Before “höstlov” begins, 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“. Join us on December 5 in Lund from 12:00 to 17:00!
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)
Read the programme and register here!
2) 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. Keynotes are Ioannis N. Athanasiadis, Professor and Chair of Artificial Intelligence, Wageningen University and Filippo Biscarini, Senior Research Scientist, National Research Council (CNR). SLU’s new professor in digitalisation Abozar Nasirahmadi will also present.
The deadline to register is 31 October! You can sign up here. Places are limited!
3) 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. 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.
4) Read the brief of NordPlant’s final report
NordPlant handed in the end report end of September, a short summary of the 6 ½ years NordPlant operated can be found here. The project produced over 40 peer-reviewed papers and strengthened the Nordic work on joint standards for plant phenotyping. This work is continuing in the NBPPN. Another happy “continuation” is that the Norwegian Research Council has granted over 60MNOK to a new Norwegian Plant Phenotyping network and platform (PheNo) this month.
5) PlantLink’s Focus Groups 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 took their final shapes, and the first official meetings are taking place. We will keep you updated!
6) 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
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) 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
9) Join Moringa platform seminar and mingle – 12 November, SLU Alnarp
You are cordially invited to a half-day seminar, “Moringa: A Path to Sustainable Agriculture and Livelihoods in Africa,” which also marks the wrap-up meeting of the project “Moringa Platform Development: Identifying Knowledge Gaps for Sustainability and Livelihood Improvement in East and South Africa,” funded by SLU Global and led by Sajeevan Radha Sivarajan, Department of Plant Protection Biology.
Presentations on pilot surveys conducted in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, and Zambia will be given by: Awoke Guadie (Arba Minch University, Ethiopia), George Ogendi (Egerton University, Kenya), Salmina Mokgehle (University of Mpumalanga, South Africa), Peter Cheuka (University of Zambia). Additionally, a keynote address will be delivered by Ashwell Ndhlala (University of Limpopo, South Africa) and a video documentary will be displayed.
Join us in Triticum, Department of Plant Breeding, SLU, on November 12 from 9:00 to 12:25. Please register to secure your coffee and cake!
Full programme
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) 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.
The deadline for registration is November 18.
More information
12) EPSO Horticulture Working Group meeting – November 5
After the online reactivation meeting held on 31.5.2024, the EPSO working group for Horticulture is announcing a 2nd meeting on November 5. The field of horticulture is an increasingly strategic field for Europe as it can be instrumental in e.g. mitigating the effects of climate change on food security. The working group can play an important role in these topics.
Read more
13) Support Alnarp’s Agroecology Farm!
Alnarpsfarm was started 2,5 years ago by agroecology students and in very little time, though has quickly become an integral part of the campus life! Expanding from a 1000 m² plot to half a hectare, with plans for 3 hectares, it serves as a hub for students across programs in sustainable food production. With 70 crop varieties and local sales structures, Alnarpsfarm reaches hundreds of families in the region!
Learn more about Alnarps Agroecology farm
While the farm has gained attention from SLU and internationally, including the World Food Forum and FAO, it faces a critical financial challenge and is seeking support through crowdfunding to continue the work into the next growing season.
Support here
14) PlantLink’s Formas application: “From plant blindness to plant awareness”
PlantLink has submitted Formas Kommunikation application around reaching out to high school students and transforming “plant blindness” into “plant awareness”. Besides SLU, LU, Gothenburg University and Linnaeus University researchers, we are very happy to have Vetentskap & Allmänhet on board!
15) ELLS EWRS Summer School 2024 – video
The summer school aimed to combine basic principles of Artificial Intelligence, sensor- and application technologies in plant protection with practical applications in robotic weeding in fields with sugar beet. The summer school was combined with a meeting of the EWRS groups on “Site-specific weed management” and “Physical and Cultural Weed Control”.
Watch the video!
16) 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
17) Open positions
SLU Alnarp
Professor (fully tenured) in conservation ecology
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Researcher in Bioinformatics and crop adaptation to climate change
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Postdoc position in abiotic stress tolerance in plants
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Postdoc position in Plant host-microbiome interactions
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Lund University
Researcher in Evolutionary Ecology
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Post-doctoral fellow in the assessment of global forest dynamics
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Doctoral student in biology
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Others
Nordic Beet Research (NBR) – försöks- & projektledare
NBR is looking for a new coworker. If you want to make a difference in sugarbeet growing and production and want to perform applied research and development this is the job for you. Apply on latest 1st of December!
More information
18) Three Biodiversa+ proposals based at SLU Alnarp have been funded!
Congratulations to the three consortia based at SLU Alnarp, with total funding from Formas of almost 18MSEK over three years! This is a record number for the LTV faculty. In addition, there are funds from the other member countries of the three projects:
- GREENHANCE – Growing Resilience by Exploring Methods to Enhance Urban Agriculture for Human Well-being, Community and Biodiversity Enrichment (ES, SE, IT)
- WildCrop – Optimal rewilding of crop-bodyguard interactions facilitating the green transformation of agriculture (ES, SE, IT)
- inSALSA – Increasing Sustainability of Agribiologicals by Living Labs in sub-Saharan Africa (ZA, SE, DK, IT, IS, CZ)
The projects are coordinated by Thomas Randrup, Johan Stenberg and Erik Alexandersson. Biodiversa+ is a European co-funded biodiversity partnership supporting excellent research on biodiversity with an impact on policy and society.
19) Researcher in the Spotlight – Cecilia Hammenhag
Cecilia Hammenhag is a researcher at the Department of Plant Breeding at SLU Alnarp. Her research focuses on developing genomic tools for plant adaptation, studying genetic diversity, and domesticating new crops. All are intended to promote sustainable agriculture, increase food security, and address climate change. Cecilia also has an interesting link to the industry! Would you like to learn more?
Read the interview!