Actualia of the DBG
Actualia (engl.) · DBG

Social Media: DBG discontinues X and joins Bluesky

Blue sky over green tree and meadow. Photo: shogun (Karl Egger), Pixabay

As the micro blogging platform X (formerly Twitter) has in recent weeks developed into a place that no longer respects scientific values and offers no space for fact based and constructive discussions, our German Society of Plant Sciences (DBG) has opened a new account on the platform Bluesky. With the handle @plantsciencedbg.bsky.social, the DBG has moved to a platform that is being joined by more and more people from the scientific community (s. Kupferschmidt (2024) 10.1126/science.zgpept9). Bluesky is a microblogging service, similar to the early days of Twitter, which uses an open protocol. DBG’s two X accounts – in German (@PlantScienceDBG with 2390 followers) and English (@PlantSciDBG_en with 6900 followers, as of January 7, 2025) – are kept in a “frozen” state to preserve the names and prevent them from being taken over by others.

DBG at Bluesky
Actualia (engl.) · Conference Report

Conference of the German Society for Plant Sciences: Botanik-Tagung

The conference images were kindly provided by IPK Leibniz-Institut Lynne Tiller, Marcel Quint, Julia Grimmer, Caroline Delker, Helge Brülheide, Esther Schwarz-Weig and others for DBG

In autumn, more than 600 researchers from various disciplines of plant sciences met for the Botanik-Tagung, International Conference of the German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG), in Halle (Saale). In his report, conference host Professor Edgar Peiter summarises the scientific topics, outstanding examples and award-winning research, and outlines which leading research personalities gave an insight into their latest results. 

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Actualia (engl.) · DBG · Promoting young researchers

DBG honours best Master theses for the tenth time

Experimental designs, summaries, as well as photos of the handing-overs of the certificates at the institutes at Karlsruhe, Kaiserslautern-Landau, Munich, Innsbruck, Hamburg, Braunschweig, Oldenburg, Bielefeld, Kiel und Münster. (c) graphs and photos : García Varo, Gabelmann, Holzner, Holzinger, Pelchen, Meckoni (2), Albach, Krieger, Hoensbroech, Obert and Kaltenbach

In the past year 18 authors of master theses received awards for their excellent research in the plant sciences. The topics for example were development, establishment or verification of new methods or techniques, analysis of metabolic pathways and biosynthesis, or addressing impacts of climate change. The studies also addressed plant pathogen defence, plant-microbe-interactions, functional characterizations, seed dispersal, enzyme studies, stress reactions, quality of seeds, or water balance. Thanks to the help of our contact persons DBG was able to award these prizes for the tenth year in a row at the participating universities.

Namen und Themen
Actualia (engl.) · DBG

Four new board members take office

New board members will contribute to DBG’s board (f.l.t.r): Professor Dr Iris Finkemeier, Professor Dr Boas Pucker, Dr Sophie de Vries and Professor Dr Christopher Grefen. Photos and (c): Laura Grahn (University of Muenster), Jakob Horz, Britta Leinemann (UGOE), M. Nowrousian

New board members took office on first of January according to our statutes: Professor Iris Finkemeier (Münster) took over the position as our new Secretary General from Professor Caroline Müller (Bielefeld), who had served with distinction for the past five years. Our new Secretary will be Professor Boas Pucker (Braunschweig), succeeding Dr Thomas Janßen (Berlin). The two new board members were elected in September 2024 at the general meeting in Halle. Dr Sophie de Vries (Göttingen) and Professor Christopher Grefen (Bochum) were elected as members of the extended board also during the Botanik-Tagung in Halle. Dr de Vries will represent early career researchers and Professor Grefen is the elected chair of our next international Botanik-Tagung in Bochum, Germany, 6th to 12th September 2026.

Board (2025-2026)
Actualia (engl.) · Conference Report

Strasburger Hot Topic: Co- and Posttranslational Control in Chloroplasts

The more than 50 Participants gathered for a photo in the Heereman’sche Hof of the University of Muenster. Photo: Florian Kotnik

The recent Strasburger Hot Topic Symposium on "Co- and Post-translational Control in Chloroplasts" was held at the University of Münster in November 2024. It brought together more than 50 researchers from six countries to discuss the latest developments in control of chloroplast functions and on advances in our understanding of co- and post-translational modifications, protein interactions, and stress responses within chloroplasts.

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Actualia (engl.)

Photos of our international Botanik-Tagung 2024

The conference images were kindly provided by IPK Leibniz-Institut Lynne Tiller, Marcel Quint (MQ), Julia Grimmer (JGR), Helge Brülheide (HB), Esther Schwarz-Weig (esw) and others for DBG.

Thanks to several photographers more than 1,000 images from our recent Botanik-Tagung in Halle in September were taken from which many are available via our Intranet. Please log in first.

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Actualia (engl.) · Conference Report

Thermomorphogenesis 2024

Participants of the Thermomorphogenesis Symposium in Würzburg, Germany. Photo: Christoffer Lutsch

The fourth international Thermomorphogenesis Symposium was organized in Würzburg, Germany, from 4th to 6th September 2024. Almost 50 participants joined the meeting to exchange unpublished research results about plants’ adaptions to higher temperatures – a topic becoming more and more important due more frequent heat waves occurring with climate change. Main organiser Dr Daniel Maag summarises the conference topics and points out how early career scientists profited from the exchange with other scientists during the DBG-supported gathering. 

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Actualia (engl.) · Conference Report

Symposium of the International Society of Endocytobiology (ISE) 2024

The participants of the conference gathered on the balcony of the RUB Convention Centre. Photo: Beatrix Dünschede

Around 60 researchers gathered in Bochum for this year's symposium of the International Society of Endocytobiology (ISE) from September 10 to 12. This year’s conference was organized by Professor Danja Schünemann and her team at the Ruhr University Bochum. Over two and a half days, 35 presentations and 13 posters highlighted the latest research findings in the field of endocytobiology. A key focus of the symposium, once again, was on the evolution of chloroplasts and mitochondria and their molecular functions, including aspects such as gene expression, protein sorting, and organelle/membrane biogenesis. Additionally, many contributions centered on the analysis of organismic symbiosis. In her report Schünemann pronounces the importance of conferences especially for early career scientists and lists the awarded presentations. 

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Actualia (engl.) · DBG · Honorary Member

Professor Dr Ulla Bonas becomes our new honorary member

Prof. Dr. Ulla Bonas. Foto: Markus Scholz

Unanimously, the member assembly decided that the emerita Professor Dr. Ulla Bonas will become new honorary member of the German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG). Proposed by DBG’s board, our president Professor Dr. Andreas Weber and honorary member Prof. Dr. Birgit Piechulla conveyed the news to Bonas, professor for Plant Genetics at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, since she unfortunately was unable to participate at our International Conference of the German Society for Plant Sciences. Our honorary member Professor Dr. Regine Kahmann summarizes in the laudation how Professor Bonas has made exceptional scientific discoveries. For example, her group was able to crack the recognition code of the newly discovered DNA binding domain in TAL effector proteins. The modular architecture of the proteins enabled the design and construction of artificial DNA-binding proteins with new specificities, which led to TALENs (Transcription activator-like effector nucleases). This was a major breakthrough to inactivate genes in eukaryotic genomes. The technological advancement cannot be underestimated and deserves the greatest recognition. TALENs would still be used today if the more-easy-to-use CRISPR Cas9-based gene editing system would not have been invented. Moreover, Bonas and her group gained major insights into the mechanisms as to how bacterial pathogens manipulate their host plants. Bonas received many prestigious awards and also serves the scientific community, e.g., as vice president of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, as Kahmann’s laudation describes, which DBG’s president Weber presented at our member assembly in Halle, Germany, on 17th September 2024. 

German Laudatio (pdf)
Actualia (engl.)

21st International Symposium of Iron Nutrition and Interactions in Plants (ISINIP 2024)

Welcome of the conference participants by Prof. Dr. Petra Bauer (top, middle) and HHU’s Vice President for International Relations and Science Communication, Professor Dr Stefan Marschall (bottom, right). Photos and ©: Steffen Köhler, HHU

Recent advances in scientific iron nutrition in plants to solve global challenges based on scientific evidence were in the focus of the 21st International Symposium of Iron Nutrition and Interactions in Plants (ISINIP 2024) at Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU), Germany. Special emphasis was given to the significance of research of the critical micronutrient for food security, environmental sustainability, and the molecular regulation of iron uptake, allocation, and storage. The conference brought together more than 100 international plant science experts and early career scientists to broaden their expertise and helped to build their networks. Conference chair, Professor Dr Petra Bauer, reports about the topics of the meeting that took place in July, which comprised fundamental biology, soil ecology and biotechnology approaches of plant iron nutrition.

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Actualia (engl.) · DBG

Big thanks to our Secretary General, Professor Dr Caroline Müller

President Professor Dr Andreas Weber thanked Professor Dr Caroline Müller not only with flowers, but also with a voucher for her hobby. Photo: esw

For her exceptional commitment and her impressive efficiency, with which Professor Dr Caroline Müller (Bielefeld) executes her office as the Secretary General of our German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG) in the years from 2018 until today DBG’s president thanked her in the name of all the more than 1,100 members. Her management still sets new standards and shaped the development of our Society substantially, Weber pointed out during the regular member assembly at the Martin Luther University of Halle, Germany. The auditorium thanked Müller with long lasting applause for her work. She will continue her office until the end of the year, until the newly elected Secretary General will take over her office according to our statutes, since professor Müller did not wanted to be considered for reelection. President Weber also thanked Christine Fiebig (Bielefeld), who has supported Müller over all these years and is going to retire soon, and our Secretary Dr. Thomas Janßen (Berlin) for his office in the years 2012 until 2024. Both could not make it to this year’s member assembly in Halle.  

Actualia (engl.) · DBG

New board members elected

Professor Dr Iris Finkemeier, Professor Dr Boas Pucker, Dr Sophie de Vries and Professor Dr Christopher Grefen (f.l.t.r) will take over their offices starting 2025. Photos and (c): Laura Grahn (WWU), Jakob Horz, Britta Leinemann (UGOE), M. Nowrousian

Four persons were elected in the member’s assembly to become new board members of the German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG) on 17th September 2024 in Halle. Professor Dr Iris Finkemeier (Münster) becomes our new Secretary General and takes over this office from Professor Dr Caroline Müller (Bielefeld), who did not wish to stand for re-election. With this Professor Finkemeier advances from one of the two offices as extended board members, which she had filled since 2016, to our executive board. Professor Dr Boas Pucker (Braunschweig) will also join the executive board as our new secretary, since Dr Thomas Janßen has stepped down from this office, which he occupied since 2012. New members of the extended board are Dr Sophie des Vries (Göttingen), representing early career researchers, and Professor Dr Christopher Grefen (Bochum) as designated conference chair of the next international Botanik-Tagung 2026. Unanimously, Professor Dr Andreas Weber (Düsseldorf) was re-elected as DBG’s president as well as Professor Dr Raimund Tenhaken (Salzburg) to be our treasurer. 

Actualia (engl.) · DBG · Internat. Botanik-Tagung · Promoting young researchers

Awards for best science posters at Botanik-Tagung 2024

Awardees of the ten prizes for the best posters of the German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG) and the prize of the German Genetics Society. DBG’s awardees received their certificates from its president Prof. Dr. Andreas Weber (left) and conference chair Prof. Dr. Edgar Peiter (right). The genetic prize was handed over by Dr. Markus Kuhlmann. Photo: Julia Grimmer

The participants voted for the ten best out of the almost 400 science posters presented at the Botanik-Tagung, International Conference of the German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG). DBG’s awardees will receive 142 Euros each, since DBG was founded 142 years ago. The list with the names of first authors and the titles of the awarded posters, as well as single photos of each of the hand-overs of the certificates are summarized here:

names, titles and all images
Actualia (engl.) · DBG · Internat. Botanik-Tagung

Plant sciences can provide solutions for growing challenges

Professor Dr. Andreas Weber welcomed the audience of this interdisciplinary meeting and motivated the participating scientists to become more proactive in translating research into societal benefits. Photo: Julia Grimmer

In his opening speech of the Botanik-Tagung, International Conference of the German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG), our president, Professor Dr Andreas Weber, reminded us that plants as our common study objects are not only at the base of most food webs and important to maintain ecosystem function. But plant science can also contribute to find ways to effectively remove carbon from the atmosphere as well as for developing solutions to prevent further biodiversity loss. He reminded us, that the loss of biodiversity is an even greater threat to humankind than climate change, since we are losing diversity at an alarming rate of 150 to 200 species per day through human activities. Weber therefore motivated and encouraged all participants of the conference with the motto “Growing Solutions for Growing Challenges” to become proactive, leave the academic ivory tower and to translate research results into societal benefits. Our interdisciplinary Botanik-Tagung provides a space to bring together plants, people and societal benefits.

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Actualia (engl.) · Conference Report

Young Session of the Second European Congress on Photosynthesis Research

Some participants of the Young Session of the second European Photosynthesis Congress 2024 in Padua. Photo: Giorgio Perrin

The Young Session of the Second European Congress on Photosynthesis Research was held in Padua, Italy, on June 24 and 25, 2024. More than 120 early-career scientists from over 20 countries actively participated in this event. The program featured over 20 talks covering a diverse range of topics including biophysics, molecular biology, ecophysiology, and new technologies, along with a poster session showcasing over 100 research posters. The DBG sponsored the attendance of three young scientists selected by the organizers, whose insights are highlighted in this conference report.

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Actualia (engl.) · Conference Report

Cell’s energy-transducing mitochondria and chloroplasts

The International Gordon Research Conference about mitochondria and chloroplasts was supported by the German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG). Photo: Andreas Weber

During the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on mitochondria and chloroplasts more than 150 participants from botany, zoology, mycology and medicine discussed recent advances as well as unpublished research results. Co-chair, Professor Andreas Weber summarizes current topics in this research area, about which established as well as early career scientists discussed during an intensive and the participant’s enriching week near Barcelona in July.

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Actualia (engl.) · Promoting young researchers

Science prizes for early career researchers at international Botanik-Tagung

Photo top left: Dr. Henryk Straube (left) received the certificate from the president of DBG’s Wilhelm Pfeffer Foundation, Prof. Dr. Severin Sasso. Photo top right: Dr. Eliza Loo was given the certificate from DBG’s president, Prof. Dr. Andreas Weber. Photo bottom left: Dr. Martin Lewinski got his certificate by Prof. Dr. Caroline Müller, DBG’s Secretary General. Prof. Sasso also handed over the certificate of last year’s Award for the best plant science paper to Dr. Pratibha Kumari, who was invited to the international Botanik-Tagung to come to Halle, together with all the awardees. All photos: Lynne Tiller

During the International Conference of our German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG) the Botanik-Tagung, plant geneticist Dr. Henryk Straube received the Wilhelm Pfeffer Pize, microbe scientist Dr. Eliza Loo got the Eduard Strasburger Prize, and bioinformatician Dr. Martin Lewinski’s work was awarded with the Horst Wiehe Prize. The three awardees were invited to present their research in a plenary lecture. Also cell biologist Dr. Pratibha Kumari was handed over the certificate for the best plant science paper, awarded in 2023, during DBG’s biannual science conference. Their excellent plant research results will help future research in measuring rare DNA nucleotids, improving plant health, analyzing RNA binding proteins, or looking into plant cell division.
Details about this year’s science awards can be retrieved from the press release published beforehand: “Roots are like human guts, new enzyme discovered, and new lab method established”.

images and audiences
Actualia (engl.) · Conference Report

Symposium on Insect-Plant Relationships in Bielefeld

Participants of the Symposium on Insect-Plant Relationships (SIP) in the courtyard of the conference venue. Photo: Luzie Mozygemba

The symposium has a long tradition and took place in 1957 in Wageningen (The Netherlands) for the first time. It is held every three years and was held in Germany for the second time from 4th until 8th August in Haus Neuland in Bielefeld as SIP18. About 170 participants from at least 19 countries discussed recent research on insect-plant interactions, extending also to other interaction partners. Exciting keynote talks were given by Renee M. Borges (India), Rieta Gols (The Netherlands), Scott Johnson (Australia), Meredith Schuman (Switzerland), Anurag A. Agrawal (USA), Beata Gabryś (Poland), Georg Petschenka (Germany), Sharon E. Zytynska (UK) and Robert R. Junker (Germany). Additional research was presented and discussed in selected scientific talks as well as in form of numerous scientific posters. The organising committee – Caroline Müller, Rabea Schweiger and Christine Fiebig (Chemical Ecology, Bielefeld University) – report on a fruitful scientific exchange in a great network, accompanied by exciting excursions, a workshop and a productive get-together in a very green environment.

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Actualia (engl.) · Conference Report

Plant Science Student Conference in Halle (Saale)

Some of the 60 participants of the PSSC 2024 gathered in front of the Leibniz-Institute for Plantbiochemistry in Halle (IPB). Photo: IPB

The 19th Plant Science Student Conference (PSSC 2024) took place at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB) from June 17th to 20th in 2024. The conference represents almost two decades of tradition between the IPB and the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), in which students at the institutes invite other students of the plant sciences to share their knowledge, build connections and experience an academic conference in a student-friendly atmosphere. Approximately 60 PhD students participated this year, joining not only from IPB and IPK, but also from the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU). In addition, the conference invited Prof. Dr. Gabriel Schaaf from the Rheinische Friedrich Wilhelms University Bonn, Dr. Marie Barberon from the University of Geneva and Prof. Dr. Stefanie Ranf-Zipproth from the University of Fribourg as keynote speakers. As part of the organizing team Max Jonas Paulmann, Lilly Eger, and Jolina Marx from IPB report participants spent four exciting days full of inspiring science, fruitful interaction and – of course – delicious food.

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DBG Update
VBIO

VBIO-Rückblick - Jan 2025

Sorry, in German only

Bislang stellte der Verband Biologie, Biowissenschaften und Biomedizin (VBIO) vor jeder Wahl zusammen, was die Parteien im Bereich Lehre, Forschung, Entwicklung und Innovation sowie Naturschutz, Klimawandel und Neuen Züchtungstechniken planen. Leider ist die Zeit für diese Wahl-Prüfsteine wegen der verkürzten Wahl nicht möglich, bedauert der Dachverband. Er informiert außerdem über anstehende Termine und rundet seinen Rückblick auf den Vormonat ab mit Ausschreibungen sowie Nachrichten aus der Hochschul- und Wissenschaftspolitik. 

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DBG · Newsletter

76th DBG Newsletter

This issue is the first to reach you from our new Secretary General, Iris Finkemeier (Münster), who has taken her office early in 2025 together with three other board members. She is assisted by her secretary, Teresa Kühlkamp.
Eine zentrale Schaltstelle in der Immunantwort, die frühe Entwicklung von Pflanzen, wie sich Dürre, Wärme und CO2 auf Grasökosysteme auswirken, und neue Biosensoren, die das Verhältnis von NADPH zu NADP+ erstmals in lebenden Zellen in Echtzeit messen lassen sowie eine interdisziplinäre Broschüre zur Genomeditierung bei Pflanzen sind einige der Themen in den beiden ersten Newsletter-Rubriken.
DBG informs about its recent move away from X (Twitter) to another platform and about the awarded 19 master theses. Two out of our six Sections invite to their conferences in February and March, which offer stages and networking not only for established but also for early career researchers.

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VBIO-Rückblick - December 2024

Sorry, in German only

In seiner Rückschau auf den Monat Dezember berichtet der Verband Biologie, Biowissenschaften und Biomedizin in Deutschland (VBIO) über seine Teilnahme an einem Parlamentarischen Abend zum Thema KI, gemeinsam mit den drei anderen großen naturwissenschaftlichen Fachgesellschaften, in dem sich etwa 40 Abgeordnete über die in Mathematik und Naturwissenschaften vorhandene Expertise und Einschätzungen inormierten. Außerdem verweist der Dachverband, in dem auch unsere DBG Mitglied ist, auf die noch laufende Ausschreibung zum Ars Legendi-Preis 2025. Mitteilungen aus Hochschul- und Forschungs-Politik runden den Rückblick ab.

Link zur Dezember-Ausgabe (Log-In erforderlich)

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DBG · Newsletter

75th DBG Newsletter

This issue provides details about the upcoming conferences of four of our six Sections, links to the photos of our past international Botanik-Tagung in Halle, and introduces the projects and plant scientists, who received several million Euros funding.
Die Forschungsrubrik startet mit Molekülen, die das pflanzliche Immunsystem überlisten, zeigt wie weit Schließzellen zählen, und stellt einen neuen Mechanismus der Genregulation vor, der bislang nur von tierischen Zellen bekannt war.

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VBIO-Rückblick - November 2024

Sorry, in German only

Der Verband Biologie, Biowissenschaften und Biomedizin (VBIO) verweist im Bericht über seine November-Aktivitäten auf die derzeit laufende Ausschreibung des Ars Legendi-Preises für gute Hochschullehre, berichtet über den Biologentag 2024 des Landesverbandes Nordrhein-Westfalen zum Thema „Chemische Ökologie: Anziehen, Abwehren, Symbiose“, der am Max-Planck-Institut für Pflanzenzüchtungsforschung in Köln stattgefunden hatte, erwähnt die Feierstunde in Stuttgart anlässlich der Verleihung der Karl-von-Frisch-Preise für Biologie-Schüler*innen und zitiert das Sonderheft der Biologie in unserer Zeit (BIUZ) zum Thema CRISPR-Cas.

Link zur November-Ausgabe (Log-In erforderlich)

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DBG · Newsletter

74th DBG Newsletter

This newsletter looks back at our Botanik-Tagung in Halle, informs about our new honorary member, newly elected board members, provides news from our Sections and introduces the recent awardees of our science and poster prizes. For people who could not make it to Halle, the newsletter summarizes why our president motivates plant scientists to think outside the academic box. The team around our newly elected Secretary General invites ECR’s interested in chloroplasts’ regulation to DBG’s Hot Topic Symposium.
Die erste Rubrik startet mit der ersten Bestandsaufnahme Biodiversität in Deutschland, schildert, wie mit „optogenetischen“ Pflanzen neue Signalwege entdeckt wurden, und führt aus, warum es sich lohnt, sich beim Europäischen Referenz-Genom Atlas zu beteiligen. Welche Pflanzenforschende jüngst Millionen Euros für ihre Forschung bei der EU einwerben konnten, ist ebenfalls eines der Themen.

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Internat. Botanik-Tagung

Childcare reservation deadline

If you want to use childcare services during the Botanik-Tagung, our international plant science conference in September in Halle, Germany, make sure to reserve a place until 15th August 2024, since only registered children can be looked after! Unfortunately, an on-site registration for childcare will not be possible!

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Promoting young researchers · Event

ECRs invited to register for workshop on chloroplast's translational control

Registration is open for DBG's second Eduard Strasburger Hot Topic Workshop. It focusses on "Co- and posttranslational control in chloroplasts" (#DBGHotTop2024) and will be organized in Münster, Germany, from 18 – 20 November 2024. Attendance to the workshop is free for early career researchers (ECRs) and made possible through DBG's funding. The workshop will be organised by Dr Jürgen Eirich and Jens Mühlenbeck from the Institute for Plant Biology and Biotechnology at Münster University.

To workshop website Co- and posttranslational control in chloroplasts
DBG · Event

Invitation: DBG's first Town Hall Meeting

Dear members of the German Society for Plant Sciences,

you are invited to participate in the first town hall meeting of our society on 9th January 2024 at 3 p.m. Topics:

  • News about our society (short report from strategy workshop of board, change of “Satzung” etc)
  • Possibilities for engagement in the DBG board
  • Possibilities for early career researchers
  • Reminder: Workshops, prizes
  • Plant Biology Journal (faces behind the papers,...)
  • Your suggestions and ideas

Join via Zoom (see link in your e-mail or in the Newsletter in our Intranet).

Andreas Weber and DBG's board

DBG · Politics

Statement: DBG to EU proposal for NGTs

Die Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft (DBG) begrüßt den Vorschlag der EU-Kommission vom 5. Juli 2023 zur Regulierung der Nutzung von mit neuen genomischen Techniken (NGT) erzeugten Sorten, um das Gentechnik-Recht an den aktuellen Wissensstand anzupassen. Es hat sich aus wissenschaftlicher Sicht als sinnvoll erwiesen, neue Pflanzensorten nach ihren Eigenschaften und nicht nach Art ihrer Erzeugung zu bewerten. Die DBG schätzt die Vorschläge der EU zur Kategorisierung und den einzelnen genetischen Änderungen im Folgenden ein und schlägt konkrete Präzisierungen vor.

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Umfrage zeigt hohen Bedarf an Freilandstudien mit gentechnisch veränderten Pflanzen

Abbildung 1: Häufigkeit der Pflanzenarten oder Pflanzengattungen, die in Freilandstudien untersucht werden sollten. Insgesamt wurden 229 Antworten gegeben. Die Kategorie Bäume umfasst Pappel, Fagus, Picea und Sequoiadendron.

Eine online-Befragung unter Pflanzenwissenschaftler*innen in Deutschland zeigt großen Bedarf an Freilandstudien mit gentechnisch veränderten Pflanzen. Nur mit Studien im Freiland lassen sich aussagekräftige Ergebnisse z.B. zur Ertragsbildung sowie Klima- und Stresstoleranz gewinnen. Vor gezielter Zerstörung gesicherte Freilandflächen (sog. Protected Sites) sind ein Lösungsansatz. Für 83 Prozent der Teilnehmer*innen an der Umfrage eröffnen sich damit neue Forschungsperspektiven. Die Einrichtung solcher zerstörungssicheren Freilandflächen kann die internationale Konkurrenzsituation der Pflanzenwissenschaften in Deutschland grundlegend verbessern. Dies ist wichtig, weil derzeit auch genomeditierte Pflanzen unter die Regularien des Gentechnikgesetzes fallen. Deshalb besteht dringender Handlungsbedarf  ̶̶  unabhängig von einer zukünftigen, an den Stand wissenschaftlicher Erkenntnis angepassten Neuregulierung genomeditierter Pflanzen in der EU.

zu den Ergebnissen und Abbildungen

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EPSO’s statement to war in Ukraine and support for Ukrainian scientists

The European Plant Science Organisation (EPSO) published a statement against the war and support for scientists. EPSO, in which our DBG is an associate, wants to contribute to building a better Europe and world by an expanding list to facilitate refugee scientists from Ukraine in finding a host lab.

Read EPSO’s statement, in which they are referring to international law (Geneva Convention and UN convention) here:
https://epsoweb.org/epso/scientists-contributing-to-building-a-better-europe-and-world-stop-war-in-ukraine-offer-support-to-ukrainian-scientists/2022/02/28/

If you would like to add a new lab to this list, use their continuously updated Google-form: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeRGe5Da_b6GGyC6VT7CLGViGs06SzeuX7wRKpC4K5tnvlhgg/viewform?usp%3Dsf_link__;!!C5qS4YX3!XnBWdlPAURTnwcPm57vNyo8-fN22nGHUvvPxL_RNPg4FR-40RmUPbMQ0l5qxmDHB$&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1646826005305500&usg=AOvVaw24bwgzVzsQ060tb-Fs3sTi

If you are looking for a labs, use their continuously updated Google list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HqTKukfJGpmowQnSh4CoFn3T6HXcNS1T1pK-Xx9CknQ/edit#gid=320641758

DBG · Politics

Open Statement on the Regulation of Genome Edited Plants and Crops

The EU and New Zealand differ from most other countries and their regulations for precision breeding techniques (see Schmidt, Belisle, Frommer (2020), EMBO Rep 2020, e50680, https://doi.org/10.15252/embr.202050680)

132 European research institutes and science associations – with DBG being one of them - strongly recommend to the European Council, European Parliament and the European Commission to revise the existing directive for precision breeding, also known as genome editing. This is not only important for recovery from the COVID-19 crisis but also since genome-editing offers many solutions for a fast, relatively simple and much more directed way to create resilience to climate change compared to previous breeding techniques. Moreover the breeding of plants that are less dependent on fertilizers and pesticides is more efficient. Use of these methods preserves natural resources of our planet and supports to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations as well as the Green Deal of the EU. The European Sustainable Agriculture through Genome Editing (EU-SAGE) Network, under which the institutions named above are unified, recommends the European Commission to endorse this message for the benefit and welfare of all EU citizens and to adapt the current regulations to use genome-editing for crop and plant breeding to recent scientific results. In its Open Statement the EU-SAGE network cites scientific studies that demonstrate the successful creation of genome-edited plants with resilience to climate change and resistance against pests and diseases and therefore higher yields and revenues. Other studies have proven to reduce the dependency on pesticides by improving resistance against diseases in rice, wine, wheat, and grapefruit. In addition precision breeding accelerates the introduction of healthy traits into vegetables and fruits, as studies have shown.

Read EU-SAGE's whole open statement (pdf)

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DBG · Promoting young researchers · Media · Press release

Awards for four Exceptional Plant Scientists

The awarded scientists (counter clockwise starting top left): Dr. Constantin Mario Zohner, Dr. Eva-Sophie Wallner, Dr. Moisés Expósito Alonso and Dr. Jessica Lee Erickson. Photos: Jaimie Crowther, Jörg Abendroth, Tobias Jung, and Carolin Alfs

How climate change influences growing seasons length in woody plants and survival of flowers, the substances that influence shape changes of plastids, and the proteins that spur phloem differentiation are in the research focus of the four plant scientists who will receive the science prices of the German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG) this year. Dr. Constantin Mario Zohner, Dr. Jessica Lee Erickson, Dr. Moisés Expósito Alonso and Dr. Eva-Sophie Wallner will get their awards during the Botanikertagung, the International Plant Science Conference in Rostock, Germany. From 16th to 18th September, the four will present their research results to the more than 420 conference participants.

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DBG · Politics

Basic research needs to be appreciated, extended and communicated

DBG promotes the positions of the German Life Sciences Association VBIO on basic research in the life sciences that need to be appreciated, extended and communicated.

Sorry, basic text in German only

Grundlagenforschung braucht mehr Wertschätzung, eine wirksame und längerfristige Finanzierung und die strukturelle Absicherung der dort Beschäftigten. Auch die Wissenschaftskommunikation muss ausgebaut werden, fordert der Verband Biologie, Biowissenschaften und Biomedizin in Deutschland e.V. (VBIO) in seinem Positionspapier. Diese Positionen teilt die DBG, die im Dachverband der Biolog*innen Mitglied ist, und das Papier gemeinsam mit weiteren 12 wissenschaftlichen Fachgesellschaften gezeichnet hat.

Quelle: VBIO

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DBG · Politics

For precision breeding and sustainable agriculture

The German Society for Plant Sciences (Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft, DBG) and its Section Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology (SPPMB) jointly reach out to the newly elected European Parliament and the European Commission to adjust the old EU legislation on genetically modified organisms (GMO), issued in 2001, to current scientific knowledge and international stands. Together with 115 other scientific organisations and institutes, they suggest using the potential of precision breeding techniques like Genome Editing to enable sustainable agriculture and food production in the EU.

Read joint statement (pdf)

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DBG · Politics

Plant scientists support precision breeding

More than 85 European scientists and plant science organisations including our German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG) unite to ask the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for immediate review of EU legislation concerning new breeding technologies like #CRISPR. They want to safeguard precision breeding for sustainable agriculture. Read the open letter supported across Europe at the VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology. If you want to support this position you are welcome to add your name to the list of signatories.
Letter and option to support the position at VIB-UGent

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Jobs
Jobs

PhD position (m/f/d)

Plant RNA Biology

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), Institute of Molecular Physiology, Molecular Plant Science, Mainz, Germany

Start: 1 April 2025

Deadline: 28 February 2025

Details (pdf)

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Jobs

Research position / PhD candidate (m/f/d)

Role of chemodiversity in Solanum dulcamara in plant-herbivore interactions

University of Hohenheim, Institute of Biology, Dept. of Molecular Biology, Hohenheim near Stuttgart, Germany

Start: as soon as possible

Deadline: 28 February 2025

Details (pdf)

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Jobs

2 PhD positions (m/f/d)

Plant biology: cassava storage root development

Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Faculty of Sciences, Department Biology, Division of Biochemistry, Erlangen, Germany

Deadline: 28 February 2025

Details (pdf)

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Jobs

Research / PhD position (f/m/d)

Influence of global change factors on plant-insect interactions

Universität Bielefeld, Faculty of Biology, Department of Chemical Ecology, Bielefeld, Germany

Start: as soon as possible

Deadline: 20 February 2025

Details (pdf)

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Jobs

Research Associate / PhD position (m/f/d)

Assessing the role of polyploidy evolution on diversification rates in a species-rich lineage of the pineapple family

Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Evolution of Flowering Plants, Institute of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, and Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Germany

Start: at the earliest date possible

Deadline: 25 February 2025

Details (pdf)

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Jobs

Full Professor (W3) (m/f/d)

Functional Plant Biology and Metabolism

Joint recruitment: Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) in the Faculty of Natural Sciences I – Biosciences and Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), Halle /S., Germany

Start: 1 April 2026

Deadline: 15 Februar 2025

Details (pdf)

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Jobs

PhD position (m/f/d)

Pharmaceutical Biology: Heat stress resistance in Arabidopsis

University of Würzburg, Julius-von-Sachs Institute for Biociences, Würzburg, Germany

Start:  April 2025

Deadline: 14 February 2025

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Jobs

Researcher (m/f/x)

Ecology, adaptation and population genomics of endangered plant taxa in Bavaria

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), Faculty of Biology, Systematics, Biodiversity and Evolution of Plants, Munich, Germany

Start: 1 March 2025

Deadline: 31 January 2025

Details: LMU

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Recommended
Plant Biology · DBG

Review on isoleucic acid in plants (and mammals): biosyntheses, functions, knowledge gaps, and future research

Isoleucic acid, detected along with its deactivated glucosylated form in diverse plant species, plays a key role in activating defense responses and inhibiting root growth, though its biosynthetic gene remains elusive

In their review "the branched-chain amino acid-related isoleucic acid: recent research advances" authors Mekonnen, Ghirardo, Zhang, and Schäffner review recent progress in the characterization of isoleucic acid (ILA) biosynthesis and function in plants and discuss current knowledge gaps and future directions in ILA research. ILA plays a positive role in plant signalling for defence responses against bacterial pathogens by increasing the abundance of salicylic acid aglycone through competitive inhibition of SA deactivation by glucosylation. ILA is also important for humans with maple syrup urine disease who are defective in the catabolism of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), that is, isoleucine, leucine, and valine and accumulate BCAA breakdown products like 2-keto acid derivatives. They also summarize the differences in ILA biosynthesis, regulation, and functional roles in plants vs. mammals.

Read whole paper open access in our scientific journal Plant Biology (2025) DOI: 10.1111/plb.13771

Plant Biology · DBG

Review: How melatonin maintains quality and delays senescence in horticultural products

Melatonin can be a preservative to extend shelf life and maintain quality in postharvest horticultural products

Melatonin (MT) application not only maintains quality but also delays senescence in horticultural products, which is important for their nutritional quality, shelf life, commercial value, and marketability. The review "The role of melatonin in delaying senescence and maintaining quality in postharvest horticultural products" by Liu et al. summarizes significant effects of exogenous MT application on postharvest horticultural products, examines regulatory mechanisms of MT-mediated effects, and provides an integrated review for understanding the positive role of MT in senescence delay and quality maintenance. Also its role as multifunctional molecule and its coordinating functions are put together. The authors conclude that MT could become an emerging and eco-friendly preservative to extend shelf life and maintain postharvest quality of horticultural products.

Read whole paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology (2024) DOI: 10.1111/plb.13706

(DBG's members are able to access all Plant Biology papers via our intranet).

Plant Biology · DBG

Review: Role of vacuolar cation/proton exchangers (CAX) in biotic and abiotic stress tolerance responses

Vacuolar cation/proton exchangers, which transport cations such as calcium (Ca2+) from the cytosol, are important for a wide range of biotic and abiotic stress tolerance responses in plants.

In their review authors Pittman and Hirschi summarize recent findings on the significance of CAX transporters (Cation/H+ Exchangers) in plant signal transduction and element partitioning. This may open future ways of strategically manipulating the temporal loss of CAX function in agriculturally important crops that may bolster plant immunity, enhance cold tolerance, and fortify resilience against one of agriculture’s most significant challenges, namely flooding. In their review entitled "CAX control: multiple roles of vacuolar cation/H+ exchangers in metal tolerance, mineral nutrition and environmental signalling" the authors also address the use of genetically encoded Ca2+ sensors, the loss of CAX functions and specific stress conditions, as well as the determination of optimal timing and approach for modulating the expression of CAX.

Read whole paper open access in our scientific journal Plant Biology (2024) DOI: 10.1111/plb.13698

Plant Biology · DBG

Scoping review: Lignin biosynthesis and nitrogen

High Nitrogen (N) decreases the lignin content, delays cell lignification, increases the p-hydroxyphenyl propane monomer content, and regulates lignin synthesis through some key expression of genes encoding miRNAs and transcription factors. N deficiency enhances lignin synthesis through the accumulation of phenylpropanoids, phenolics, and soluble carbohydrates, and changes indirectly in phytohormones, secondary metabolites, etc.

Since the precise mechanisms through which nitrogen influences lignin biosynthesis have not been fully elucidated, the authors Peng, Shrestha, Zhang, Fan, Yu and Wang summarize a systematic search of the literature. Among the selected studies, 64.52% refer to lignin content found a negative correlation between nitrogen availability and lignin content. High nitrogen decreases the lignin content, delays cell lignification, increases p-hydroxyphenyl propane monomer content, and regulates lignin synthesis through the expression of key genes. Nitrogen deficiency enhances lignin synthesis through the accumulation of phenylpropanoids, phenolics, and soluble carbohydrates, and indirect changes in phytohormones, secondary metabolites, etc. The paper "How lignin biosynthesis responds to nitrogen in plants: a scoping review" provides new insights and important references for future studies on the regulation of lignin biosynthesis.

Read whole paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology (2024) DOI: 10.1111/plb.13627

(DBG's members are able to access all Plant Biology papers via our intranet).

Plant Biology · DBG

Review: Modelling flower colour and how bees percept flower colours

Flower colour signals have evolved to bee perception, which is dynamic and incorporates a vector-based purity preference of floral guides at close range, whilst a simple scalar metric of colour contrast does not represent the behaviour of how bees first detect and then subsequently make a final decision about which flower to visit and where to land on the flower.

In their review "The modelling of flower colour: spectral purity or colour contrast as biologically relevant descriptors of flower colour signals for bees depending upon the perceptual task" authors Lunau and Dyer ask whether quantitative modelling of flower signals should strive for repeatable consistency enabled by parameter simplification, or whether modelling should reflect the dynamic way in which bees are known to process signals. They also touch why colour is an interpretation of spectral information by the animal's brain, and how bee's colour perception is based on physiological, neuroanatomical and behavioural evidence to provide a pathway for modelling flower colours. They ask, whether flower petals and floral guides as viewed against spectrally different backgrounds should be considered as a simple colour contrast problem or require a more dynamic consideration of how bees make perceptual decisions. The authors also discuss exploitative vs. honest signalling.

Read whole paper open access in our scientific journal Plant Biology (2024) DOI: 10.1111/plb.13682 

Plant Biology · DBG

Review: past 200 year timeline and modelled future rate of expansion of Scotch broom

A timeline of Scotch broom’s global expansion highlights threats to ecological processes and the need for an enhanced monitoring program.

Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link, commonly referred to as Scotch broom, is a Mediterranean shrub capable of thriving in a variety of ecosystems that has invaded every habitable continent on Earth. The authors PW Hacker and NC Coops here present a timeline and estimated rate of expansion from 1816 to 2016. They also model its expected range over the next 70 years, and highlight the need for investigation into its expansion mechanisms and the establishment of monitoring programs.

Read whole paper open access in our scientific journal Plant Biology (2024) DOI: 10.1111/plb.13662

Plant Biology · DBG

Review: Water for agriculture - more crop per drop

The scarce resource water is vital for agriculture, serving multiple functions in biomass growth, and improving water use efficiency is crucial in crop production.

It is challenging to maintain high crop yields, even in arid and drought-prone regions that depend on irrigation. In this review authors Geilfus, Zörb, Jones, Wimmer & Schmöckel explain water use efficiency (WUE) and options to improve water use and thus crop yield. Nutrient management might represent another possibility to manipulate water uptake and use by plants. An emerging topic involves agroforest co-cultivation, where trees in the system facilitate water transfer through hydraulic lift, benefiting neighbouring crops. Other options to enhance crop yield per water use are also discussed.

Read paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology open access (2024) DOI: 10.1111/plb.13652

Plant Biology · DBG

New Method: lifetime mesophyll conductance

Mesophyll conductance integrated over the lifetime of the leaf is calculated from the isotopic composition of epicuticular wax harvested separately from the adaxial and abaxial sides of hypostomatous leaves and can be partitioned into gas and liquid phases.

Breeding of new plant varieties with lower mesophyll resistance for CO2 diffusion requires knowledge of its diffusion components. Authors Janová, Kubásek, Grams, Zeisler-Diehl, Schreiber & Šantrůćek therefore tested a new method to estimate relative drawdowns of CO2 concentration across hypostomatous leaves of Fagus sylvatica integrated over the lifetime of the leaf. The new method shows that intercellular components is minor but not negligible part of CO2 diffusion and reflects leaf anatomy traits, i.e. leaf mass per area and thickness.

Read paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology open access (2024) DOI: 10.1111/plb.13655

Plant Biology · DBG

CRISPR‐Cas9 and beyond - review summarizes target genes for developing disease‐resistant plants

Genome-editing technology is a promising strategy for protecting food security against yield losses of crops due to unpredictable climate change and plant diseases.

In their paper the authors Park et al. provide a brief overview of recent progress in genome-editing technologies, including zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated protein 9 (Cas9) technologies. They classify disease resistant mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana and several crop plants based on the roles or functions of the mutated genes in plant immunity and suggest potential target genes for molecular breeding of genome-edited disease-resistant plants. Genome editing technologies are resilient tools for sustainable development and promising solutions for coping with climate change and population increases.

Read whole paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology (2024) DOI: 10.1111/plb.13625

(DBG's members are able to access all Plant Biology papers and reviews via our intranet).

Plant Biology · DBG

Review: the world’s largest mimicry system

Mimics of pollen, anthers, stamens, and androecia, their models and pollen eating bees and hoverflies constitute the world’s largest mimicry system.

In the open access paper "pollen, anther, stamen, and androecium mimicry" authors Lunau, De Camargo and Brito review the hypotheses, why the yellow UV-absorbing floral centre is so frequent in angiosperms. They review the pollen, anther, stamen, and androecium mimicry (PASAM) hypotheses, present new and published data on pollenating and pollen-collecting pollinators’ responses to PASAM structures and discuss how widespread these systems are around the globe. Their ultimate goal is to promote the idea that PASAM is a plausible first approach to understanding floral colour patterns in angiosperms.

Read whole paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology (2024) DOI: 10.1111/plb.13628

Plant Biology · DBG

Review: Mycorrhization in trees - ecology, physiology, and emerging technologies

Mycorrhization in trees impacts ecological and physiological dynamics of a forest ecosystem.

The paper summarizes the ecological and physiological significance of mycorrhization. As the authors Chaudhury et al. describe: Dual mycorrhization relationships in trees and even triple relationships among trees, mycorrhizal fungi and bacteria offer an interesting physiological system to understand how plants interact with other organisms for better survival. Besides, studies indicate additional roles of mycorrhization in learning, memorizing and communication between host trees through a common mycorrhizal network (CMN). Recent observations in trees suggest that mycorrhization may even promote tolerance to multiple abiotic (e.g., drought, salt, heavy metal stress) and biotic (e.g. fungi) stresses. Due to the extent of physiological reliance, local adaptation of trees is heavily impacted by the mycorrhizal community. This knowledge opens the possibility of a non-GMO avenue to promote tree growth and development. Indeed, mycorrhization could impact growth of trees in nurseries and subsequent survival of the inoculated trees in field conditions.

Read whole paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology (2024) DOI: 10.1111/plb.13613

(DBG's members are able to access all Plant Biology papers via our intranet).

Plant Biology · DBG

Review on allelopathy and allelobiosis: efficient and economical alternatives in agroecosystems

The paper summarizes allelopathy and allelobiosis in inter-specific, intra-specific, plant-microorganism, and plant-insect context, and discusses the involved substances, their mechanisms, as well as environmental factors influencing allelopathic/signal molecule production and spread.

In their review authors Han et al. summarize and classify allelochemicals and chemical signals according to their function and structure in relation to environmental factors and generation and diffusion of such signals, since allelopathy and allelobiosis have never been systematically described thus far. Moreover the authors provide recent research on the application of allelopathy and allelobiosis in agroecosystems in future studies.

Read whole paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology (2023) DOI: 10.1111/plb.13582 

(DBG's members are able to access all Plant Biology papers via our intranet).

Plant Biology · DBG

Review: Oxygen transport in plants under hypoxia/anoxia - diffusion and convection

In waterlogged environments, plant root aeration mainly relies on diffusion through aerenchyma, although some emergent and floating-leaved plants utilize pressurized flows to facilitate gas movement within their stems and rhizomes

In the article "An overview of oxygen transport in plants: diffusion and convection" author G. G. Striker summarizes how plants under hypoxia/anoxia ensure a steady oxygen supply to their cells and identifies three types of pressurized (convective) flows: humidity-induced pressurization (positive pressure), thermal osmosis (positive pressure with air flow against the heat gradient), and venturi-induced suction (negative pressure) caused by wind passing over broken culms.

Read whole paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology (2023) DOI: 10.1111/plb.13558.

(DBG's members are able to access all Plant Biology papers via our intranet).

Plant Biology · DBG

Review: Divergence of non-flying mammal-pollinated plants

The pollination system and evolutionary transition of Mucuna in Asia are unique, reflecting the divergence of the non-flying mammal-pollinated plants

In the article "Evolution of a non-flying mammal-dependent pollination system in Asian Mucuna (Fabaceae)" author S. Kobayashi summarizes the available knowledge of pollination in Asian Mucuna (Fabaceae), a genus mainly distributed in the tropics, and discusses the evolution of plants pollinated by non-flying mammals in Asia. Nineteen pollinator species have been recorded and pollination systems have been categorized into four types. An examination of the relationship between Mucuna species and their pollinators from the lineage perspective revealed that all species in Mucuna, subgenus Macrocarpa, which are distributed in Asia, are pollinated exclusively by non-flying mammals, f.e. from squirrel species.

Read whole paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology (2023) DOI: 10.1111/plb.13557.

(DBG's members are able to access all Plant Biology papers via our intranet).

Plant Biology · DBG

Review: Genetics underlying wheat grain protein content and grain protein deviation

Independent studies converge on genomic regions significantly associated with wheat grain protein content and grain protein deviation

In their review "Recent advances in the genetics underlying wheat grain protein content (GPC) and grain protein deviation (GPD) in hexaploid wheat", the authors Paina and Gregersen summarize the scientific findings about the genetics underlying wheat GPC and GPD, representing the relationship between grain protein content and yield), together with the performance of genomic prediction models characterizing these traits. A total of 364 significant loci related to GPC and GPD are positioned on the hexaploid wheat genome, one of the most important global crops which therefore is of major interest in breeding programs.

Read whole paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology (2023) DOI: 10.1111/plb.13550 (Open Access)

(DBG's members are able to access all Plant Biology papers via our intranet).

Plant Biology · DBG

Review: How gibberellin molecular metabolism orchestrates plant development

Gibberellin pathways have emerged as multi-signals integrators for plant development through complex feedback regulations and cross-talks

In their article "Molecular gibberellin (GA) pathways as conserved integrators for adaptive responses" Bouré and Arnaud summarize the elements of GA metabolism and signalling pathways, with emphasis on the key role of the GA/GID1/DELLA complex as a conserved developmental integrator. They also discuss how the GA signalling pathway - together with feedback regulation on GA metabolism -  contributes to the integration of endogenous and exogenous signals to provide an adaptive output.

Read whole paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology (2023). DOI: 10.1111/plb.13549.

(DBG's members are able to access all Plant Biology papers via our intranet).

Plant Biology · DBG

Review: Vulnerability, resilience, and adaptive capacity of Mediterranean forests under climate change

Factors that affect vulnerability and mechanisms that influence resilience of forests.

The autors Touhami et al. review the current state of knowledge on the effects of climate change on sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forest ecosystems in Tunisia. They found alarming results concerning the tree cover lost to fires, as well as shifted phenological parameters like start and end of the green season. And they call upon scientists, policymakers, and managers to adapt Mediterranean forests to climate change.

Read whole paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology (2023). DOI: 10.1111/plb.13524

(DBG's members are able to access all Plant Biology papers via our intranet).

Upcoming DBG Events
DBG · Event

Conferences

10-13 February 2025: Conference Molecular Biology of Plants (MBP2025) of our Section Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology in Hennef, Germany

9-12 March 2025: 21st Scientific Conference of our Phycology Section in Göttingen, Germany

27-29 August 2025: Scientific meeting of our Section Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology in Heidelberg, Germany

1-3 September 2025: Scientific meeting of our Sections Natural Products and Applied Botany in Hildesheim, Germany

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Members receive more notes on conferences via our newsletter; incl. dates of DBG's supported meetings.

2024 Supported Conferences

Co- and posttranslational control in chloroplasts - DBG's Eduard Strasburger-HOT TOPIC-Workshop

Münster, Germany
18 - 20 November 2024
Applicant: Dr. Jürgen Eirich, Jens Mühlenbeck
read conference report in our Actualia

1st International Workshops on Alpine and Mountain Plants (iWAMP)

San Michele all'Adige, Italy
Postponed until further notice (formerly sheduled for: 23 - 25 October 2024)
Applicant: Dr. Stefan Martens
Website: https://sites.google.com/fmach.it/iwamp2024 

Botanik-Tagung, International Conference of our German Society for Plant Sciences

Halle Saale, Germany
15 - 19 September 2024
Applicant: Prof. Dr. Edgar Peiter
Website: https://botanik-tagung.de

Symposium of the International Society of Endocytobiology 2024

Bochum, Germany
10 - 12 September 2024
Applicant: Prof. Dr. Danja Schünemann
read conference report in our Actualia

International Conference on Thermomorphogenesis

Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Germany
4 - 6 September 2024
Applicant: Dr. Daniel Maag
read conference report in our Actualia

18th Symposium on Insect-Plant Relationships (SIP)

Universität Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
4 - 8 August 2024
Applicant: Dr. Rabea Schweiger
read conference report in our Actualia 

International Symposium on Iron Nutrition and Interactions in Plants (ISINIP)

Düsseldorf, Germany
8 - 11 July 2024 (excursion 12th July)
Applicant: Prof. Dr. Petra Bauer
read conference report in our Actualia

Mitochondria and Chloroplasts - Energy Transducing Organelles: Fundamental Processes and Translation in Agriculture and Medicine

Gordon Research Conference
Barcelona, Spain
7 - 12 July 2024
Applicant: Prof. Dr. Andreas Weber
read conference report in our Actualia 

2nd European Photosynthesis Congress (ePS2): ePS Young Session

Padua, Italy
24 - 25 June 2024
Applicant: Dr. Anja Krieger-Liszkay
read conference report in our Actualia 

Plant Science Student Conference (PSSC) 2024

Leibniz-Institut für Pflanzenbiochemie (IPB), Halle (Saale), Germany
17 - 20 June 2024
Applicant: Jolina Marx, Prof. Dr. Tina Romais
read conference report in our Actualia

PlantACT! Plants for Climate Action Conference

Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Germany
10 - 13 March 2024
Applicant: Prof. Dr. Andreas Weber
read conference report in our Actualia

37th Molecular Biology of Plants

Of our Section Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology
Sportschule Hennef, Germany
4 - 7 March 2024
Applicant: Prof. Dr. Ute Höcker
read conference report in our Actualia

22. Mitteldeutsche Pflanzenphysiologie-Tagung

Universität Jena
23 - 24 February 2024
Applicant: Jun.-Prof. Dr. Julie Zedler and PD Dr. Alexandra Furch
read conference report in our Actualia

Newsroom
DBG · Press release

Roots are like human guts, new enzyme discovered, and new lab method established: Three awards for plant scientists

Dr Eliza Loo, Dr Henryk Straube, and Dr Martin Lewinski (clockwise, starting top right) will receive this year’s awards for exceptional early career plant science research. Photos: Linus Börnke, Denise Blume, and Julieta Mateos

The German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG) awards Dr Eliza Loo (Düsseldorf), Dr Henryk Straube (Hannover/Copenhagen) and Dr Martin Lewinski (Bielefeld) for their excellent research. According to Loo’s research, colonization of root microbes can be separated into different parts along the root, which resembles the human gut. Tiny amounts of rare nucleotides can now be measured thanks to Straube’s research, with which he also discovered a nucleotide-degrading enzyme. Lewinski established a lab protocol to analyse RNA-binding proteins in living plants, which now allows the study of their regulation network. The three scientists will present their results at the Botanik-Tagung, International Conference of the German Society for Plant Sciences, in Halle (Saale) in September, where more than 600 plant scientists are expected to participate.

 

DBG · Promoting young researchers · Media · Press release

Awards for four Exceptional Plant Scientists

The awarded scientists (counter clockwise starting top left): Dr. Constantin Mario Zohner, Dr. Eva-Sophie Wallner, Dr. Moisés Expósito Alonso and Dr. Jessica Lee Erickson. Photos: Jaimie Crowther, Jörg Abendroth, Tobias Jung, and Carolin Alfs

How climate change influences growing seasons length in woody plants and survival of flowers, the substances that influence shape changes of plastids, and the proteins that spur phloem differentiation are in the research focus of the four plant scientists who will receive the science prices of the German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG) this year. Dr. Constantin Mario Zohner, Dr. Jessica Lee Erickson, Dr. Moisés Expósito Alonso and Dr. Eva-Sophie Wallner will get their awards during the Botanikertagung, the International Plant Science Conference in Rostock, Germany. From 16th to 18th September, the four will present their research results to the more than 420 conference participants.

Read more
News-Timeline · Press release · Sections

Alga of the year 2017: Blue-Green Rock Dweller – ancient and still a pioneer

Cross fractured Beacon sandstone from Antarctica exposing the habitat of the blue-green rock dweller (Chroococcidiopsis) as a green band underneath the surface of the rock (arrows). Photo: Burkhard Büdel, TU Kaiserslautern

The algal researchers of the DBG nominated the Blue-Green Rock Dweller Chroococcidiopsis for the alga of the year 2017. The single celled organism lives inside rocks and lichens, survives extreme climatic conditions and makes hostile environments accessible – today and most likely thousands of millions of years ago as well. While doing so, it paved the way for plants and animals. The blue-green rock dweller, belonging to the cyanobacteria lives like all algae, from sunlight, and is of great interest to ecologists, biotechnologists, and desert- and space researchers. It is the favorite research subject of Prof. Dr. Burkhard Büdel from the University of Kaiserslautern, who has been investigating it for more than 30 years. He is a member of the Phycology Section of the German Society for Plant Sciences, DBG, in which the algal researches are organized and who nominate this year an alga of the year for the tenth time this year.

Follow link
DBG · Press release

Ausgezeichnet: Endemische Pflanzen in Inseln auf Inseln

Manuel Steinbauer erhält den Wilhelm Pfeffer-Preis 2015 für seine herausragende, theoretische Arbeit zu den Verbreitungsmustern von Pflanzen am 31. August während der Botanikertagung in Freising.

Wilhelm Pfeffer-Preis der DBG geht an Dr. Manuel Steinbauer

Sorry, in German only

Weil er herausfand, wo auf Inseln besonders viele, nur dort lebende, endemische Pflanzen vorkommen und ökologische Theorien weiterentwickelte, erhält der Biogeograph Dr. Manuel Steinbauer von der Universität Bayreuth den diesjährigen, mit 2.500 Euro dotierten Wilhelm Pfeffer-Preis der Deutschen Botanischen Gesellschaft (DBG).

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DBG · Press release

Ausgezeichnet: Fleischfressende Modellpflanze für Evolutionsstudien zur Genomgröße

Andreas Fleischmann fotografiert einen fleischfressenden Sonnentau in einem Sumpfgebiet Westaustraliens. Foto: Thomas Carow

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Weil er Pflanzen der Gattung Genlisea (Reusenfallen) so gründlich untersuchte, dass diese sich zu neuen Modellorganismen für Genomstudien mausern können, erhält Dr. Andreas Fleischmann den diesjährigen Strasburger-Preis der Deutschen Botanischen Gesellschaft (DBG). Diese fleischfressenden Pflanzen eignen sich besonders dafür zu erforschen, wie und warum es einige Organismen schaffen, ihren gesamten Bauplan und ihre gesamte Erbinformation auf sehr wenig „Speicherplatz“ unterzubringen, während andere − oft sogar nahe verwandte Arten − dafür ein Vielfaches mehr benötigen. Diese Frage beschäftigt Evolutionsbiologen schon lange. Fleischmann erhält den mit 2.500 Euro dotierten, von Springer Spektrum gestifteten Strasburger-Preis, am Montag, den 31. August 2015 während der diesjährigen Botanikertagung in Freising aus den Händen des Präsidenten der DBG, Prof. Dr. Karl-Josef Dietz.

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DBG · Press release

Ausgezeichnet: DNA-Barcoding zur Gewässergüteanalyse mit Kieselalgen

Jonas Zimmernann receives the Horst Wiehe Prize of the German Botanical Society (Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft, DBG). Photo: private

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Jonas Zimmermann erhält Horst Wiehe-Preis der Deutschen Botanischen Gesellschaft

Weil er das DNA-Barcoding als neue Methode für Gewässergüteanalysen mit Kieselalgen etablierte, erhält Dr. Jonas Zimmermann den diesjährigen Horst Wiehe-Förderpreis der Deutschen Botanischen Gesellschaft (DBG). In seiner Dissertation identifizierte Zimmermann diejenigen Abschnitte auf der Erbsubstanz, die sich als zuverlässige Marker für das DNA-Barcoding eignen, einer mit den Strichcodes auf Waren im Supermarkt vergleichbaren Erkennungsmethode. Dabei entdeckte er auch vier neue Arten von Kieselalgen in Berliner Gewässern, die der Wissenschaft bis dato völlig unbekannt waren. Die neue Methode wird in Zukunft Umweltanalysen erleichtern, die zur Überwachung von Gewässern in der Europäischen Wasserrahmenrichtlinie (WRRL) vorgeschrieben sind. Da er gleichzeitig bestehende Referenz-Datenbanken verbesserte, profitieren nicht nur Umweltbiologen sondern auch alle Kieselalgenforscher von seiner Arbeit. Zimmermann, der inzwischen am Botanischen Garten und Botanischen Museum in Berlin (BGBM) arbeitet, erhält den mit 2.000 Euro dotierten Nachwuchspreis während der Botanikertagung am Montag, den 31. August 2015, in München aus den Händen von Prof. Dr. Karl-Josef Dietz, dem Präsidenten der DBG.

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The Sea Lettuce Ulva only gets in shape with the right bacteria

The genus Ulva grows as a tube or a ‘lettuce’ flat, sheet-like blade, as shown for these species collected at the Portuguese coast. The interactions between the juvenile algae and bacteria can be studied under controlled conditions in the laboratory (right). Photos and © Thomas Wichard, University Jena

Ulva, a sea lettuce found in all oceans of the world, became ‘Alga of the Year 2015’. This marine green alga either grows in form of ribbons or of blades but only if the right bacteria induce certain developmental programs. How the alga ensures this is described on the Section's website.

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Chlamydomonas reinhardtii - a fast swimmer serves as a model organism

The video shows the helical movements of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in the light microscope. Related to its body index C. reinhardtii swims approx. 12 times faster than the world record holder in 50-m breast-stroke swimming.

Phycologists of the Botanical Society of Germany have selected Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as alga of the year 2014. This unicellular green alga is distributed throughout the world, is able to sense light, is a fast swimmer and is highly appreciated by algal and plant researchers as well as medical scientists as a model organism. Chlamydomonas even provides the basis for the establishment of novel scientific areas in neurobiology and medicine, such as optogenetics where genetically modified cells are applied as ‘light switches’. The Phycology Section introduces the model organism on its website.

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DBG · Press release

Cytokinin increases plant defences also if it derives from bacteria

Dominik Großkinsky from the Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz infects tabacco leaves with the the pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. Photo: Dr. Eric van der Graaff, Institut für Pflanzenwissenschaften, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz

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Dr. Dominik Großkinsky erhält den Wilhelm Pfeffer-Preis der Deutschen Botanischen Gesellschaft für die Entdeckung, dass das Hormon Cytokinin die Abwehrkraft von Pflanzen steigert. Unter dem Einfluss von körpereigenen Cytokininen bildeten die Pflanzen sog. Phytoalexine, steigerten ihre Abwehrkraft also mit körpereigenen Antibiotika und überwanden eine Infektion mit dem Bakterium Pseudomonas syringae. Erstaunlicher Weise wirkte Cytokinin aber auch, wenn es von anderen Bakterien abgegeben wurde und gar nicht von der Pflanze selbst stammte. Das eröffnet neue Wege in der Resistenzforschung und in der biologischen Kontrolle des Erregers Pseudomonas syringae. Dieses Bakterium führt bei Nutzpflanzen wie Äpfeln, Kartoffeln oder Tomaten zu Ernteeinbußen und ist nur schwer zu bekämpfen. Großkinsky wird den mit 2.500 Euro dotierten Preis während der diesjährigen Botanikertagung am 30. September vom Präsident der Wilhelm-Pfeffer-Stiftung, Prof. Dr. Christian Wilhelm, entgegen nehmen.

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DBG · Press release

Biosynthetic pathway of a hormone that intrices friends and foes

Dr. Adrian Alder analyses intermediates of the Strigolacton biosynthesis with a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Photo: Salim Al-Babili, Universität Freiburg.

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Für seine Entdeckung, wie Pflanzen das Hormon Strigolacton herstellen, erhält der Dr. Adrian Alder den Strasburger-Preis der Deutschen Botanischen Gesellschaft (DBG). An der Universität Freiburg hat der 31jährige bisherige Annahmen widerlegt, wie das Hormon entsteht, den korrekten Weg herausgefunden und das Zwischenprodukt Carlacton identifiziert, das ähnliche Wirkungen wie das fertige Hormon entfaltet. Mit Strigolactonen locken Pflanzen symbiontische Pilze zum beiderseitigen Vorteil an. Der pflanzliche Botenstoff wird aber auch von Schmarotzerpflanzen missbraucht. Das einfacher aufgebaute Carlacton eröffnet neue Perspektiven im biologischen Pflanzenschutz, indem es bislang kaum zu bekämpfende Parasiten, die ganze Ernten vernichten, in den Selbstmord treiben kann. Für diese Arbeiten wird Alder am 30. September 2013 mit dem mit 2.500 Euro dotieren und von Springer Spektrum gestifteten Strasburger-Preis ausgezeichnet, den er während der diesjährigen Botanikertagung in Tübingen aus den Händen des Präsidenten der DBG, Prof. Dr. Karl-Josef Dietz, entgegen nehmen wird.

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Horst Wiehe Prize for the discovery that the formation of cellulose runs on tracks

Martin Bringmann discovered the protein that bind the cellulose machinery on rails, a protein for which scientists have searched for 50 years. Photo: private

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Dr. Martin Bringmann erhält den Horst Wiehe-Preis der Deutschen Botanischen Gesellschaft (DBG) 2013. Der ehemalige Doktorand am Max-Planck-Institut für molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie in Potsdam identifizierte ein seit den 1960er Jahren postuliertes Bindeglied und klärte den Mechanismus auf, der Pflanzen hilft, Zellulose korrekt in ihren Zellwänden anzuordnen. Die richtige Anordnung verleiht den Zellen nicht nur eine Hülle mit der Reißfestigkeit von Stahl, sondern ist auch für das Richtungswachstum verantwortlich, wenn sich Pflanzen etwa dem Sonnenlicht entgegenstrecken. Wie Pflanzen Zellulose synthetisieren, interessiert nicht nur Pflanzenwissenschaftler, sondern auch die Papier- und Textilindustrie sowie die Hersteller von Bioethanol. Bringmann, der nun in Kalifornien forscht, wird den mit 1.500 Euro dotierten Preis am 30. September 2013 während der Botanikertagung von Prof. Dr. Karl-Josef Dietz, dem Präsidenten der DBG, entgegen nehmen.

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More images

Single photos of the three awardees and an additional graph of the SWEET transporters along the plant root can be downloaded here:

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Microbes along plant roots are distributed non-homogenously

Dr Eliza Loo will receive this year’s Eduard Strasburger Award from the German Society of Plant Sciences (Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft, DBG). Microbiologist and plant scientist Loo discovered that root microbes are distributed non-homogenously along the longitudinal axis of the root. Similar to the root itself, the root microbiota are therefore divided into different zones despite not being identifiable by looking at the Arabidopsis plant root. As Loo and Prof. Dr Wolf Frommer describe in the journal Cell Host & Microbe root microbes influence three SWEET sugar transporters to maintain the balance of metabolite levels in the root. Changes in the root metabolite balance also change the colonization pattern of the root microbes. Different sections along plant roots resemble those sections in the guts of human and fruit flies. Similar to those in human intestines, microbiota help plants retrieve and make soil nutrients available, cope with stressors, and defend plants against diseases. Loo’s result will change the perspective in plant science, since the plant root microbiome from now on has to be considered as an organ with distinct microbial communities. This must be taken into account if microbiota are to be optimized, e.g. for improving plant health. Now Loo, as a group leader of the rice team at the Institute for Molecular Physiology at the University of Düsseldorf, investigates whether her findings are transferable to improve crops. Dr Loo will receive the Eduard Strasburger Award, which is endowed with 2,500 Euros from a foundation of the publisher Springer-Spektrum, from DBG’s president, Professor Dr Andreas Weber, on 17th September. She is invited to present her research results as a plenary lecture at this year’s Botanik-Tagung, International Conference of the German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG). 

Rare metabolites measured and new enzyme discovered

Dr Henryk Straube will be awarded with the Wilhelm Pfeffer Award 2024 of the German Society of Plant Sciences (Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft, DBG). In his outstanding PhD thesis, Henryk Straube successfully combined several methods that now allow to analyse tiny amounts of rare nucleotides, that are the building blocks for genetic information storage, in plant cells for the first time. Moreover, Straube also was able to measure tiny amounts of damaged metabolites such as inosine triphosphate. At the Institute of Molecular Nutrition and Biochemistry of Plants at Leibniz University of Hannover and supervised by Dr. Marco Herde and Prof. Dr Claus-Peter Witte, Germany, Straube has discovered a new enzyme, the inosine triphosphate pyrophosphatase, which coordinates the degradation of damaged nucleotides. His results will improve basic research in the plant nucleotide metabolism. Now, being a postdoc at University of Copenhagen in Denmark, Straube investigates the biosynthesis of vicine und convicine, two toxic alkaloids in faba beans, a promising source of plant protein in Europe. Interestingly these two alkaloids are not derived from amino acids - like most plant alkaloids - but from nucleotides and are thus produced via a different biosynthesis pathway. Dr Straube will receive the award, endowed with 2,500 Euros, on 16th September from the president of DBG’s Wilhelm Pfeffer Foundation, Professor Dr Severin Sasso. Straube is invited to present the results of his outstanding dissertation in an oral presentation in a plenary session.

New Method allows analysis of RNA-binding proteins in living plants

Dr Martin Lewinski will receive the Horst Wiehe Award 2024 of the German Society of Plant Sciences (Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft, DBG) for his development of a new experimental protocol to determine binding sites of proteins binding to their target RNA. He succeeded to establish a lab method called iCLIP2 (individual nucleotide resolution crosslinking and immunoprecipitation) to determine binding sites of RNA binding proteins in live plant tissue (in vivo) at high resolution. The method offers the complete step by step instructions for the wet-lab part and bioinformatic analysis to determine the exact spots where a specific protein interacts with RNAs. The method was published in Nature Protocols, and the identification of binding sites on target RNAs now allows insights in the regulatory function of the protein. With this knowledge, developed in Prof. Dr Dorothee Staiger’s lab at Bielefeld University, current paradigms of protein-RNA interaction can now be tested or extended. Lewinski will receive the prize for promising early career plant scientists endowed with 2,000 Euros on 18th September from DBG’s General Secretary, Prof. Dr Caroline Müller. He will present his method in a plenary talk.

Contact information

Eduard Strasburger winner: Dr Eliza Loo (Düsseldorf)

Group Leader: Rice team
Building: 26.14
Floor/Room: 00.104
Phone: +49 211 81-41608
E-mail: loo[at]uni-duesseldorf.de 
Website: https://www.molecular-physiology.hhu.de/team-rice/mitglieder-team-rice

Laudatory speech:

Prof. Dr Andreas Weber, President of the German Society for Plant Sciences (Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft, DBG)
Institute for Plant Biochemistry, Heinrich-Heine-University, Universitaetsstrasse 1, 40225 Düsseldorf
Phone: +49-211-81-12347
E-Mail: andreas.weber[at]uni-duesseldorf.de
Web: www.plant-biochemistry.hhu.de 

Wilhelm Pfeffer Award winner: Dr Hendryk Straube (Hannover/Copenhagen)

Currently:
University of Copenhagen, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
Phone: ++45 35328955
E-Mail: henryk[at]plen.ku.dk   

Laudatory speech:

Prof. Dr Severin Sasso,
President of the Wilhelm Pfeffer Foundation of the of the German Society for Plant Sciences (Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft, DBG)
Leipzig University, Institute of Biology, Department of Plant Physiology, Johannisallee 21-23, 04103 Leipzig
Tel.: ++49 (0) 341-9736893
E-Mail: severin.sasso[at]uni-leipzig.de
Web: https://www.lw.uni-leipzig.de/en/institut-fuer-biologie/abteilungen/plant-physiology

Horst Wiehe Award winner: Dr Martin Lewinski (Bielefeld)

Universität Bielefeld, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld
Phone: ++49 (0) 521 106-5639  
E-Mail: martin.lewinski[at]uni-bielefeld.de

Laudatory speech:

Prof. Dr Caroline Müller
Secretary General of the German Society for Plant Sciences (Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft, DBG)
Lehrstuhl für Chemische Ökologie, Universität Bielefeld, Fakultät für Biologie, W1-142, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld
Phone: +49 521 106-5524
E-mail: caroline.mueller[at]uni-bielefeld.de 
Web: https://www.uni-bielefeld.de/fakultaeten/biologie/forschung/arbeitsgruppen/chem_eco/

 

Titles of the awarded papers / theses

Loo E.P.I., Durán P, Pang TP, Westhoff P, Deng C, Durán C, Lercher M., Garido-Oter, R. & Frommer W.B. (2024) Sugar transporters spatially organize microbiota colonization along the longitudinal root axis of Arabidopsis. Cell Host Microbe 32, 543-556.e6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2024.02.014

Straube, Henryk (2023): Investigation of the metabolism of rare nucleotides in plants. Dissertation. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover, 241 S., Referent: Prof. Dr Claus-Peter Witte. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15488/13270

Lewinski M., Brüggemann M., Köster T., Reichel, M., Bergelt, T., Meyer, K., König, J., Zarnack, K., Staiger, D. (2024): Mapping protein-RNA binding in plants with individual-nucleotide-resolution UV cross-linking and immunoprecipitation (plant iCLIP2). Nature Protocols 19, 1183–1234. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41596-023-00935-3    

 

Further Information

Since 1994 the German Society for Plant Sciences (Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft, DBG) awards the Eduard Strasburger Prize for exceptional and original research results. Springer Spektrum (www.springer-spektrum.de) provides the endowment of 2,500 Euros biannually. The Foundation was initiated on the occasion of the centennial anniversary of the first edition of "Lehrbuch der Botanik für Hochschulen" written by Eduard Strasburger, Fritz Noll, Heinrich Schenck and A. F. Wilhelm Schimper in the year 1894. The election of the winner is reviewed by a jury consisting of the authors of the next circulation of now „Strasburger Lehrbuch der Pflanzenwissenschaften", DBG’s president and the biology planner from Springer Spektrum. See details: https://www.deutsche-botanische-gesellschaft.de/en/about-us-0/promoting-early-career-scientists/strasburger-prize

The German Society for Plant Sciences (Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft, DBG) awards the Wilhelm Pfeffer Prize for an outstanding PhD thesis (dissertation) in the field of plant sciences. The prize endowment of 2,500 Euros and the award from DBG’s own Wilhelm Pfeffer Foundation is intended to promote the careers of young scientists. The prize is awarded by the foundation’s board members. Details: https://www.deutsche-botanische-gesellschaft.de/en/about-us-0/promoting-early-career-scientists/pfeffer-prize  

The German Society for Plant Sciences (Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft, DBG) awards the Horst Wiehe Prize every other year for outstanding research results exclusively in the plant sciences. The prize, endowed with 2,000 Euros, is given solely to early career scientists upon receiving a doctorate or before becoming a lecturer. The prize is named after Horst Wiehe who provided an amount of money to initiate this foundation. Details: https://www.deutsche-botanische-gesellschaft.de/en/about-us-0/promoting-early-career-scientists/wiehe-prize  

The German Society for Plant Sciences (Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft, DBG) is the largest organisation for plant scientists in the German speaking area. The non-profit organisation represents plant scientists, promotes plant sciences nationally and internationally and was founded more than 140 years ago. The DBG furthers early career plant scientists and unites plant scientists of all career stages. DBG supports the scientific exchange among its more than 1,000 members. More: https://www.deutsche-botanische-gesellschaft.de/en/ 

 

 

About DBG

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The German Society for Plant Sciences (Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft, DBG) is the largest non-profit network of plant sciences and botany in the German speaking area. The society represents plant scientists, promotes plant sciences nationally and internationally and furthers scientific exchange among its more than 1,000 members. The DBG is one of the oldest botanical societies in the world, which is still active. It integrates all plant science disciplines, supports early career scientists and unites all generations.

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