Welcome back! We hope you had a refreshing and energising summer! To help you ease into the work rhythm, PlantLink is here with the latest plant science updates from the region. Feel free to share this newsletter with anyone who might find it useful! Click here to subscribe.
1) Meet Professor Kazuhiro Sato at SLU and LU – 30-31 August
The Royal Swedish Academy of Science (KVA) and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) collaborate in support of and promotion of scientific exchange between Sweden and Japan. SLU, Lund University and Umeå Plant Science Center (UPSC) have invited a distinguished Japanese scientist, Professor Kazuhiro Sato, to present lectures and discuss further collaboration in the area of plant molecular genetics and breeding. Kazuhiro Sato is a professor in genetics and plant breeding at the Institute of Plant Science and Resources, Okayama University.
PlantLink will assist Roland von Bothmer, KVA, and JSPS host Prof Kazuhiro Sato in Alnarp and Lund!
More information and sign up
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 will be further explored in Focus Groups with roundtable discussions and presented on PlantLink Day 2024!
SLU researchers Kamil Demski and Aakash Chawade will lead 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 just getting formed. We will keep you updated!
3) 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 experts Vivi Vajda (Naturhistoriska riksmuseet) and Karl Ljung (Lund University) will provide presentations on the history of plants and agriculture. 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
4) PlantLink at Borgeby Fältdagar
Every year, Borgeby Fältdagar attracts visitors throughout northern Europe, offering a unique combination of crop demonstration plots, exhibitors and experts, and seminars. On Wednesday 26 June, you had a chance to meet PlantLink in the SLU tent and join a panel discussion “AI för framtiden växtodling och förädling – panel med PlantLink”. Aakash Chawade led the debate, and you can find the summary of it in Lantbrukets Affärer no 7, 2024 (in Swedish).
We are thankful for all the interactions and input during the day! Also noticing, that the PlantLink industrial mentorship program has been much appreciated!
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5) IWGSC webinar: Identification, Characterization and Combination of Novel Resistance Genes Against Rust in Wheat – 29 August
On 29 August, the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC) will organise a webinar in which Rimsha Ashraf, SLU, will talk about “Identification, Characterization and Combination of Novel Resistance Genes Against Rust in Wheat”. The study is focused on the identification, characterisation and combination of novel resistance genes to stripe (YrSLU) and stem rust (Sr59) in wheat by using traditional and novel genomic tools.
More information and registration
6) Join Ystad Summit: Dialogue for a common future – 4-6 September
Ystad Summit is a politically independent and open democratic meeting place that brings together global leaders, experts, and key stakeholders. The event serves as a platform for innovative dialogue on sustainable development, international cooperation, and emerging global trends. Entry is free!
You can look forward to hearing intriguing topics from Lantmännen, Tetra Pak, Livsmedelsakademin and others.
ScanOats will present “Oats: Past, Present, and Future.” The session will be moderated by Cecilia Nebel and will feature insights from Leif Bülow, Lieselotte Cloetens, Sofia Marmon, and Mats Larsson.
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7) Save the date: 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.
More information will be available soon, and the registration will open here.
8) EPSO news: Questions on Horizon Europe and FP10; declaration for free Digital Sequence Information
EPSO was invited by Manuel Heitor, chair of the High-level Expert Group on Horizon Europe and FP10, to provide input to the discussion of the High-Level Group (HLG). EPSO highlighted food and nutritional security as a major challenge to be tackled together with climate change, biodiversity, and human health. Read more here
EPSO also signed the declaration to maintain open, free and fair access to Digital Sequence Information (DSI) – advice to negotiators at COP16 in October 2024. Read more here
9) 35th EPSO Plant Science Seminar “Harnessing biosynthetic pathways in plants” – 19 September
The 35th Europe-wide seminar of the series is supported by the European Plant Science Organisation (EPSO) and aimed at the Plant Science community and its stakeholders. The seminars will be hosted on Zoom and last approximately 1.5 hours.
Speakers: Suvi T. Häkkinen, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Ltd: “Chicory as a potential source of bioactive ingredients”; Benjamin Kogelmann, BOKU, Austria: “Advanced glycan-modulation in Nicotiana benthamiana”; Shiqiang Gao, University of Würzburg, Germany: “Optogenetics for plant research”
More information and registration
10) 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; Mogens Humlekrog Greve, Professor and Section Manager, Aarhus University; Ramesh Raju Vetukuri, Associate Professor, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences; Mette Walter, Vice Director, Danish Technological Institute
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11) SLU LTV Faculty celebrates its 20th anniversary!
Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Sciences (LTV) at SLU Alnarp will celebrate its 20th anniversary on August 29. The programme of the Faculty Day will look back on the past and explore future perspectives, all with good food and music!
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12) SLU Breeding Network updates: Calls for Internationalisation, Seed money and interview with Harry Wu
The SLU Breeding Network is launching a call for internationalisation for researchers, postdocs and PhD students in animal or plant breeding at SLU. The call aims to provide support to enhance international contacts and collaboration with diverse institutions in relation to animal and plant breeding. Read more
As part of the strategy to increase cross-faculty collaborations and to further strengthen breeding research at SLU, the SLU Breeding Network will financially support short-term innovative projects related to animal or plant breeding involving researchers from at least two of the four faculties at SLU: VH, S, NJ, and LTV. Read more
SLU Breeding Network continues to introduce its Committee members. Read the interview with Harry Wu, professor at the Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, SLU.
13) Samples collection time – take part in the domestication process of field cress!
The initiative to domesticate field cress, Lepidium campestre, came from Professor Arnulf Merker at SLU more than 30 years ago. Field cress belongs to the mustard family and is evolutionarily related to rapeseed (canola). Research and development efforts are underway to evaluate the viability of field cress as a new crop in northern Sweden. Studies are being conducted to improve its agronomic traits, oil content, and seed quality and optimise cultivation techniques.
How can you get involved? Read the sampling instructions and join the citizen science project!
14) PhD courses
Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management (IPPM) – 14-18 October, SLU, Alnarp
The PhD course covers basic principles for designing and implementing IPPM strategies, focusing on the co-management of pests and beneficial organisms in agroecosystems. Teaching will cover a range of theoretical and applied topics at the forefront of IPPM, including:
The ecology and economics of interactions between crops, pollinators, pests (insects, weeds, pathogens), and natural enemies (insect and microbial biological control agents); Conflicts and synergies between crop pollination; Practical monitoring and decision support tools for IPPM (e.g. pollinator action thresholds); Pollinator health and climate change; Industry, societal, and policy perspectives.
On-site participation is compulsory for PhD students at Swedish universities. However, upon request, international students can participate in the course online.
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15) Open positions
SLU Alnarp
Professor in Plant Biotechnology
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Postdoctoral position in bee behaviour, crop pollination, and biocontrol
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Postdoc – Management of fast-growing trees (Populus)
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Postdoctoral stipend: Genomics of Heat Stress on Plant Reproductive Health
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Lund University
Postdoctoral fellowship in physical chemistry: Microscopic structure in plant seeds by scanning X-ray diffraction
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Doctoral student in biology
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16) Researcher in the Spotlight – Yann Clough
Yann Clough is a Professor at the Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC) and a principal investigator at BECC: Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate at Lund University. His research focuses on how policy and management decisions affect land use, which in turn affects species communities and interactions, as well as ecosystem functions and services. Would you like to know more?
Read the interview