German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG)

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Nach wiederholter, Pandemie-bedingter Verschiebung des traditionellen Sektions-Workshops für Wissenschaftler*innen im frühen Karrierestadium lud Professor Jonathan Gershenzon - statt nach Jena - zu einem alternativen Format ein: Für einen Nachmittag trafen sich 120 Naturstoff-Forschende am 29. März 2022 in einer Videokonferenz, die neben spannenden Vorträgen auch Raum für Diskussion der Forschungsergebnisse bot. Sektionssprecherin Prof. Ute Wittstock von der TU Braunschweig und Gastgeber Gershenzon vom Max-Planck-Institut für Chemische Ökologie berichten über die Themen der geladenen internationalen Gäste und beschreiben, welche Techniken der Naturstoffforschung gerade einen Aufschwung bescheren.

More than 400 contributions from various scientific plant science disciplines were submitted for our upcoming - International Conference of the German Society for Plant Sciences (Botanik-Tagung, #BT2022DBG) so that the scientific committee in Bonn around organiser Prof. Andreas Meyer now cares for selection, feedback and programme organisation. Early career scientists who are members of our society are invited to apply for one of our remaining travel grants until 24^th May 2022 in case they haven’t already done so. Membership applications are possible even now and are available with a 2-year test membership status for only 20 Euros per year. Early bird registration rates will be effective until 31^st May 2022 and are especially attractive for early career plant scientists. Our conference not only presents scientific exchange of ideas and research results but also offers multiple networking possibilities. 

to conference website

The deadline for abstract submission for posters and talks for our International Conference of the German Society for Plant Sciences (Botanik-Tagung) was extended to 6^th May 2022. This enables more early career scientists to receive one of our travel grants. More information and other deadlines are summarized at summary page of our Conference #BT2022DBG.

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Vom 16. bis 17. März 2022 veranstaltete die Sektion Phykologie der DBG zum ersten Mal ein Online-Meeting für Nachwuchswissenschaftler*innen, um den Abstand zum nächsten Sektionstreffen nicht zu groß werden zu lassen. Das Online-Meeting, welches an den beiden Nachmittagen stattfand, war gut besucht, es waren bis zu 65 Personen gleichzeitig zugeschaltet. Dank des Organisationsteams fand nach den 20 Vorträgen der Nachwuchswissenschaftler*innen ein reger wissenschaftlicher Austausch über eine Vielzahl von Forschungsthemen von Ökologie, über Molekular- und Biotechnologie bis hin zu taxonomischen Themen statt. Professor Andreas Holzinger berichtet über die Themen des Treffens.

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Eigentlich wollten wir Neues bei der 35. Tagung Molecular Biology of Plants (MBP2022) ausprobieren. Denn aufgrund der Schließung der langjährigen Tagungsherberge in Dabringhausen, mussten die Organisator*innen einen neuen Veranstaltungsort finden. Das gelang im vergangenen Sommer, als die Sportschule Hennef - ansonsten Heimat der sportlichen Elite - als neuer Konferenzort gewonnen werden konnte. Wenn auch nicht ganz so abgeschieden wie das Haus Maria in der Aue, so versprach die Sportschule doch, eine ähnliche Tagungsatmosphäre mit viel Raum für wissenschaftlichen Austausch zu bieten, so wie früher in Dabringhausen. Doch leider machte dem die Pandemie - wie auch im Jahr zuvor - einen Strich durch die Rechnung, so dass auch MBP2022 wieder nur online stattfinden konnte. Das Organisationsteam mit Marcel Quint (Halle), Andreas Meyer (Bonn), Ute Höcker (Köln) und Rüdiger Hell (Heidelberg), technisch verstärkt durch Fabian Haas (Marburg), berichtet von der seit 1988 jährlich stattfindenden Konferenz der Sektion Pflanzenphysiologie und Molekularbiologie, zu der sich mehr als 300 Teilnehmende gleichzeitig am 15. und 16. Februar zusammenschalteten. Neu waren auch ein wissenschaftlicher Preis sowie eine Out of Academia Session.

DBG’s Secretary General, Prof. Dr. Caroline Müller, invites to the next member assembly and board elections to Bonn, Germany, on 31^st August 2022, 12:30 –2:00 pm. We will meet during our Botanik-Tagung, International Conference of the German Society for Plant Sciences, in Lecture Hall X at Bonn University, Germany. A lunch package will be served. Müller’s invitation provides the agenda topics. All board members are looking forward to welcome you in Bonn.

Invitation and agenda (pdf)

To support participation of early career plant scientists in our International Conference of the German Society for Plant Sciences (Botanik-Tagung 2022), DBG provides a maximum of 100 travel grants up to 350 Euros each for participants, who actively take part in the conference with a talk or a poster. DBG reimburses traveling and accommodation costs as well as registration fees. Grants will be allocated according to the order in which applications are received. Being fast therefore is of advantage.

Details are in our intranet (login required)

The nominations for the three prestigious awards for aspiring early career plant scientists are open now. DBG members and others, please nominate suitable candidates for the Eduard Strasburger Prize, the Wilhelm Pfeffer Prize and the Horst Wiehe Prize. Deadlines are 15^th April 2022 for each of them. 

Summary: table (pdf, in German)

Prof. Dr. Andreas Meyer and his organizing committee invite all plant scientists to take part in Botanik-Tagung, International Conference of the German Society for Plant Sciences, in Bonn, Germany. 

Dear colleagues and friends,

We are back! Delayed by one year, we are now able to organize and run the next International Conference of the German Society for Plant Sciences (Botanik-Tagung 2022) as an in-person conference. On behalf of the German Society for Plant Sciences, I would like to invite you to Bonn for a lively exchange on the latest discoveries in plant sciences.
For more than 200 years, plant research has been a key research area at the University of Bonn, both at the basic level and as an applied science in agriculture. Plant research in Bonn is connected with names like Julius von Sachs, Wilhelm Pfeffer, Robert Caspary and of course Eduard Strasburger, who all worked in Bonn and set footprints that we still see today. Drawing on the spirit of translational research that has been established in Bonn for two centuries, the organizing committee put together a conference program that emphasizes the importance of Plant Sciences for a Sustainable Future in 8 plenary talks, 21 symposia and a number of workshops. Together with my colleagues, I would be thrilled if you take the opportunity to participate in this in-person meeting and actively engage in presenting and discussing current work
and ideas in Bonn. The City of Bonn welcomes you at the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven on the Rhine, a city with plenty of history and today a forward-looking, colorful, and charming international location.
See for yourself what variety is offered to you here both in science and beyond!
Prof. Dr. Andreas Meyer

Read more in our flyer that lists the conference's topics and introduces travel grants for early career scientists:

16 excellent Master theses in the plant sciences were awarded by our Society in the preceding year. The awarded persons (twelve female and four male scientists) did research in the following topics and questions:  

At which site parasites infect host plants; how plant defence strategies against pathogenic bacteria evolved; plant-microbe interactions; evolution of C3-C4 intermediate photosynthesis; localization of membrane transport proteins; genetic structure of allopolyploid marsh orchids; karyotype evolution in sugar beet; role of cyclophilin in the redox regulatory network; status of the threatened plant Sand Silvercrack; terpene biosynthesis in cyanobacteria; functional characterization of enzymes involved in violaxanthin biosynthesis; pathogen hypersusceptibility and defence in Arabidopsis suppressor mutants; localization analysis of enzymes involved in Lewis a-epitope formation; glutaredoxins as well as habitat requirements of alpine tussock graminoids.

The prizes, which have been awarded for eight years in a row by now, are supported by a certificate and a financial appreciation and were coordinated at the participating universities thanks to DBG’s local representatives. DBG congratulates all awardees, thanks the contact persons involved and wishes all awardees success in their further careers.  

All awardees’ names and titles of the master theses are listed here

The inaugural Eduard Strasburger Hot Topic workshop featured the latest findings and trends in the field of plant RNA biology. The workshop was organized as online meeting by Dr. Marlene Reichel and Dr. Elisabeth Fitzek-Campbell, who are both postdocs at Bielefeld University. Besides invited keynote speakers, many junior researchers had the opportunity to present their work, exchange ideas and foster networks. Here, the organizers report about the winners of the prizes for best talks and how the attendees could experience Bielefeld without even being there in person.

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Auch wenn virtuelle Zusammenkünfte eine Präsenztagung nicht ersetzen können, trafen sich mehr als drei Dutzend Systematiker*innen im Oktober, um ihre Forschungsergebnisse zu diskutieren. Sprecher der Sektion Biodiversität und Evolutionsbiologie, Prof. Dr. Dirk Albach, nennt die Themenvielfalt der Forschenden und welche drei internationalen Nachwuchsforscher die Preise für die besten Vorträge ergattern konnten. Er listet die Tätigkeiten der vergangenen Jahre, berichtet von der Vorstandswahl, bei der zwei Neue gewählt wurden, und hofft auf ein Präsenztreffen in zwei Jahren.

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Über 350 Teams von Universitäten aus der ganzen Welt haben am diesjährigen iGEM-Wettbewerb (international Genetically Engineered Machine competition) teilgenommen. Den ersten Platz ergatterte das Team aus Marburg: Mit ihrem Projekt OpenPlast haben 17 Studierende unterschiedlicher Fachdisziplinen der Philipps-Universität Marburg eine Technologie präsentiert, welche die Entwicklung neuer, klimaresistenter Nutzpflanzen rasant beschleunigen kann. Dazu setzte das Team auf Photosynthese treibende Chloroplasten, was einige Vorteile für die finale Anwendung in Nutzpflanzen bietet. Genetische Veränderungen im Chloroplasten werden nicht durch Pollen übertragen und erhöhen die biologische Sicherheit. Mit diesem Ansatz holte es den Gesamtsieg. Außerdem kommunizierte es die Ergebnisse an Schulen und in der Landwirtschaft. Warum das Team die Jury überzeugte und was ihr neues System auszeichnet, schildern die Betreuerinnen und die Studierenden hier.

Dr. Katharina Bursch receives this year’s Best Paper Prize in plant sciences from the German Society for Plant Sciences’ (DBG) Wilhelm Pfeffer Foundation. The prize is endowed with 1,000 Euros. “Dr. Bursch has demonstrated the existence and mode of action of cofactors that influence the growth of the seedlings’ stem after emerging from the soil into the light, more than 20 years after these cofactors were predicted”, highlights the foundation’s board. In her work she showed how a universal transcription factor like HY5 (LONG HYPOCOTYL 5) can activate transcription of its target genes through the interaction with cofactors. Dr Bursch and her colleagues from the working group of Dr. Henrik Johansson (Freie Universität Berlin), together with collaboration partners from the UK and Switzerland, identified the B-Box proteins BBX20, BBX21 and BBX22 that allow HY5 to fulfill its function as a positive regulator of photomorphogenesis in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. With the identification of these cofactors, published in Nature Plants (Identification of BBX proteins as rate-limiting cofactors of HY5 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-020-0725-0), the understanding of how a master transcriptional regulator gains specificity and dynamicity was extended. Dr. Bursch will receive her certificate in September next year at the Botanik-Tagung (International Conference of the German Society for Plant Sciences) in Bonn, Germany. The prize money was already given to her.

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Mit einjähriger Verspätung fand das Joint Meeting for Plant and Human Sulfur Biology and Glucosinolates zwischen dem 26. und 30. September pandemiebedingt als Hybrid-Konferenz statt. Ein großer Dank geht an DBG und FESPB, durch deren Sponsoring die Teilnahme von sieben Doktorand*innen in Präsenz möglich war. Die Gastgebenden, Luis Romero und Cecilia Gotor, haben die technische Herausforderungen gemeistert und für eine beinahe reibungslose Koordination der live und online Formate gesorgt. Stanislav Kopriva und Caroline Müller berichten, wie sich der Austausch zwischen grüner Pflanzen- und roter Humanwissenschaft wechselseitig bereicherte.

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250 Forschende diskutierten ihre neuesten Ergebnisse bei der International Conference on the Cell and Molecular Biology of Chlamydomonas. Der Kaiserlauterner Konferenz-Mitorganisator Prof. Dr. Michael Schroda gibt Einblick in die jüngsten Forschungsschwerpunkte und schildert, was den Teilnehmenden besonders gefiel.

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Mehrere Fachgesellschaften haben in der Gemeinsamen Fachgruppe Synthetische Biologie im September ihren ersten Beirat gewählt, der sich für diese Forschungsdisziplin einsetzen wird. Synthetische Biologie hat unter anderem zum Ziel, einzelne Moleküle, Zellen, Organismen und biologische Systeme mit neuen Eigenschaften zu designen. Die gewählten DBG-Mitglieder werden dort ihre Expertise in den Pflanzenwissenschaften einbringen. Beiratsmitglied Prof Dr. Müller-Röber (Potsdam) nennt im Artikel seine Mitstreiter*innen, die Aufgaben und Ziele der neuen Fachgruppe sowie die Mitgestaltungsmöglichkeiten für unsere Mitglieder.

The speakers invited to the Workshop It's in your RNA: Emerging new techniques to unravel transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation in plants on a global scale (#DBGHotTop2021) are: 

• Peter Brodersen (University of Copenhagen, DEN)
• Yiliang Ding (John Innes Center, UK)
• Koen Geuten (KU Leuven, BEL)
• Sascha Laubinger (Oldenburg University, GER)
• François Parcy (CNRS, FRA)
• Romy Schmidt (Bielefeld University, GER)
• Gordon Simpson (University of Dundee, UK)

Attendance to the first DBG's Eduard Strasburger HOT TOPIC Workshop is free and will be organised by Dr. Marlene Reichel and Dr. Elisabeth Fitzek for early career plant scientists at Bielefeld University (ZiF), Germany, 18 - 19 November 2021.

Details and registration will soon be possible under: www.dbghottopic2021.com

The board of DBG’s Wilhelm Pfeffer Foundation calls for nominations for the Prize for the Best Plant Science Paper of the previous year deriving from Diploma, Master or PhD thesis (“Best Paper Prize”). The prize is endowed with 1.000 Euros. Members of the German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG) are eligible to submit nominations; self-nominations are also welcome.

The awardee and the awarded paper will be introduced at the upcoming Botanikertagung in 2022 and the paper will be presented on DBG’s website. Please submit your nominations including the required documents until August 31^st 2021 to the foundation’s president, Professor Severin Sasso (severin.sasso @ uni-leipzig.de).

Further details

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Über die Aktivitäten der International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS), in der die DBG über das DNK (Deutsches Nationalkomitee Biologie) Mitglied ist, berichtet unser frühere Präsident, Prof. Dr. Karl-Josef Dietz, und führt detailliert aus:  

• Neues Länder-Mitglied in der IUBS
• Kommende General Assembly der IUBS ist für Ende 2022 oder Anfang 2023 im Japanischen Tokyo anvisiert
• Mögliche Beteiligung der IUBS am Internationalen Jahr der Grundlagenforschung
• Förderung der weltweiten Verbesserung der naturwissenschaftlichen und biologischen Bildung in Schulen und durch außerschulische Aktivitäten
• IUBS-Tagungen und Workshops für die globale Community
• Gendergerechtigkeit in der Biowissenschaft und ihren Institutionen wie der IUBS
• Unterstützungsformate der IUBS für Tagungen und „seed funding“

Die kommende Mitgliederversammlung des DNK ist für Mitte des Jahres als online-Zusammenkunft geplant, wozu weitere Informationen folgen.

Details im Bericht (pdf)

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Wie Algen einst das Leben auf dem Land für uns alle eroberten, wie Eindringlinge die Abbaumaschinerie ausschalten und welches Protein eine Schlüsselrolle für die Lebensdauer anderer Proteine einnimmt, steht in den Forschungsnachrichten.

DBG's boeard and the conference chair are looking forward to meet you in Bonn at our Botanik-Tagung, International Conference of the German Society for Plant Sciences.
The Editors and Editor in Chief of our journal Plant Biology, Professor Christiane Werner, recommend two reviews about the revision of positive interactions in mixed forests under drought and the roles of glutamine synthetase isoenzymes in Arabidopsis thaliana which differ from other plants.

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Sorry, only some parts are provided in English, such as an invitation to provide your expertise for the EU, an update for our internatinal conference and suggested readings in Plant Biology.

Welche Pflanzen dem Menschen bei der Bewältigung der Klimakrise helfen können, wieviel früher eigentlich Frühblüher blühen, und wie nur ein Pflanzengen die Artenvielfalt eines ganzen Mini-Ökosystems beeinflusst, sind Ergebnisse unserer Forschungsnachrichten.  
Bei welchen beiden Konsultationen Ihre Expertise gefragt ist. Sowie ein Update zu unserer International Conference of the German Society for Plant Sciences (Botanik-Tagung) mit Mitgliederversammlung. Tagungsberichte und Veranstaltungshinweise runden unseren Newsletter ab.

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Welcher Trick das Kartoffelgenom zu entschlüsseln half, was eine weiterentwickelte Genschere in Pflanzen nun ermöglicht, wie Pflanzen Polyspermie unterbinden und warum die Venusfliegenfalle vielleicht bald der Arzneimittelforschung dienen könnte, sind Themen in den Forschungsnachrichten.  
Das Präsidium der DBG lädt herzlich zur Mitbestimmung und Wahl bei unserer nächsten Mitgliederversammlung in Bonn. Es freut sich nicht nur über die Zusagen der acht Plenary Speaker zu unserer Botanik-Tagung, sondern auch auf die Diskussionen und den fachlichen Austausch in den mehr als 20 Sessions über aktuelle Themen der Pflanzenforschung in Bonn. Unser Präsident regt an, in Bonn auch deshalb zusammen zu kommen, um Förderquellen für die Forschung zu erschließen, die die interne Konkurrenz in den Fachgebieten nicht noch weiter verschärfen. Nur noch rund zwei Wochen hat Zeit, wer seinem Nachwuchs einen unserer Wissenschaftspreise und einen Auftritt in der Forschungs-Community angedeihen lassen möchte. Die European Plant Science Organisation assistiert, um Ukrainische Pflanzenforschende mit Laboren in ganz Europa zusammen zu bringen.

Editors and Editor in Chief, Professor Christiane Werner of our journal Plant Biology recommend

•     a viewpoint about the right time to analyse seed viability during an experiment
•     a research paper on appropriate flammability parameters to include in wildfire models in Australian fire-prone woodlands
•     a review on the expression and roles of the GRAS gene family in plant growth, signal transduction, biotic and abiotic stress resistance and symbiosis formation.

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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

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Wie Hormone mitmischen, damit Pflanzen in die „Pubertät“ kommen und sich vor Hitze schützen, was in Pflanzen und Böden fließt, wenn man einen ganzen Wald austrocknet, was zur Biodiversitätskrise beiträgt und welche Sätze über Evolution im Lehrbuch wohl umgeschrieben werden müssen, sind Themen in den Wissenschaftsnachrichten.

Unser Tagungspräsident lädt herzlich zur kommenden Botanik-Tagung nach Bonn, für die Nachwuchskräfte sich schon jetzt um Reise-Stipendien bewerben können. Wir rufen auf, Nominierungen für die drei Wissenschaftspreise zur Stärkung des Nachwuchses einzureichen. Ferner haben wir die 16 Preisträger*innen der Besten Master-Arbeiten bekannt gegeben und freuen uns auf Bewerbungen für den nächsten Strasburger-Hot-Topic-Workshop sowie für Labor-Besuch-Stipendien.

Editors and Chief Editor Prof. Christiane Werner of our journal Plant Biology recommend a review on the significance of miRNA in enhancement of flavonoid biosynthesis and a paper about the seedling shoot:root ratio and its general adaptive role in relation to the species niche position on the soil moisture gradient in temperate grassland species.

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Welche Überraschungen die Genome kryptischer Algen offenbaren, wie KI hilft, die Bindungsspezifika von Transkriptionsfaktoren zu analysieren und welche Wasserpflanze es Landpflanzen gleichtut und vom Zusammenleben mit Bakterien profitiert, sind drei der Themen unserer Nachrichten aus der Forschung.

Tatatata, unsere DBG freut sich, die diesjährige Preisträgerin des Best-Paper-Preises bekannt zu geben, und dass die ersten Master-Preis-Auszeichnungen bereits verliehen werden konnten. Sie gratuliert außerdem dem jungen Team aus Deutschland, das den ersten Preis im internationalen Wettbewerb errang für ihr synbio-Projekt, das die Entwicklung neuer, klimaresistenter Nutzpflanzen beschleunigen könnte.

Editors and Chief Editor Prof. Christiane Werner of our journal Plant Biology recommend three reviews: on auxin’s role in plant development, on virus eradication and plant vaccination, and on the analysis of new genes in genome-wide identification studies.

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Wie beide Zweige pflanzlicher Immunabwehr verknüpft sind, warum die Photosynthese auch bei Hitze funktioniert und wie sich Wurzeln vor Jahrmillionen entwickelten, sind drei der Themen in unserer Forschungsrubrik.

Tagungspräsident Prof. Dr. Andreas Meyer und das DBG-Präsidium freuen sich auf unsere Botanik-Tagung 2022 in Bonn. Die DBG möchte außerdem wieder die Verfassenden der besten Master-Arbeiten des Jahres auszeichnen und empfiehlt ihre Stipendien für Labor-Besuche.

Und wie immer: News aus den Sektionen, DBG-geförderte Tagungen und andere Termine sowie Forschungsnachrichten.

Dear members and colleagues, Editors and Chief Editor Prof. Christiane Werner of our journal Plant Biology recommend a paper about floral visitors and vine, the review “Drought and crop yield”, and invite advanced early career scientists to make use of such Short Reviews. 

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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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Gleich drei Publikationen belegen (mindestens) eine Doppelrolle von Proteinen und zeigen eindrucksvoll, wie komplex Pflanzen sind. In diesen schwierigen Zeiten wurden erfreulich viele hochrangige Publikationen veröffentlicht, und so können wir auch von einem neuen Pflanzenstamm berichten. Vier neue Methoden und vier Konsortien runden die Forschungsnachrichten ab.
Leider müssen wir auf viele Zusammenkünfte verzichten. So sind zwei Sektionstagungen auf zunächst unbestimmte Zeit verschoben, wohingegen das Treffen einer unserer sechs Sektion vermutlich ins Virtuelle verlagert wird.

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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 16^th to 18^th September, the four will present their research results to the more than 420 conference participants.

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.

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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

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)

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

Data Scientist / Science Coordinator (m/f/d)

Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) task force

Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (SGN), Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt a.M., Germany

Start: a.s.a.p.

Deadline: 17 July 2022

Details (pdf)

PhD position (m/f/d)

Effect of tree nutrient strategies and carbon exudation by root-mycorrhizal associations on forest floor turnover

University of Freiburg, Ecosystem Physiology, Germany  

Deadline: 15 July 2022

Details (pdf)

PhD position (m/f/d)

Improvement of yield, quality and stability of field pea, field bean and red kidney bean crops

Ghent University, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Breeding, Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Ghent, Belgium

Deadline: 31 July 2022

Details (pdf)

PhD position (m/f/d)

Cost-effective genomic selection strategies - Bioinformatics

Ghent University, Department of Plants and Crops, Ghent, Belgium

Details (pdf)

22 PhD positions (f/m/d)

Plant Ecological Genetics - Collaborative Research Center (TRR 341)

Universities of Cologne, Düsseldorf, Bochum, Marburg and the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Germany

Deadline: 10 July 2022

Details (pdf)

Postdoctoral Research Associate (m/f/d)

Green Biotechnology

University of Münster, Faculty of Biology, Plant Biology and Biotechnology, group Green Biotechnology, Münster, Germany

Commencing between August and December 2022

Deadline: 30 June 2022

Details (pdf)

Team Leader / Public Engagement Strategist (m/f/d)

Senckenberg Ocean Species Alliance (SOSA)

Senckenberg Society for Nature Research (SGN), Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Starting: after September 2022

Deadline: 28 June 2022

Details (pdf)

PostDoc position (m/f/d)

Secondary metabolite mediated control of Chlamydomonas spp. in microbial communities

Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) ChemBioSys, Matthias Schleiden Institute of Genetics, Bioinformatics and Molecular Botany, Jena, Germany

Deadline: 3 July 2022

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PhD position (m/f/d)

Algal-bacterial interactions

University of Leipzig, Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) ChemBioSys, Institute of Biology, Plant Physiology group, Leipzig, Germany

Starting: from 1 September 2022

Deadline: 30 June 2022

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W2-Professur 

Phylogenomik und Systematik der Pflanzen oder Pilze

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Fakultät für Biologie, München, Deutschland

Start: 1 Oktober 2022

Deadline: 8 Juli 2022

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W2-Forschungsprofessur

Tree Technology

Hochschule Weihenstephan-Triesdorf, Applied Sciences for Life, Fakultät Wald und Forstwirtschaft, Campus Weihenstephan in Freising, Germany

Start: WS 2022/2023

Deadline: 3 July 2022

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Contact the editor:  stellen [at] deutsche-botanische-gesellschaft.de     

Publishing your ad is free of charge for members and other plant scientists.

Plant Natural Products - online PhD Workshop of the Section Natural Products: 29 March 2022

Botanik-Tagung, International Conference of our German Society for Plant Sciences, in Bonn, Germany: 28 August - 1 September 2022

In their review "Glutamine synthetase: an unlikely case of functional redundancy in Arabidopsis thaliana" the authors Moreira, Coimbra and Melo integrate analyses on the likely roles of the distinct cytosol- and plastidlocated Glutamine synthetase (GS) isoenzymes in the model plant, highlighting the redundancy of the GS gene family specifically occurring in this plant. This is in contrast to GS isoenzymes that were observed in nitrogen metabolism in species like Oryza sativa and Zea mays.

Read whole paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology DOI: 10.1111/plb.13408

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

A growing body of evidence indicates potential role of H₂S in plant defence, particularly against bacterial and fungal pathogens. Recent studies suggested that the gaseous signalling molecule participates in plant defence potentially by

1. regulating glutathione metabolism,
2. inducing expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) and other defence-related genes,
3. modulating enzyme activity through post-translational modifications, and
4. interacting with phytohormones such as jasmonic acid, ethylene and auxin.

The authors Choudhary, Singh, Khatri, and Gupta discuss the biosynthesis, metabolism and interaction of H₂S with phytohormones, and highlight evidence gathered so far to support the emerging roles of H₂S in plant defence against invading pathogens.

Read whole paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology DOI: 10.1111/plb.13376.

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

Since signalling molecules like hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) play a crucial role in mitigating the adverse effects of environmental stresses in plants it is important to understand the several physiological and biochemical mechanisms. The authors review recent advances in understanding the beneficial roles of H₂S in conferring multiple abiotic stress tolerance in plants. And discuss the interaction and crosstalk between H₂S and other signal molecules and highlight some genetic engineering-based current and future directions.

Read whole paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology DOI: 10.1111/plb.13368

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

In their review the authors Tyagi, Sharma, Ali, and Gaikwad summarize the crosstalk of the important plant signalling molecules hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) and nitric oxide (NO) during waterlogging stress in legumes, which are emitted from plants and soil microbes and that are known to regulate key physiological pathways. They provide an overall summary on H₂S and NO, including biosynthesis, biological importance, crosstalk, transporter regulation as well as understanding their role during waterlogging using ‘multi-omics’ approach.

Read whole paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology DOI: 10.1111/plb.13319

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

In his viewpoint paper Author Lamont asks for caution against the routine use of end-of-trial germination and viability of ungerminated seeds as an estimate of initial viability in determining germination success of various treatments. He analyses Leucadendron species and in his paper also explores ways to deal with the problem and to preference estimates of initial viability to be undertaken on a separate sample of seeds concurrently with the experiment as this avoids the risk of seed death during the trial.

Read whole paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology (2022) DOI: 10.1111/plb.13407

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

In their review, the authors Khan, Xiong, Zhang, Liu, Yaseen und Hui highlight the diverse roles of GRAS in plant systems that could be useful in enhancing crop productivity through genetic modification, especially of crops. It is the first review to report the role and function of the GRAS gene family in plant systems.

Read whole paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology (2021) DOI: 10.1111/plb.13364

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

From their findings the authors Krix, Murray and Murray conclude that leaf flammability is significantly affected by increasing radiant heat flux. In their paper “Increasing radiant heat flux affects leaf flammability patterns in plant species of eastern Australian fire-prone woodlands” they suggest that of the flammability attributes assessed, flame duration is the most informative to include in wildfire models which explicitly consider species’ flammability, given that differences among species in flame duration are maintained across a radiant heat flux gradient.

Read whole paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology 24 (2022) 302–312. DOI: 10.1111/plb.13381

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

In their review Yang, Han, Li, Ye, and Xu summarize the biosynthesis and mechanisms of miRNA, and provides a summary of the mechanisms of miRNAs involved in production of flavonoids, in order to elucidate the biosynthesis pathway and complex regulatory network of plant flavonoids. They aim to provide new insights into improving the content of flavonoid active ingredients in plants.

Read whole paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology (2021). DOI: 10.1111/plb.13361

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

In their research paper "Shoot:root ratio of seedlings is associated with species niche on soil moisture gradient", Mašková, Maternová, Tĕšitel explore evolutionary adaptations determining plant early growth strategies in 15 herbaceous genera of temperate grasslands differing in their requirements for soil water availability. Linear mixed-effect models identified the length-based shoot:root ratio of seedlings was positively associated with soil moisture requirements in a congeneric species comparison. Nitrogen and phosphorus seed concentrations had an additional negative effect on the shoot:root ratio. Neither of these trends was found for the mass-based shoot:root ratio.
They thus demonstrated for the first time that there might be a general adaptation modifying the seedling shoot:root ratio according to the species niche position on the soil moisture gradient in temperate grassland species across a broad range of angiosperm phylogeny. This adaptation seems to be affected by seed mineral nutrient reserves and may
operate in parallel to the well-known phenotypic plasticity.

Read whole paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology (2021). DOI: 10.1111/plb.13352.

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

Genome data have accumulated rapidly in recent years, doubling roughly after every 6 months due to the influx of next-generation sequencing technologies. A plethora of plant genomes are available in comprehensive public databases. This easy access to data provides an opportunity to explore genome datasets and recruit new genes in various plant species not possible a decade ago. In the past few years, many gene families have been published using these public datasets. These genome-wide studies identify and characterize gene members, gene structures, evolutionary relationships, expression patterns, protein interactions and gene ontologies, and predict putative gene functions using various computational tools. Such studies provide meaningful information and an initial framework for further functional elucidation. The review by I. Safder, G. Shao, Z. Sheng, P. Hu, and S. Tang provides a concise layout of approaches used in these gene family studies and demonstrates an outline for employing various plant genome datasets in future studies.

Read whole review in our scientific journal Plant Biology Early View. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.13340

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

A plant’s associated biota plays an integral role in its metabolism, nutrient uptake, stress tolerance, pathogen resistance and other physiological processes. Although a virome is an integral part of the phytobiome, a major contradiction exists between the holobiont approach and the practical need to eradicate pathogens from agricultural crops. In their review, V. Oberemok, K. Laikova, I. Golovkin, L. Kryukov and R. Kamenetsky-Goldstein discuss grapevine virus control. But the issue is also relevant for numerous other crops, including potato, cassava, citrus, cacao and other species. Grapevine diseases, especially viral infections, cause main crop losses. Methods have been developed to eliminate viruses and other microorganisms from plant material, but elimination of viruses from plant material does not guarantee protection from future reinfection. Elimination of viral particles in plant material could create genetic drift, leading in turn to an increase in the occurrence of pathogenic strains of viruses. A possible solution may be a combination of virus elimination and plant propagation in tissue culture with in vitro vaccination. In this context, possible strategies to control viral infections include application of plant resistance inducers, cross protection and vaccination using siRNA, dsRNA and viral replicons during plant ‘cleaning’ and in vitro propagation. The experience and knowledge accumulated in human immunization can help plant scientists to develop and employ new methods of protection, leading to more sustainable and healthier crop production.

Read whole open access paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology - early view DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.13338

Auxins as plant hormones play a central role in controlling growth and development across different environmental conditions. In their review G. L. B. Gomes and K. C. Scortecci summarise recent advances in understanding the biosynthetic pathways, both dependent and independent of tryptophan, highlighting the intermediate indole compounds (indole-3-acetamide, indole-3-acetaldoxime, indole-3-pyruvic acid and tryptamine) and the key enzymes for auxin biosynthesis, such as YUCs and TAAs. In relation to the signalling cascade, it has been shown that auxins influence gene expression regulation by the connection between synthesis and distribution. Moreover, the molecular action of the auxin response factors and auxin/indole-3-acetic acid transcription factors with the F-box TIR1/AFB auxin receptors regulates gene expression. In addition they also demonstrate the importance of microRNAs in the auxin signalling pathway and their influence on plant plasticity to environmental fluctuations. Finally, this review describes the chemical and biological processes involving auxins in plants.

Read whole review in our scientific journal Plant Biology 23 (Nov. 2021): 894-904. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.13303

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

The review summarizes the effects of drought stress on crop plants and relates the dehydration-dependent yield penalty to the harvested organ and tissue. The control of shoot transpiration and the reorganization of root architecture are of core importance for maintaining proper plant water relationships. Upon dehydration, the provision and partitioning of assimilates and the uptake and distribution of nutrients define remaining growth activity. Domestication of crops by selection for high yield under high input has restricted the genetic repertoire for achieving drought stress tolerance. Introgression of suitable alleles from wild relatives into commercial cultivars might improve the ability to grow with less water. As the authors KJ Dietz, C Zörb, and CM. Geilfus,conclude, future research activities should focus more on field studies in order to generate more realistic improvements to crops. Robotic field phenotyping should be integrated into genetic mapping for the identification of relevant traits.

Read whole paper open access in our scientific journal Plant Biology - early view DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.13304 

There are positive relationships between vineyard production and native vegetation in the landscape. The native fragments inserted within landscapes with more native vegetation area exhibited better parameters of vine production and quality. Apis and non-Apis (such as flies and small bees) floral visitors, known to have different effects on vine pollination, could hypothetically provide variation in vine production and quality. Considering a near 20% native vegetation increment, there was an enhancement, on average, of ten-fold more berries per bunch, the changing physical and chemical fruit traits by vegetation increment could also increase the aggregate value of vines and the value of pollination services in the economy.

Read the whole paper "Different visitation frequencies of native and non-native bees to vines: how much vegetation is necessary to improve fruit production?"  in our scientific journal Plant Biology - early view DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.13327

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

Within the Open Science project a multidisciplinary study analyzed Ballota acetabulosa (L.) Benth. at the Ghirardi Botanic Garden (Toscolano Maderno, BS, Italy). Micromorphological and histochemical investigations were performed on the secreting structures of the vegetative and reproductive organs under light, fuorescence and electronic microscopy. Concurrently spontaneously emitted volatiles from leaves and flowers were examined. Four trichome morphotypes were identified: peltate and short-stalked, mediumstalked and long-stalked capitate trichomes, each with a specific distribution pattern. The histochemical analysis was confirmed using ultrastructural observations, with the peltates and long-stalked capitates as the main sites responsible for terpene production. The head-space characterization revealed that sesquiterpene hydrocarbons dominated both in leaves and flowers, with c-muurolene, b-caryophyllene and (E)-nerolidol as the most abundant compounds. Moreover, a comparison with literature data concerning the ecological roles of the main compounds suggested their dominant roles in defence, both at the leaf and flower level.

Read whole paper "Micromorphological and phytochemical survey of Ballota acetabulosa (L.) Benth" in our scientific journal Plant Biology 23 (2021) 643–65. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.13254

Three abundant grassland plant species maintained leaf level carbon and water fluxes under strongly altered water and nitrogen availability (treatments). This was shown by Kübert, Kuester, Götz, Dubbert, Eiblmeier, Werner, Rothfuss and Dubbert from Freiburg, Berlin and Jülich in their recent paper "Combined experimental drought and nitrogen loading: the role of species-dependent leaf level control of carbon and water exchange in a temperate grassland", for which they had analysed data from a multifactorial field experiment.

in our scientific journal Plant Biology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.13230

Pink flowers of Silene littorea receive more visits of pollinators, whilst white flowers suffer more florivory, but autonomous autogamy helps to maintain colour variation.

Results researchers Buide, Del Valle, Prado‐Comesaña and Narbona from Spain show in their recent paper "The effects of pollination, herbivory and autonomous selfing on the maintenance of flower colour variation in Silene littorea" in our scientific journal Plant Biology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.13209

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