NEWS FROM
PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM
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Published monthly on behalf of SPPS by Wiley-Blackwell.
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CO2 counteracts drought
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Increased CO2 emissions and subsequent global warming is expected to cause more frequent episodes of drought in the US and many other parts of the world where maize is an important crop. Since drought is a primary limiting factor for maize yield, increases in atmospheric CO2 might lead to reductions in yield. But it turns out that the greenhouse gas to some extent actually counteracts the effects of drought and reduces the harmful effects of water stress. Richard Sicher and Jinyoung Barnaby from USDA in Beltsville, Maryland, USA tested the effect of ambient (38 Pa) and elevated (70 Pa) CO2 on maize subjected to drought 17 days after sowing. While drought altered the concentrations of 28 out of 33 tested metabolites and transcripts of 14 stress-related genes, the drought response was delayed by elevated CO2. Most of the responsive genes and metabolites were related to stress and overall the greenhouse gas delayed physiological drought responses by 2 days.
Read full article here: Sicher & Barnaby (March 2012) Physiologia Plantarum 144: 238
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NEWS IN BRIEF
FROM OTHER JOURNALS
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Timing the catapult
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Source: Noblin et al (16 March 2012) Science 335: 1322
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Complex fossil forest discovered
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Source: Stein et al (5 January 2012) Nature 483: 41
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More details on the SPPS PhD Student Conference in Estonia
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Laulasmaa, the conference venue, is locted midway between Stockholm and Sankt-Petersburg - and very close to Helsinki. From maps.google.com
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Several esteemed plant scientists are attending the 7th SPPS PhD Student Conference that will take place 12-15 September 2012 in the Estonian city of Laulasmaa. Among the invited speakers for keynote lectures are:- Claudia Köhler - Epigenetics
SLU (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences), Uppsala, Sweden - Francesco Loreto - Volatile compounds
Institute for Plant Protection (CNR-IPP), Firenze, Italy - Ülo Niinemets - Volatile compounds
Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia - Thorsten Nürnberger - Pathogen receptors
Universität Tübingen, Germany - Silke Robatzek - Plant pathogen interactions
Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich, England - Julian Schroeder - Environmental stress
University of California San Diego, USA - Mark Tester - Abiotic stress
University of Adelaide, Australia
There will be eight scientific sessions: - Molecular signalling
- Plant development
- Photosynthesis
- Abiotic stress responses
- Biotic stress responses
- Plant ecophysiology
- Atmosphere-biosphere interactions
- Applied plant biology
The 7th SPPS PhD Student Conference is a wonderful opportunity to meet leading plant scientists and other PhD students from the field, to share knowledge and make plans for the future.
In addition to scientific sessions there will be two discussion sessions at the conference. In the panel discussion Life after a PhD, the invited speakers will share their experience in what the future can bring after achieving a PhD degree. In the science popularization session How to get public? students will have the opportunity to gain knowledge about how to publish in scientific and popular journals. Nowadays it is more and more important to be able to communicate to media and to explain to the public the importance of scientific research. On the other hand, in order to be successful as a scientist, it is essential to get published in scientific journals. Vaughan Hurry, the editor in chief of Physiologia Plantarum, and Audrie van Veen, an expert in popularizing science, will share their expertise.
SPPS PhD Student Conferences are special events charged with youthful energy and enthusiasm. In addition to the scientific programme there will be social events every evening, enabling informal discussion and promoting contacts between scientists and students of different fields of plant biology.
Registration to the 7th SPPS Conference is now open. SPPS members will have a special price for registration and also have the opportunity to apply for a travel grant (please read the requirements and then login to apply).
Registration fees to the conference are as follows (SPPS members/non-members):
| Double room | 350 € / 450 € | | Single room | 480 € / 580 € | | Without accommodation | 225 € / 325 € | |
When you are a PhD student working in the field of plant science, the 7th SPPS PhD Student Conference is the event that you should not miss this year!
For further information visit the conference webpage.
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