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

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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

PLANT NUTRITION TRUST REPORT

by

Cui Li

I am honoured to be one of the recipients of The 2017 Plant Nutrition Trust Award, granted by Australian Society of Plant Scientists. Thanks to this generous support, I attended my very first International Plant Nutrition Colloquium (IPNC), combined with Boron and Manganese satellite meetings, held in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 19 to 24 August 2017.

I am a third year PhD student from School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane. My study area is on the absorption and translocation of foliar-applied nutrient fertilizers. The IPNC was the best conference that I have attended. Not only because the topic of the conference suited my study area, but also because it inspired through high quality of seminars and and poster presentations. This was especially true for the keynote presentations, which were given by world-leading scientists within the field.

The main theme of the 18th IPNC was: “Plant Nutrition for Global Green Growth”. Indeed, the conference involved presentations on macronutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and calcium, and micronutrients such as zinc, manganese, and boron. Furthermore, a range of plant species were considered, from arabidopsis and rapeseed to wheat and rice, with the focus of the research also being diverse, from nutrient transporters to next generation fertilisers. For example, I particularly enjoyed the keynote presentation given by Marta Vasconcelos titled “Impact of climate change on plant nutrition” which illustrated the effects of increasing atmospheric CO₂ on crop growth and nutrient status. This presentation encouraged me to think of the study of plant nutrition at a more interdisciplinary level – not only should we study the relationship between plants and nutrients, but also we should consider the effects of other factors on plant nutrition such as the changing climate, the succession of nutrients in soil agriculture system, and the increasing human population as well as decreasing land area. I also enjoyed the presentation by Jianfeng Ma titled “Molecular mechanisms for distribution of mineral elements in plants” which was inspiring in that it clearly explained how nutrients are allocated and transported within plants, giving consideration to symptoms we can see using our naked eye to the underlying physiology and molecular mechanisms. I also benefited a lot from the keynote presentations by Peter Kopittke and Søren Husted which shared new analytical methods and techniques can be used in the field of plant nutrition with clear examples.

On the 22^nd August, I gave an oral presentation about my PhD research, entitled “Understanding how foliar-applied Zn fertilizer moves across the leaf surface in sunflower and soybean”. A particular focus of my presentation was describing a novel role for trichomes in the absorption of foliar-applied nutrients. My research drew the attention of Victoria Fernandez who is a well-known scientist in the field of foliar fertilisation and who also a keynote speaker at the IPNC. We had a lengthy discussion with interest, and she insightful suggestions. Most importantly, she expressed her interest to collaborate in the future, with this being an important achievement for me at this conference. There were also others who presented their work within the topic of foliar fertilisation. These presentations provided an overview of the current studies and showed that the mechanisms of foliar nutrients absorption and translocation are still not fully understood. It is also interesting that it was found that foliar fertilisation is often not helpful for plants that are already severely nutrient stressed, thus it is important to develop methods that can recognise plant nutrients deficiency at the early stages. The photo shows Victoria Fernandez (right side) and myself.

I truly appreciated the generosity and support of the Plant Nutrition Trust Travel Awards. I have gained knowledge, expanded my horizons, and met face-to-face with researchers from all over the world in the field of plant nutrition. Moreover, it has firmed my determination to continue as a researcher within the field of plant nutrition!

Contact: Cui Li

PLANT NUTRITION TRUST REPORT

by

Olivia Cousins

Attending the IPG Root Biology Symposium in Missouri was a highlight of my year. I presented a poster, summarised the findings from my first big experiment, focusing on root responses to variable water and nitrogen supply. Being at my first root-specific conference was very exciting. Not only did I learn more about current research subject area, but I made connections with people from across the globe. Many of these people work on projects looking at ways to improve crop health and yield by tailoring root architecture.

With four main themes at the conference – development, rhizosphere interactions, phenotyping and technology, and adaptations to abiotic stress – it was important that the speakers delivered their message effectively. The common factor of my favourite speakers was their ability to draw in the audience not only with new information but by their delivery. Prof Andrea Carminati from Goerg-August-Universität Göttingen presented his research on soil physics and root water uptake very passionately and humorously. He explained that in maize water uptake is hugely driven by the crown roots; to do this he used cartoon drawings of himself. Certainly original, but the message came across very clearly! Ross Sozani (North Carolina State University) is also another passionate speaker, working on understanding stem cells in Arabidopsis thalianaroots. She quoted that “mixing biology, computational biology and engineering is like a fun tennis match”. Science can be unexpected.

I went to the conference thinking that X-ray Computed Tomography was the only 3D phenotyping technology available, but after listening to Dr Chris Topp (Donald Danforth Plant Science Center) I now understand better the different ways for capturing phenotypic variation in root systems, both 3D and 2D  imaging and modelling. He, along with Prof Michelle Watt (Forschungszentrum Jülich) emphasised that phenotyping roots is a necessity for understanding root-shoot dynamics. The knowledge they shared is something I would like to implement in my own research, perhaps to investigate the effectiveness of these technologies in understanding water-nitrogen interactions in wheat growth.

Another hotly discussed subject was the lack of communication between soil scientists and plant scientists, with many researchers reiterating that collaborations are only made possible through communication. It is also well-known that plant scientists and soil scientists don’t always understand each others areas of expertise. I believe it is critical for each party to work together in order to understand the effect of physical, chemical and environmental processes on plant growth.

The conference certainly delivered in academic content, but it also ensured that we scientists had time to socialise. The opening reception was a great place to make new acquaintances and consolidate old ones. I arrived not knowing anyone, but I discovered I was not the only one from the University of Adelaide, so it gave me the opportunity to strengthen contacts within my own campus, some of whom work in similar areas.  IPG did a fantastic job at providing meals and receptions, also catering for a student/postdoc/speaker dinner; I really enjoyed getting to know some of the other students, talking to them about their research and experiences as a postgraduate.

The opportunity to attend the IPG Root Biology Symposium came at the perfect time. Networking with scientists of all ages and background has reignited my passion for research and understanding the complex nature of our environment. It has helped me to realise that the joys and tribulations of science are shared by multiple people across the globe. We are not alone in facing the known and unknown. We are a community.

Contact: olivia.cousins@adelaide.edu.au

PLANT NUTRITION TRUST REPORT

by

Chandnee Ramkissoon

My name is Chandnee Ramkissoon and I am a 2^ndyear PhD student in soil sciences at the University of Adelaide. I am currently working on a selenium biofortification project, which looks at the optimisation of commercial fertiliser formulations to improve selenium levels in wheat. Last year, I was lucky enough to have been awarded a travel grant from the Plant Nutrition Trust, to attend the 5^thInternational Conference on Selenium in the Environment and Human Health, held in August at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

The conference was officially composed of two serial symposia; for the first time held in parallel at the same site and having overlapping plenary sessions, poster sessions and social events. The two symposia were The 11^th International Symposium on Selenium in Biology and Medicine and the 5^thInternational Conference on Selenium in the Environment and Human Health. I was one among 330 delegates from 41 countries to attend this conference and it was one of the most rewarding experiences ever.

With my current research interest in mind, I opted to attend most lectures about selenium biofortification studies from researchers from all around the world, while sneaking to a few of the most fascinating inter-disciplinary ones running in parallel sessions. Before attending the conference, I was looking forward to meet a few researchers whose work have inspired me personally. For example, some excellent work about selenium biofortification has been ongoing in Malawi since the 2000’s to help residents overcome or prevent selenium deficiency in an affordable manner. Dr Chilimba and Dr Martin Broadley, pioneers of such projects, passionately explained their journey to making such agronomic practices a reality in Malawi and briefly touched on what the next steps to ensure continuity would be. Those lectures, coupled with subsequent Q&A sessions were highly insightful. I was also very pleased to be given the chance to showcase my work in the form of a poster during the poster sessions over the 3 days at the conference. This gave me the opportunity to be critically appraised for my work and be given advice for follow-up steps. This whole experience was therefore very motivating and certainly very rewarding.

The networking and social activities were an important aspect of the conference as well. On the last day of the conference, all delegates were invited to attend a scrumptious reception at the Stockholm City Hall, which is incidentally the venue of the Nobel Prize ceremony every year. It was therefore an absolute honour to be amongst such an elite crowd at such an impressive venue and be addressed by the Mayor of Stockholm on that day. She highlighted how the collective work of scientists and policy makers around the world are helping to address world challenges sustainably and it was a moment of pride to be standing there at that time then. My personal favourite social activity during that trip remains an outing to the Berzelius Laboratory, found on a small nearby island to Stockholm. That laboratory was in fact the exact same location where selenium was accidentally’ discovered by Berzelius, famous Swedish chemist, about 200 years ago! The whole trip on that day ended with a fabulous cruise dinner while we made our way back to Stockholm.

Overall, this conference was overwhelmingly enriching in a sense that I came back more inspired than I have ever been to maintain my research into selenium biofortification and expand upon a bigger picture regarding its impact on the scientific community and greater world. I sincerely thank the Plant Nutrition Trust for giving me the financial opportunity to attend my first international conference in Stockholm to celebrate the 200 years of Selenium discovery.

Contract: chandnee.ramkissoon@adelaide.edu.au

Submitted by: Arjun Pandey

PhD Candidate , School of Agriculture and Food 

The University of Melbourne

1. Tri-society conference in Tampa, Florida

The American tri-society conference, “Managing Global Resources For A Secure Future”, jointly organised by Soil Science Society of America, American Society of Agronomy and Crop Science Society of America was held in Tampa in Florida, USA, from 22-25 October 2017. Around 4000 scientists from around the world attended the conference.

I gave an oral presentation titled, Microbially mediated nitrogen loss and retention pathways in Australian rice paddies. The 15 minutes oral presentation was based on my experimental work during my PhD candidature. The presentation included my findings on the nitrogen loss and retention pathways in Australian rice paddies. Presenting my work in front of experienced scientists from around the world wasa unique experience for me. I also got some important questions and feedback during the discussion session after my presentation which helped me to think about my research findings in a broader perspective. 

I met several scientists from around the world those who are working in my field of research. This provided me with the opportunity to build networks and to know the research activities being carried out in other research institutions. Lastly, I attended presentations from several scientist during the conference. This gave me an opportunity to learn about novel findings in the soil and crop sciences.

2. Visit to the Virginia Institute of Marine science (VIMS), Virginia, USA 

I visited Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS; see photo) and stayed in the institute for two days during 19-20 October. Scientists in the VIMS are mainly focused on costal and estuarine sciences and also in grassland ecosystems. There are experts working in nitrogen (N) transformation in anaerobic soils and sediments using 15N isotopic tracing technique in the institution. I visited the institute to meet Associate Professor Bongkeun Song and his research team who are studying N transformation using 15N isotope tracing technique. This is one of the techniques I have been using in my PhD research work.

I had an excellent meeting with Associate professor Bongkeun Song, whom is working on nitrogen transformation pathways in various ecosystems including agroecosystem. He is an expert on using 15N tracer to quantify nitrogen transformation pathways. I was in contact with Bongkeun for the last two years through emails and I had frequent discussion on my research methodology with him. I met with Bongkeun Song on the 20th of October, 2017. We had a discussion on my research, in particular on the research methodology and outcome of my experiments. I got some valuable inputs from him on my research work. A/Professor Bongkeun took me around his laboratory and explained on the use of some recent Isotopic Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) instruments and their use in our research. We also discussed about possible collaboration in the future. I also met with few other researchers in the VIMS that are working in my research area. We had a discussion on the methods and instrumental application in our search. 

Acknowledgements: The financial support from the Plant Nutrition Trust Award provided me with a great oppurtunity to attend one of the most important confreneces in the area of soil and crop sciences. I would like to sincerely thank the trust.

Contact: arjunp@student.unimelb.edu.au