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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Physiologia Plantarum to double impact factor
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Physiologia Plantarum is published on behalf of SPPS. Graphic by Gorm Palmgren.
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Although Physiologia Plantarum already ranks as an impressive #8 among the 136 most cited international plant science journals, the editorial board aims even higher. During 2004 journal representatives have met several times and have formulated a strategic plan that will double the impact factor within three years and lead to a 25% increase in the number of submitted manuscripts.
Initiatives have already been taken to make the journal more attractive for both readers and authors. Physiologia Plantarum intends to publish four Special Issues per year, where manuscripts focusing on specific themes are invited. The Special Issues started in September 2003 and has so far covered senescence, photosynthesis, redox regulation and desiccation tolerance.
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Topics covered in the September 2004 Special Issue dedicated to desiccation tolerance. Graphic by Gorm Palmgren.
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The next upcoming Special Issues will address cross-talk between plant signaling pathways and protease function, respectively. In addition to the normal articles, the Special Issues include around eight papers related to the selected topic. This will allow the reader to enjoy both a detailed picture and the general overview of current plant physiology. Hopefully, the strategy will attract new readers and lead to an increased impact factor and eventually result in increased manuscript submission.
To further stimulate manuscript submission, the editorial board and publisher are working hard to cut down the handling and production time. The average time to first decision is now less than six weeks, which is considered satisfactory, and the production time has been shortened to less than four months. By distribution of proofs in electronic PDF-format as well as other measures taken in agreement with the publisher, the goal is to reduce production time to no more than three months for the printed version and only two months for OnlineEarly articles.
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Per Gardeström, Editor-in-Chief, encourages members of SPPS to support Physiologia Plantarum. Photo courtesy of Per Gardeström.
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But Per Gardeström, Editor-in-Chief and Professor at Umeå Plant Science Center, also urges members of SPPS to support the journal by submission of manuscripts and by citing Physiologia Plantarum in their own scientific articles published in other journals. Physiologia Plantarum is the official journal of SPPS and is the society's main source of income.
The impact factor indicates the average number of times the journals articles are cited within two years after publication, and thus reflects not only the significance but also the current relevance of the journal. In times where scientists and institutes are constantly being evaluated, it has become increasingly more attractive to publish in journals with high impact factors, as this is generally seen as a quality label for the research.
Even though articles in Physiologia Plantarum were cited 10,161 times last year, the majority of citations were for papers older than the two-year limit, and accordingly they did not contribute to the impact factor. Consequently, Physiologia Plantarum 'only' scores 1.767 in impact factor and thus ranks 31 among the 136 international plant science journals.
You can find more information about Physiologia Plantarum on the journals official website.
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Cover from the October 2004 issue modified by Gorm Palmgren.
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