NEWS FROM
PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM
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Published monthly on behalf of SPPS by Wiley-Blackwell.
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Plants in space
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Microgravity seems to impose stress on the photosynthetic apparatus according to a new American study. Seeds of rape, Brassica rapa, were germinated in growth chambers on board a space shuttle that during 14 days flight took several loops around Earth in microgravity. Growth conditions were monitored and replicated to control plants grown at the Kennedy Space Center. Microgravity did not seem to influence growth and biomass accumulation, but the chlorophyll a/b ratio increased from 2.4 in ground controls to 3.5 in space grown plants. Mainly photosystem I was affected, having a reduced number of complexes and a 30% decrease of photochemical activity. Microgravity also led to altered chloroplast ultrastructure as shown by transmission electron micrographs.
Read full article here: Jiao et al (October 2004) Physiologia Plantarum 122: 281-290
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NEWS IN BRIEF
FROM OTHER JOURNALS
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Source:
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NO means GO for pathogens
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Source: Zeidler et al (2 November 2004) PNAS 101: 15811-15816
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XXII SPPS Congress is set for Umeå
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Trollius europaeus - symbol of the congress - is common in the mountains of northern Scandinavia. Modified from Gun Löfdahl by Gorm Palmgren.
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After touring the other Scandinavian countries for eight years, the biannual SPPS Congress is returning to Sweden. The venue for the upcoming XXII SPPS Congress has been set to Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC) and will take place 16-19 June 2005.
And it is somehow a comeback. Last time the congress was held in Sweden was in 1997 at SLU (Swedish Agricultural University) in Uppsala, and now SLU is also among the hosts, since its Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology in Umeå is part of UPSC (see article in this issue).
The scientific and organizing committee constitutes:- Per Gardeström
- Marianne Sommarin
- Hannele Tuominen
- Åsa Strand
- Torgny Näsholm
- Catherine Bellini
The final date for registration and submission of abstracts is 25 April 2005.
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The congress focuses on selected topics that will be dealt with at oral presentations and specialized workshops either before or after the congress. Graphic by Gorm Palmgren.
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The SPPS congresses always attract outstanding international scientists to give plenary lectures. Moreover, the congress participants are encouraged to present their own work either at short oral presentations or as a poster.
The 2005 congress in Umeå will be devoted to a few central topics. How to use natural variation to study biological questions will be one, others are plant development and adaptation to the environment. Workshops will be arranged in addition to the oral sessions in order to give the attendants a more detailed approach to subjects of interest.
More information about the congress is available on the congress website.
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