EE

United Kingdom

Add us to your address book

Hello ASPS members,

Welcome to 2019!

Already for 2019 we have;

• new employment opportunities on the ASPS job board which you can see here.
• Jan Anderson award and lecture applications are still open. Know of someone who should apply? then let them know. More information on our ASPS web site which you can see here.
• The 2019 Science meets Parliament meeting will be in August rather than February this year. Nominations for ASPS delegates will be called for later this year.
• The January edition of Phytogen has been published and available here.

• And the International Congress on Plant Molecular Biology (ICPMB) is holding a competition to design the 2021 meeting logo. See the Phytogen story here or the e-mail attachment. Please print a copy of the IPMB poster for your department notice board.

Dear ASPS members,

As we head into the new year it’s a good time to check your ASPS membership is up to date.

Login here to check when your current membership is paid to. You can use your ASPS login or the e-mail address this newsletter was sent to. You can also request a new password be sent to you.

https://www.asps.org.au/renewal

The December issue of Phytogen is available here.

Phytogen – December 2018

December E-Bulletin / 
GPC SURVEYGPC surveyhttps://goo.gl/Xj8QT5.

Latest News / 
View more…If you have news you would like us to share on our website, please contact isabel@globalplantcouncil.org

This past November, 33 new breaking news stories were posted on the GPC website including…

Scientists identify mechanism that controls leaf growth and shape
In autumn, it is not only the colours that catch the eye, but also the different sizes and shapes of leaves. But what makes leaves of different plants differ so much in their shapes? Scientists have now discovered how a protein called LMI1 can control leaf growth and shape.

In New Phytologist: Plants find ways to survive no matter the terrain
Researchers have discovered that a fascinating plant employs two mechanisms to survive, no matter where it grows. New research, published in New Phytologist, looked at Aethionema arabicum, also known as “stone cress”, and found the plant is unique in its seed and fruit dispersal strategies.

Small Genetic Differences Turn Plants into Better Teams
Diverse communities of plants and animals typically perform better than monocultures. However, the mechanisms that are responsible for this have so far been a mystery to science. Biologists have now been able to identify the genetic cause of these effects. Their findings might help to improve crop yield.

Plant Hormone Makes Space Farming a Possibility
With scarce nutrients and weak gravity, growing potatoes on the Moon or on other planets seems unimaginable. But the plant hormone strigolactone could make it possible, plant biologists have shown. The hormone supports the symbiosis between fungi and plant roots, thus encouraging plants’ growth – even under the challenging conditions found in space.

Events / 
View more…If you have a conference, meeting, workshop, training course or other event coming up, we can include it in our Events calendar! Please email isabel@globalplantcouncil.orgXV Symposium of Phytohormones of the Spanish Society of Plant Physiology
13–14 December 2018. Valencia, Spain.International Plant & Animal Genome XXVII
2 — 16 January 2019.San Diego, California, USAFinal HNV-Link Conference
31 January 2019. Montpellier, France.

Job Opportunities /

Know a job opportunity? Please tell us about it by emailing isabel@globalplantcouncil.org

GPC is gathering job opportunies and posting them in our social media accounts, either on our devoted Facebook group  or using the #plantscijobs hashtag on a Twitterstorm one Friday a month from our principal Twitter account. Please, join either to be informed. Next Twitterstorm will take place on the 21st December between 3 and 4 pm CEST.

Funding Opportunities /

Spotted a funding opportunity we’ve missed? Please tell us about it by emailing isabel@globalplantcouncil.org

A number of funding opportunities were launch by the European Commision recently. Deadline ends in 23rd January 2019. More info…

Other potencial funding bodies to be found here.

Members / 

Click here for details of the GPC Member Societies and their representatives. 

Please contact us (isabel@globalplantcouncil.org) to find out how your organization can join the Global Plant Council.

The GPC is a coalition of plant and crop science societies and institutions from across the globe. The GPC seeks to bring plant scientists together to work synergistically toward solving the pressing problems we face.

Please click here to make a donation via PayPal to help support the GPC.

Copyright © 2018 Global Plant Council, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive updates from the Global Plant Council. If you no longer wish to receive the monthly GPC E-Bulletin, or think you have received this email in error, please unsubscribe using the link provided.The Global Plant Council is a not-for-profit entity registered in Canada.
Our registered mailing address is: Global Plant Council

3rd Floor, Bow House

1a Bow Lane

London, EC4M 9EE

United Kingdom

Add us to your address book

PLANT NUTRITION TRUST REPORT

by

Wenli Ding

University of Western Australia

It was really an honour to be awarded the Plant Nutrition Trust Award. I attended the International Plant Nutrition Colloquium from 21^st to 24^th August 2017 in Copenhagen. I have to say, this was really a professionally rewarding experience.

As an international conference, there were lots of interesting talks, especially those from the keynote speakers. The speakers not only informed us of what has been studied in the research areas, but also speculated about new developments for the future. I gained new insights into research experimentation, which can be hard to obtain through reading papers. For example, how to use X-ray fluorescence microscopy to get the plant nutrient distribution in plant tissues. As a young researcher, this was really an eye-opening opportunity for me.

The conference was definitely a great chance to socialise with researchers from all over the world. I tried to introduce myself to some professors after their talks or during the conference breaks. We discussed their research and outlined connections to my own research investigations. This provide me with ideas to help advance my own research. In particular, one professor showed genunine interest in offering me a postdoc position. Attending academic conferences is a great way for young researches to build academic connections and invaluable experience.

Most importantly, I presented a poster at this conference, and gave a 3-min talk in the speaking corner about what I discovered and what I propose to do in the future. Even though it is not the same as giving a seminar in the big hall, I did advance my speaking skills and answering people’s questions was a good challenge.  I also learned more about my own research through explaining areas of my research that were confusing to others and listening to their invaluable suggestions.

In summary, I acquired genuine new knowledge related to my research area and developed new relationships with key professors in the area of plant nutrition. I have also learned how to explain myself and convince others of my research ideas and findings. These experiences were most definitely helpful in advancing my own research career. Finally, I want to say thank the Plant Nutrition Trust committee, for giving me the chance to use the funds and attend such an amazing conference.

Contact: Wenli Ding

PLANT NUTRITION TRUST REPORT

by

David Minemba

University of Western Australia

Introduction

As recipient of The Plant Nutrition Trust Award, I visited LSU AgCenter and its Sweet Potato Research Station in Chase, Manroe. It also coincided with the Annual International Meeting of America Society of Agronomy, America Society of Soil Science and Crop Science Society of America and I attended as a member at Tampa Convention Centre, Florida.

LSU AgCenter, Sweet Potato Research Station conducts pioneering research on role of phosphorus on sweet potato root structure and architecture. This work compliments my PhD research project aimed at understanding root rhizosphere properties of sweet potato in low Phosphate soils.  I also attended the meeting in Tampa purposely to meet and network with other international researchers who are involved in related studies to my PhD research project. I met many graduate students working on fields related to root rhizosphere as well as functions of microbial community that exists in the soil.

This report highlight activities and contact made with other researchers on this trip.

Sweet Potato Research Station in Chase, Monroe

The LSU AgCenter Sweet Potato Research Station in Chase is devoted mainly to sweet potato research and development in the United States of America. Its mission is to produce and supply high quality seed stock to commercial sweet potato growers and conduct research in various disciplines to support the industry in the country. Some of the commercial sweet potato varieties used around the world, including Beauregard were developed from LSU AgCenter.

Research into understanding the root system architecture and role of external soil nutrients on root development and storage root formation of sweet potato conducted at AgCenter is at very advanced stages. Variability in storage root yield of sweet potato is quite common in every country that grow sweet potato and remains a challenge. Understanding the root rhizosphere properties could potentially explain this variability and is the focus of my PhD research project. The pioneering work on sweet potato root system architecture at LSU AgCenter by Prof Villordon compliments research interest and was the main basis of many productive interaction during my visit.

LSU, AgCentre

The AgCenter at Louisiana State University hosts a wide range of disciplines in agriculture. One is the plant pathology section. I had the opportunity to spend some time with Dr Chris Clark, a plant pathologist involved mostly in sweet potato pathogens. Dr Clark has many year of experience and has documented most sweet potato pathogens known in the USA and elsewhere. I also had useful conversations with Mrs Mary Hoy, a tissue culture specialist who manages supply of tissue cultured plantlets to the clean seed supply system.

Dr Clark and I had conversations on the potential role of root exudates and its interactions with microbial community in the soil and its effect on soil borne pathogens of sweet potato. My study on measuring the root exudates and the microbial community could potentially contribute to understanding the effects of microbial agents on soil borne pathogens of sweet potato.

The Conference in Tampa, Florida

The American Society of Agronomy, crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America had their 2017 Annual International Meeting with the theme “Managing Global Resources for a Secure Future” in Tampa, Florida. I attended that meeting as recommended by Prof Arthur Villordon, who is my co supervisor, as it is a good opportunity to meet and network with scientist and resource people around the world.

Perceived benefits from my travel and visitations

Confirming the knowledge gap and building confidence

The discussion I had with Dr Villordon, who published widely on topics related to the role of phosphorus on sweet potato root system and architecture, indicated that my research on understanding the rhizosphere properties of sweet potato will certainly add value to knowledge gap needed to resolved persistent variability in storage root yield of sweet potato known to exist in many countries. This also gave the confidence that my work has relevance and a source of inspiration to complete well my remaining experiments and successfully complete my PhD study.

Identified potential collaborations

My visit to LSU AgCenter also stimulated discussions on collaboration work as an extension to my PhD research project. Dr Villordon has offered to provide his expertise as best as he could from his experience elsewhere on projects similar to the proposed collaborations.

I also had cross discipline discussions with Dr Chris Clark, a sweet potato disease specialist. He has an opinion that the root exudates and microbial community in the root rhizosphere could potentially suppress effects of soil borne pathogens of sweet potato. My next experiment has an object to unveil the microbiome in the root rhizosphere of sweet potato cultivars at different P rates. Hope a potential candidate microbial agent be identified from this work and hopefully that could further developed into a collaborative partnership.

Improved on a research technique

I had issues in establishing a good Phosphate response curve in my experimentation. I can now improve on that from tips I learned from Dr Villordon. He demonstrated that very contrasting P response can be achieved by establishing sweet potato from zero P medium to drain out the P reserves in the stem cutting and shoots before transplanting in trials pots. This will greatly assist in developing very contrasting response difference needed for my next experiment.

Collection of relevant literature and publications

Dr Villordon had a more updated collection of literature on sweet potato research in the world. He provided me the copy and that will greatly add value to improving my literature review section of my thesis.

I made good contact with resource people

At the Annual International Meeting in Tampa, I made a good number of contacts with graduate researchers and specialist in areas related to my research work. We exchanged contact information and I look forward to make contact with them during the cause of my study and beyond.

Acknowledgements

This productive trip would not have been possible without the funding support from Plant Nutrition Trust Award and I am grateful to Dr Peter Ryan and his team for this funding opportunity. I also acknowledge the support from UWA Graduate Research School.

My supervisors Associate Prof. Megan Ryan and Prof. Arthur Villordon have not only suggested for me to take trip but have given me all the support needed to make this trip to the United States very successful. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was truly a fulfilling experience in my PhD journey. I had pleasant interactions with Dr Chris Clark and Mrs Mary Hoy at LSU AgCenter. They allowed me to appreciate sweet potato disease in relation my research focus and also gave me the opportunity to visit LSU Rural Life Museum. Finally, the hospitability I got from Ms Susan Karimiha at Baton Rouge and Prof Arthur and family at Manroe were second to none for which I am very thankful.

Contact: David Minemba