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) Last chance to register for PlantLink Day!
Over 130 people have already signed up for the PlantLink Day on 5 December, in Lund. Since we can only host 150 participants, this is the last chance to register! The registration deadline is December 1!
The theme for this year’s PlantLink Day is “Lessons from the Past and Shaping the Future of Plant Science“.
You can look forward to insightful presentations on our plant and agricultural past from paleobotany experts Vivi Vajda (Naturhistoriska riksmuseet) and Catarina Rydin (Stockholm University). Teun Dekker (SLU) and Madeleine Fogde (SIANI) will discuss the future of development research, focusing on climate change and food security. Håkan Schröder (SLU) will present the newly funded centre for primary agricultural production. PlantLink’s Focus Group leaders will present and discuss two key themes identified by researchers as critical for the future regional advancement of plant science:
- Preserved biodiversity and reduction of pesticide use in agriculture (Leader: Kamil Demski, SLU)
- Advancing plant bioinformatics, agri-tech and crop phenotyping in AI-driven transformation (Leader: Aakash Chawade, SLU)
2) New Director of PlantLink and a goodbye to Erik Alexandersson!
We are happy to announce that the current Assistant Director of PlantLink Olivier Van Aken is taking over as the director of PlantLink. The current director Erik Alexandersson is starting a new role as a senior advisor in plant science and plant breeding at the Novo Nordisk Foundation in Copenhagen and will be leaving SLU.
We bid a heartfelt farewell and thank Erik for working with and supporting PlantLink for almost 14 years!
3) Newly awarded research grants in 2024
Congratulations to all researchers of Lund University and SLU Alnarp who received Formas support for young researchers and VR funding for plant and agriculture-related research projects! We are happy that a transdisciplinary research network, where both LU and SLU Alnarp participate under the leadership of Edith Hammer from LU, was funded. We tallied 43 MSEK from VR and 28 MSEK from Formas.
Read more here!
4) New centre in food resilience has been funded
On top of the grants mentioned above, Formas has granted 60MSEK for a transdisciplinary center in contingency planning and competitiveness in the food system called “FORCE – Center for food system resilience and competitiveness”. This centre is led by Cecilia Tullberg at LU. Åsa Grimberg, Gun Hagström, and Cecilia Hammenhag are co-applicants from the SLU Alnarp. Big congrats!
5) Join Plant Breeding Symposium – December 3, SLU Alnarp
The Plant Breeding Department at SLU will host a Plant Breeding Symposium to honour the contributions of Ahmed Jahoor, who has served as an Adjunct Professor at SLU for the past 12 years.
Confirmed speakers: Prof. Volker Mohler, Bayerische Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft, Dr. Michael Baum, ICARDA, Dr. Jihad Orabi, Nordic Seed, Assoc. Prof. Therése Bengtsson, SLU, Prof. Just Jensen, Aarhus University, Prof. Ahmed Jahoor, SLU/Nordic Seed
The symposium will take place in Craaford Hall, SLU; from 13:00 – 16:30, on December 3.
More information
6) Register for NBPPN hybrid Workshop on data standards in Plant Phenotyping – 26 – 28 February, Helsinki
NordPlant UPSCALE and the Nordic-Baltic Plant Phenotyping Network (NBPPN) welcome you to the workshop on data standards in Plant Phenotyping. The workshop will prove the usefulness of metadata analysis, pointing out the need to organise data and implement tools which allow (not only) researchers to store and share data to maximize their re-usability. In-person activities will allow the participants to use dedicated tools for getting data organized and accessible for personal and community needs.
Two types of registration are available for the workshop:
- Online Participation (Lecture Only): Fully free, allowing you to join virtually from anywhere in the world.
- In-Person Attendance (Lecture + Hands-On): While there is no registration fee, participants must cover their own transportation, accommodation, and meals. In-person attendees are required to arrive a day prior to the workshop, as lectures will begin at 9:00 AM (EET, UTC+02:00). Please note that in-person attendance is limited to the first 20 registrants; after this limit is reached, only online participation will remain available.
More information and registration
7) Nordgen’s Nordic Conference on Genetic Resources – December 11, Malmö
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
8) SLU and Sparbanken Skåne’s knowledge centre for sustainable food production is starting
This Centre will start in 2025 and run for 5 years with a total of 10 million SEK per year provided by the LTV faculty and Sparbanken Skåne. An interim steering group with an acting center leader Håkan Schroeder is now in place. An information session is planned during the first quarter of 2025. A website for the centre is planned to be launched after the turn of the year. More information will soon be available through Partnerskap Alnarp‘s information channels.
9) Networking fika with SNS and NKJ – December 13, Alnarp
Nordic Forest Research (SNS) and Nordic Agri Research (NKJ) invite you to a gingerbread event on Friday 13 December 13:00-15:00 in the Foyer at Alnarpsgården. During the mini-exhibition, you will have a chance to get to know SNS & NKJ better and get an insight into their work, including the recently opened calls for research networks and scholarships.
Take the opportunity to stop by to network and have a lovely fika – mulled wine, gingerbread cookies, and saffron buns!
10) EPSO Young Plant Scientist Awards has been launched
EPSO wishes to encourage the development of ideas and imaginative thinking in the plant sciences and, therefore, offers two awards to young scientists to attend the Science Day (18.6.2025) of the EPSO General Meeting to be held in Ljubljana / Slovenia.
The awards will cover registration and travel and the awardee can present a lecture on her / his research during a plenary session of the Science Day and will receive 200 €.
Applications are invited from PhD students working on either fundamental or applied aspects of research on plants. One award will be offered in each category. The application deadline is 31 January 2025.
More information
11) SLU researchers are searching for sweet potato growers
Dennis Eriksson and his research team from SLU want to investigate the possibilities of growing sweet potatoes in Sweden. They will run a participatory trial with five different sweet potato varieties in 2025. They are searching for 50 hobby growers who can each spare 20 m2 of land and grow 100 plants.
If you would like to learn more or show your interest, please contact dennis.eriksson@slu.se.
12) Newclim – follow updates on their brand-new LinkedIn page
The PlantLink-supported Newclim Erasmus+ project has launched its’ official LinkedIn page. Follow it to stay updated on the latest news!
Newclim aims to provide new training methods to manage climatic and ecological transitions in perennial fruit crops.
13) Courses
Course in experimental statistics – 26-27 February
SLU Field Research invites you to a course in experimental statistics that is aimed at anyone working with field experiments in agriculture. The course provides basic knowledge of the most common statistical methods when planning and analysing experiments carried out on arable land. The focus is on understanding statistical concepts and results. After the course, the participants will be able to plan simpler experiments in a statistically correct way and interpret statistical results from field experiments.
The course is in Swedish!
Read more
14) Open positions
SLU Alnarp
Postdoc – Plant breeding towards nutritional quality in cereals
More information
Laboratory technician – Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre
More information
Professor (fully tenured) in conservation ecology
More information
15) Story of Success – Alnarp’s Agroecology Farm
In this interview, Leòn Pepe Biundo, the Production Manager of Alnarp’s Agroecology Farm, introduces this student initiative focused on sustainable, hands-on, agroecological farming. Combining ecological practices with community building, the farm contributes to the local food system while providing learning opportunities for students!
Read the interview
The farm currently faces a critical financial challenge and is seeking support through crowdfunding to continue the work into the next growing season.
Read more and donate