Actualia of the DBG
Actualia (engl.)

Nachruf: Professor Dr. Friedrich Ehrendorfer (1927 – 2023)

Friedrich Ehrendorfer, honorary member of our society since 2000. Photo: private

Sorry, in German only

Unser Ehrenmitglied, der Evolutionsforscher, Pionier der Karyotaxonomie, Lehrbuchautor und Initiator der Florenkartierung Mitteleuropas, Professor Friedrich Ehrendorfer, ist am 28. November 2023 im 97. Lebensjahr gestorben. Ehrendorfer klärte an der Universität Wien nicht nur die komplexe Evolution und Verwandtschaft unter Labkräutern und Rötegewächsen mit multidisziplinären Ansätzen auf, sondern verfasste mehr als 200 Publikationen und zwei Kapitel in Strasburgers Lehrbuch der Botanik. Er vertiefte sich bereits in taxonomische Fragestellungen auch wenn diese Fachrichtung seinerzeit als unseriös galt und erst später Anerkennung erfuhr. Die Exkursionen des Pflanzenkenners waren bei den Studierenden beliebt, erinnert Ehrendorfers Mitarbeiter, der Taxonom Prof. Manfred A. Fischer in seinem Nachruf. Ehrendorfer erhielt mehrere Auszeichnungen für sein wissenschaftliches Werk, das in seinen zahlreichen Publikationen und in den von ihm ausgebildeten Taxonominnen und Taxonomen weiterlebt.

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Actualia (engl.) · Promoting young researchers

Nomination call for DBG's three awards

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. Also read "Übersicht der Wissenschaftspreise der DBG". Application deadline is 1st May 2024 for each of them.

Summary table (in German, pdf)

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Actualia (engl.) · Internat. Botanik-Tagung

Invitation to the international Botanik-Tagung (BT2024)

Prof. Dr. Edgar Peiter and his organizing committee invite all plant scientists to take part in Botanik-Tagung, the International Conference of the German Society for Plant Sciences, at Halle/Saale, Germany, from 15th until 19th September 2024. The programme brings together 29 internationally leading plenary and keynote speakers, who span the entire field of plant sciences - from molecules to ecosystems. This year’s motto Growing Solutions for Growing Challenges reflects the potential of plant sciences to counter existential problems of our planet, such as carbon sequestration and the adaptation of crops to climate change challenges. The Botanik-Tagung furthers scientific exchange to improve our fundamental understanding of plants and to translate it into resilient crops and ecosystems. Workshops, the programme, and the city of Halle stimulate to socialize and to continue scientific discussions until late

> read Welcome Note on conference website

> Conference Website: Botanik-Tagung.de

> To Conference Poster including all Plenary and Keynote Speakers as well as all Sessions (pdf)

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

BT2024: 60 Travel Grants for ECRs

To support participation of early career plant scientists (ERC) in our International Conference of the German Society for Plant Sciences (BT2024: Botanik-Tagung 2024 15th to 19th September 2024 in Halle a.d.S., Germany), DBG provides a maximum of 60 travel grants up to 400 Euro each for members, 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; until 25th May the latest. It therefore is advantageous to apply rapidly.

Details are in our intranet (login required)

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Actualia (engl.) · DBG · Promoting young researchers

DBG awards 18 Master theses with prizes

Some of the images in the awarded master theses as well as handing-over of the certificates at the Universities of Bonn, Hannover, Oldenburg, Heidelberg, Aachen, Erlangen-Nürnberg as well as Leipzig. © Graphs, photos and further information: see link to summary page

The topics in the master theses ranged from parasite defence over a hands-on model for teaching, an interactive database to help people protecting endangered plants, the search for resistances in crops up to the effects of microplastics as well as drought stress, just to name a few. They received the prizes for best master theses which were awarded by DBG last year. The 18 awards at the participating universities were given to eight female and ten male students for their excellent studies. The following summary provides their names and research details.

To list of awardees and research topics

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Actualia (engl.) · DBG

Virtual Meeting: participation opportunities for ECRs and established members announced

Graph: Alexandra Koch, Pixabay, edited

During the so-called Town Hall Meeting on January 9th, members were invited to give their feedback on the further development of our scientific society. President Prof. Andreas Weber presented the results of the Presidium’s strategy workshop and invited the meeting’s participants – among them two former DBG presidents - to comment on them. These comprised the inclusion of early career researchers (ECR) in the DBG’s executive committee (incl. a change of the DBG’s statutes) and in the many activities of our society. Proposals from the audience included having a meeting of ECRs during the upcoming Botanik-Tagung, International Conference of the German Society for Plant Sciences as well as introductory seminars of newly appointed researchers – in addition to the already existing Strasburger-(Hot-Topic-)Workshops. Weber also asked the participants to apply for the two positions on the DBG board, which will be up for re-election during the Botanik-Tagung this summer. He also asked for nominations for the DBG’s upcoming science prizes awarded to ECRs. The editor-in-chief of our science journal Plant Biology, Prof. Christiane Werner, highlighted the publication possibilities and the opportunity to organize special issues. Weber thanked all meeting participants for their ideas and feedback, which will now be implemented by our board. Everyone who has further ideas and suggestions is invited to contact one of the board members.

Actualia (engl.) · Conference Report

Symposium honours the founding president of the German Society for Plant Sciences

Scientist Nathanael Pringsheim (1823 - 1894) has witnessed fertilization in algae for the first time. Photo: Humboldt-Universität Berlin, Universitätsbibliothek, public domain

To celebrate the 200th birthday of the phycologist Nathanael Pringsheim (30 November 1823 – 6 October 1894), the Matthias-Schleiden-Institute at the University of Jena, where Pringsheim was a professor for around four years, held a symposium on 19 December. In her introductory remarks, phycologist Professor Dr Maria Mittag placed Pringsheim in the ranks of the Institute's outstanding professors. DBG's president, Professor Dr Andreas Weber, reported on the history of our German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG), which Pringsheim founded in Berlin in 1882, under the title "From 1882 to 2023: 141 years of promoting plant science". Pringsheim led our society until his death in 1894. He was instrumental in the transition from an association into a scientific society [1]. Professor Dr Andreas Deutsch introduced the sexual revolution in algal research in citing important scientific findings that Pringsheim elicited from algae: "Nathanael Pringsheim was able to observe how male gametes swam towards female egg cells and united with them in an inconspicuous alga. This discovery, made in 1855, was a scientific sensation," Deutsch writes in his latest book [2]. This was the first direct observation of the fertilisation process in a living organism.

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[1] Ekkehard Höxtermann (Hrsg., 2007): 125 Jahre Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft. Festschrift anlässlich der Botanikertagung in Hamburg. Basilisken-Presse, Marburg

[2] Andreas Deutsch (2023): Urformen der Sexualität. Wie Nathanael Pringsheim den Algen die Unschuld nahm. GNT-Verlag, Diepholz

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Actualia (engl.) · Conference Report

Specialized products from plants and microbes – a natural source for biologically active compounds - ECR-meeting

Benjamin Chavez from IPK Gatersleben explains new findings in tropane alkaloid biosynthesis. Photo: Maike Petersen

The research of early career scientists (ECR) and their networking were the focus of the conference “Specialized products from plants and microbes – a natural source for biologically active compounds” of DBG’s Natural Products Section. Competently and enthusiastically, the more than twenty participants presented and discussed their research results from the broad field of plant and microbiological compounds. Prof. Dr. Maike Petersen and Prof. Dr. Ute Wittstock summarize topics and research focus of the participants and explain, in which way participants profited from the in-person meeting, which was financially supported by DBG.

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Actualia (engl.) · DBG

Successes and strategies for the DBG

The members of the Board, the Sections and other committed members discussed the DNA of our scholarly society (f. l. t. r.): Prof. Dr. Caroline Müller (DBG’s Secretary General), Prof. Dr. Jutta Ludwig-Müller (Editor of our Actualia), Prof. Dr. Edgar Peiter (Conference chair), Prof. Dr. Christian Zörb (Board member of the Federation of European Societies of Plant Biology, FESPB), Prof. Dr. Andreas Weber (DBG’s President), Prof. Dr. Raimund Tenhaken (DBG’s Treasurer), Prof. Dr. Iris Finkemeier (DBG’s Board Member), Dr. Thomas Leya (Phycology Section), Dr. Sophie de Vries (Section for Interactions) und Prof. Dr. Ute Wittstock (Section Natural Products). Photo: Esther Schwarz-Weig

Advancement of early career researchers (ECR), opportunities for members to participate in shaping our organisation, workshops for professional development and the topic of outreach into politics and society were just some of the points that were discussed during a workshop of our board meeting. With the moderation of our communicator, Dr. Esther Schwarz-Weig, the participants compiled what excites them about our DBG. They also developed solutions to respond to the challenges that scientific societies face due to changes in research, publishing, science policy, networking and communication. In order to inform everyone about these topics and to enable active participation, there will soon be a digital town hall meeting.

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Actualia (engl.) · Conference Report

Symposium “Plant evolution in a changing world”

Almost 100 participants joined the Symposium and gathered for the group photo in front of the greenhouses in the Botanical Garden of the University of Gießen. Photo: Annalena Kurzweil

The symposium of our Section Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology took place from 23rd to 26th August 2023 at the University of Gießen in the lecture halls of the Hermann Hoffmann Academy.  Altogether 94 scientists participated (only 4 last-minute cancellations), 34 of them students. With two international keynote speakers the organizers Prof. Dr. Volker Wissemann, Prof. Dr. Elvira Hörandl, Dr. Anže Žerdoner Čalasan, and Dr. Natalia Tkach welcomed a European audience; with most participants from Germany. The programme encompassed 19 talks and 21 posters from students. Gender balance was a 2:2 male:female ratio with the invited keynote speakers, and 17 female compared to 13 male speakers, reflecting a strong presence of females at early career stages in systematics. Elvira Hörandl summarizes the scientific highlights, names the awardees and reports about the Section’s meeting and elections.

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Actualia (engl.) · Conference Report

Workshop Plant Evolution: chances and challenges in a changing world

Many of the participants of the workshop gathered in front of the venue, the Centre for Molecular Biosciences (ZMB) of Kiel University. Photo: Rosemary Wilson

On the 6th and 7th July, over 50 scientists came together at Kiel University for the Kiel Plant Centre (KPC) Workshop on Plant Evolution with a particular focus on the adaptation of plants to terrestrial environments. The program, that included keynote talks from international experts, short talks from early career scientists as well as two poster sessions, covered a broad variety of topics encouraging lively discussions and exchange. Organiser Prof. Dr. Birgit Classen summarizes the topics of the workshop and this research discipline and reports why basic research on the adaptions of living on land Millions of years ago is also important for current and applied questions.

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Actualia (engl.) · Conference Report

Central German Plant Physiology Meeting 2023

The plant physiology group members of four universities discussed recent research results. Photo: Torsten Jakob

More than 50 researchers met in Leipzig, including many early-career researchers, and discussed plant physiology themes. They presented their research topics and gained feedback as well as inspiration from experts from related research disciplines. The topics covered a wide range of organism groups from unicellular cyanobacteria and microalgae to vascular plants. Although most of the presentations dealt with basic research, the presentations from applied disciplines were the liveliest. Dr. Raimund Nagel and Dr. Torsten Jakob from the organisational team led by Prof. Dr. Severin Sasso describe the conference, the specific topics of the presentations and the ways in which early career researchers benefited from the DBG-funded conference.

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Actualia (engl.) · Conference Report

European Plant Cytoskeletal Club (EPCC) 2023

Part of the 60 participants, who joined the conference, gathered in front of the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB). Photo: Katharina Bürstenbinder's lab

Several dozens of scientists from more than ten countries met in June in Halle (Saale), Germany, to discuss latest findings on plant cytoskeleton research. Organiser Katharina Bürstenbinder reports about the current research topics in this field, the awarded presentations and in which way the many participating early career scientists profited in this meeting that was supported by our DBG.

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Actualia (engl.) · Conference Report

Plant Science Student Conference (PSSC) 2023

Part of the more than 100 participants that joined this year’s PSSC in Gatersleben, Germany. Photo: IPK Gatersleben

The Plant Science Student Conference took place at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) Gatersleben on 3rd and 4th of July 2023. Since 2019 this years’ conference was first time held again in person. Organisation and outline of the 18th PSSC was done by IPK’s doctoral candidates with the focus to improve networking with doctoral candidates from Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB) Halle and Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS) as well as with students from other institutes. Overall, 100 participants - nearly all of them PhD-candidates - registered and attended. Together with invited speakers as Wilma van Esse (Wageningen), Tobias Züst (Zurich), Cathy Westhues (Göttingen) and Elliot Heffner (Corteva R&D) everyone enjoyed a warm and positive atmosphere on site.
The concept of the conference was to combine impulses from leading scientists with insights in students’ research and workshops to improve soft and hard skills. The presence of representatives of our sponsoring partners at site offered also the chance to discuss recent research topics with representatives from industry. Stephanie Frohn reports the scientific topics in more detail.

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Actualia (engl.) · People and Careers

Awarded: How proteins coordinate correct cell division

Awardee Dr. Pratibha Kumari studies transverse sections at the light microscope to investigate plant cell anatomy. Photo: Anne Honsel, UPSC

The Wilhelm Pfeffer Foundation of our German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG) awards Dr. Prathiba Kumari the Prize for the best plant science publication, which is endowed with 1,000 Euros. "In the published work, Dr. Kumari has identified a class of proteins that govern the correct positioning of the cell plate during cytokinesis and thus play a key role in plant cell division”, the board of the foundation explains its decision. These IQD proteins are linked to the cytoskeleton of plant cells and are part of a navigation system that coordinates the spatial control of cell division. Consequently, plants lacking these IQD proteins display chaotically arranged plant cells. With her article published in the journal Nature Plants (IQ67 DOMAIN proteins facilitate preprophase band formation and division-plane orientation DOI: 10.1038/s41477-021-00923-z), Dr. Kumari from the working group of Dr. Katharina Bürstenbinder from the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry in Halle, Germany, has significantly expanded our understanding of cell division in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and thus of plant growth and development. Dr. Kumari, who is currently conducting plant research as a PostDoc at the Umeå Plant Science Centre at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), will be awarded the certificate in 2024 at the next International Conference of our German Society for Plant Sciences in Halle, Germany; the plant scientist already received the prize money by now.

More on promotions of early career plant scientists

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Actualia (engl.)

Obituary: Prof. Dr. August Wilhelm Alfermann (1942 - 2023)

Prof. Dr. August Wilhelm Alfermann during a conference of our Natural Producs Section, with kind permission of the Alfermann familiy. Photo: Maike Petersen

Sorry, in German only

Im Winter verstarb Professor Alfermann, eines der Gründungsmitglieder unserer Sektion Pflanzliche Naturstoffe. In ihrem Nachruf erinnert Prof. Dr. Maike Petersen nicht nur an einen Pionier der Produktion medizinischer Wirkstoffe für das Herz und gegen Krebs und einen Erforscher pflanzlicher Biosynthesewege, sondern auch an einen herzlichen Menschen: Alfermann hatte stets ein offenes Ohr und förderte viele junge Wissenschaftler*innen. An seinem Institut an der Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf entstanden so zahlreiche Freundschaften und sogar Ehen.

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DBG Update
DBG · Newsletter

70th Newsletter

Wann der älteste komplexe Vorfahre von Landpflanzen und Algen lebte, wie mehr Fettsäuren in Samen transportiert werden und mit welchem Trick es gelang, gezielt Protonen in Zellen zu schicken und dabei einen neuen Säuresensor zu entdecken, steht in der Forschungsrubrik. Wie man Roboter im eigenen Labor mit Sprache zur Arbeit antreibt und welche Themen jüngst Forschungsfinanzierung ergatterten, steht in der zweiten Rubrik.
DBG’s international Botanik-Tagung conference is getting more and more interesting every day, since not only 29 internationally leading plenary and keynote speakers are expected to attend but the event also offers to meet your scientific family and the people behind papers. Since first-come-first-serve travel grants are already in the making, we suggest to think about your participation already now.
Recently our DBG has awarded 18 master theses. In short DBG will be looking for nominations to award exceptional plant scientists and invite the awardees to Halle.
A review on the ecology, physiology, and emerging technologies on mycorrhization in trees in our journal Plant Biology as well as a conference overview rounds of the Newsletter.

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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 · Newsletter

69th Newsletter

Ob früher tatsächlich mehr Lametta war, ist nicht wissenschaftlich untersucht. Dass es noch viel früher jedoch eine größere Blütenvielfalt gab, steht in den Forschungsergebnissen. Erfahren Sie, wie Kannenpflanzen zu Fleischfressern wurden, vor welcher Institutstüre man Arabidopsis neues Wissen entlockte, wie Pflanzen Stress abbauen und warum der Geschmack eines Grünkohls nicht dem eines anderen Grünkohls gleicht. Außerdem: Vier laufende Ausschreibungen, wo Gelder und Belohnungen winken, sowie zwei Einladungen unserer DBG (eine bereits im Januar!).
The recommended review summarizes allelopathy and allelobiosis. Both have never been systematically reviewed thus far. Moreover the authors provide recent research on the application of allelopathy and allelobiosis in agroecosystems in future studies.

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DBG · Newsletter

68th Newsletter

Wie statistische Verfahren helfen können, stressresistente Weizensorten ausfindig zu machen, was dem Erhalt der Artenvielfalt in Deutschland nützt, wie ein Pflanzenhormon die Stickstoffaufnahme über Wurzeln steuert und welcher Rezeptor wilden Kartoffelsorten Resistenz gegenüber Knollenfäule verleiht, sind nur einige der Themen in der Forschungsrubrik.
Wie unsere Zeitschrift Plant Biology dabei hilft unsere Anliegen zu realisieren, warum unsere DBG Sie und Euch demnächst zu einem Town Hall Meeting einlädt und was Sie bei der FESPB abrufen können, steht in der DBG-Rubrik. Wir ermuntern außerdem zur Mitbestimmung, wer in Zukunft über Ihre und Eure Förderanträge bei der DFG entscheidet.
One review is recommended by the Editors of our journal Plant Biology around Editor in Chief, Professor Christiane Werner: The paper summarizes how plants under hypoxia/anoxia ensure a steady oxygen supply to their cells and identifies three types of pressurized (convective) flows. Moreover, guest editors and our Editor in Chief are inviting papers for two Special Issues of our journal. 

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DBG · Newsletter

67th Newsletter

Welches Gen der Gerste im Klimawandel hilft, wie Licht das Wachstum von Pflanzenwurzeln steuert, mit welcher Methodenkombination sich Elemente in einzelnen Zelltypen nachverfolgen lassen und wie sich Stammzellen der Wurzel vor Salzstress schützen, steht in unseren Forschungsnachrichten.
Die DBG nimmt ausführlich Stellung zum Vorschlag der EU-Kommission zur Regulierung der Nutzung von mit neuen genomischen Techniken (NGT) erzeugten Pflanzen-Sorten, schätzt die einzelnen Punkte des Vorschlags wissenschaftlich ein und schlägt Präzisierungen vor.
DBG announces the scientist who receives our Award for the Best Plant Science Paper. Two of our Sections are looking forward to their upcoming conferences this summer.
Two reviews are recommended by the Editors of our journal Plant Biology around Editor in Chief, Professor Christiane Werner:
One paper summarizes how gibberellin molecular metabolism orchestrates plant development and the other provides an inventory of the genetics underlying wheat grain protein content and grain protein deviation, which are of interest in breeding programs.

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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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DBG · Newsletter

66th Newsletter

Warum unsere Naturwälder verschwinden, obwohl sie unter Schutz stehen, was die globale Ernährungssicherheit bedroht und wie viel uns invasive Arten eigentlich kosten, sind Themen in den Forschungsnachrichten. Außerdem: Pflanzenwissenschaftler zeigen, warum es neben Herbiziden unbedingt auch andere Techniken zur Unkrautbekämpfung braucht.
Three of DBG’s sections are inviting to their conferences this summer. All of them provide excellent opportunities to showcase own research results especially for early career scientists as well as to meet and mingle with scientists of the same field.
The Editors of our journal Plant Biology recommend a review about the vulnerability, resilience, and adaptive capacity of Mediterranean forests under climate change.

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DBG · Newsletter

65th Newsletter

Bohnen und Wein waren kürzlich Thema in Nature und Science. Ein neuer Signalweg und warum es nützt, auch beim Mittagsspaziergang die Wissenschaftsbrille auf zu behalten, sind weitere Inhalte in unserer Forschungsrubrik.
Our DBG invites members and early career scientists to nominate candidates for our Best Plant Science Paper Award. Two of our sections are reporting about their recent conferences as well as about their Pupils’, SciComm and science prizes they have awarded. The Editors of our journal Plant Biology recommend two reviews: how proline and genetic engineering may help to design future temperature-smart crops and a review that provides several diagrams and a summarizing model of interactions between plant lipids and abiotic stresses.

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DBG · Newsletter

64th Newsletter

Welche Aufgabe Old Yellow Enzymes eigentlich im Organismus haben, obwohl sie vor vielen Jahren entdeckt und schon lange biotechnologische genutzt wurden, wie ein Proteinsuperkomplex der Atmungskette auf Atomabstand genau aufgedröselt wurde, wie Landwirtschaft Unkraut schafft und unter welchen Bedingungen väterliche Chloroplasten vererbt werden, sind Themen unserer Forschungsnachrichten.
Unsere Sektionen freuen sich auf die diesjährigen Tagungen, mit denen sie auch Forschenden im frühen Karrierestadium ein exzellentes Podium für Forschungsergebnisse bieten.
Our Sections are looking forward to their respective meetings this year, at which they provide an excellent opportunity to showcase research results especially for early career scientists. And the Editors of our journal Plant Biology recommend two reviews: how male fertility is influenced via the anther tapetum in rice and whether smoke- released seed dormancy in grass species is influenced by climate, fire regime or the photosynthetic pathway.

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DBG · Event

Updates: Botanik-Tagung 2022 in Bonn

Programme Updates: https://www.botanik-tagung.de/fileadmin/congress/media/botaniker2022/pdf/Botanik_2022_Corrigendum.pdf

You can still register for the Botanik-Tagung, International Conference of our German Society for Plant Sciences 2022, #BT2022DBG: https://www.botanik-tagung.de/registrierung-abstracts/registration  

Since the COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet, the conference chair and the organisers of our Botanik-Tagung, ask you to comply with the regulations that are provided in order to hold a safe conference together  
https://www.botanik-tagung.de/general-informationen/hygiene-measures

Scientific Programme: https://www.botanik-tagung.de/programm/scientific-programme

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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.

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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
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W3 professorship (m/f/d)

Molecular Plant Science

TU Braunschweig, Faculty of Life Sciences, Braunschweig, Germany

Start: at the earliest date possible

Deadline: 6 May 2024

Details: TU Braunschweig

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Scientist (f/m/d)

Strategies for more efficient oat breeding for organic farming

Julius Kühn Institute (JKI), Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Resistance Research and Stress Tolerance, Research Group Crop-Environment Interactions, Quedlinburg, Germany

Start: at the earliest date possible

Deadeline: 31 March 2024

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PhD position (f/m/d)

Dissection of sulfurtransferase-mediated persulfidation in plant mitochondria

University of Bonn, Faculty of Agriculture, Chemical Signalling group, Bonn, Germany

Deadline: 17 May 2024

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PhD postition (f/m/d)

Organic production of garlic: expanding the range of varieties through selection of plant genetic resources (ObiVonKnobi)

Leibniz-Institut für Pflanzengenetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung (IPK), research group Metabolic Diversity, Seeland, Gatersleben, Germany

Start: 1 May 2024

Deadline: 4 April 2024

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PhD position (m/f/d)

Real-Time (Co-)Evolution of Plant-Herbivore Interactions

University of Mainz, Institute for Organismic and Molecular Evolution, group Plant Evolutionary Ecology, Mainz, Germany

Deadline: 31 March 2024

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Group Leader (m/f/d)

Molecular Phytopathology

Technische Universität München, TUM School of Life Sciences, Chair of Phytopathology, Freising-Weihenstephan close to Munich, Germany

Start: 1 April 2024

Deadline: 31 March 2024

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Curator (f/m/d) - permanent

Botanical Garden

Botanical Garden of Ulm University, Ulm, Germany

Start: as soon as possible

Deadline: 31 March 2024

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Scientific data manager (f/m/d)

Crop Improvement: Cassava Source-Sink Project

Friedrich-Alexander-Universitity Erlangen-Nürnberg, Biochemistry group, Erlangen, Germany

Start: as soon as possible

Deadline: 29 March 2024

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PhD students and postdoctoral researchers (f/m/d)

Crop Improvement: Cassava Source-Sink Project

Friedrich-Alexander-Universitity Erlangen-Nürnberg, Biochemistry group, Erlangen, Germany

Start: as soon as possible

Deadline: 29 March 2024

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Impact manager / PostDoc level (f/m/d)

Crop Improvement: Cassava Source-Sink Project

Friedrich-Alexander-Universitity Erlangen-Nürnberg, Biochemistry group, Erlangen, Germany

Start: as soon as possible

Deadline: 29 March 2024

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Technical Assistant (f/m/d)

Crop Improvement: Cassava Source-Sink Project

Friedrich-Alexander-Universitity Erlangen-Nürnberg, Biochemistry group, Erlangen, Germany

Start: as soon as possible

Deadline: 29 March 2024

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Upcoming DBG Events
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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

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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

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

Plant Biology · DBG

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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).

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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

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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

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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).

Plant Biology · DBG

Review: How proline functions under high temperatures and how genetic engineering may help to develop temperature-smart crops

Proline aids in various activities associated with plant growth and development under extreme temperatures, and genetic engineering of proline biosynthesis genes may aid in the design of temperature-smart future crops.

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Read whole paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology (2023). DOI: 10.1111/plb.13510

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

Plant Biology · DBG

Review: How metabolism of plant lipids and plant responses to abiotic stressors interact

The review summarizes the interactions between plant lipids and abiotic stressors.

In their review "Functions and interaction of plant lipid signalling under abiotic stresses" the authors Liang, Huang, Liu, Chen and Li describe the metabolism of plant lipids and discuss their involvement in plant responses to abiotic stress. Thereby they also provide necessary background for further research on the interactions between plant lipids and abiotic stress. Several summary diagrams as well as a comprehensive model of interactions between plant lipids and abiotic stresses is summarized in a graph.

Read whole paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology 2023, DOI: 10.1111/plb.13507

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

Plant Biology · DBG

Review: Rice anther tapetum - a vital reproductive cell layer for sporopollenin biosynthesis and pollen exine patterning

Summary of the regulation of tapetum and pollen formation, focused on the role of AT-Hook DNA binding proteins in tapetal and exine patterning

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Read whole paper open access in our scientific journal Plant Biology (2022). DOI: 10.1111/plb.13485

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

Plant Biology · DBG

Review: Plant water uptake modelling - added value of cross-disciplinary approaches

Factors influencing water uptake and complementary interdisciplinary hybrid models of plant water uptake

The authors Dubbert, Couvreur, Kübert, and Werner summarize how interdisciplinary hybrid plant water uptake models add the value of a broader conceptual view of soil-plant feedbacks of water, nutrient and carbon cycling. The main goal is to highlight how the four dominant model approaches can be and have been used to create interdisciplinary hybrid models enabling a holistic system understanding that also embeds plant water uptake plasticity into a broader conceptual view of soil–plant feedbacks of water, nutrient and carbon cycling, or reflects observed drought responses of plant–soil feedbacks and their dynamics under, that is, drought.

Read whole paper open access in our scientific journal Plant Biology 25 (2021) 32–42. DOI: 10.1111/plb.13478.

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

Plant Biology · DBG

Review: Grass species with smoke-released seed dormancy: A response to climate and fire regime but not photosynthetic pathway

Among worldwide grass species, four types of smoke-assisted seed dormancy release can be recognized, based on % with C4 photosynthesis, vegetation type, rainfall seasonality, and type and frequency of fire

In the review author Lamont summarizes the worldwide literature for reports on germination responses among grasses, whose photosynthetic pathway was known, to treatment by smoke and obtained information for 217 species and 126 genera. Thus, even though C3 and C4 grasses are equally capable of expressing smoke sensitivity, their response depends on the region’s climate and fire regime that also dictate which photosynthetic pathway dominates.

Read whole paper in our scientific journal Plant Biology DOI: 10.1111/plb.13479

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

Plant Biology · DBG

Viewpoint: Is a spice missing from the recipe? The intra-cellular localization of vanillin biosynthesis needs further investigations

The biosynthesis of the flavor compound Vanillin is still controversial; specifically the role of the last enzyme of the pathway, vanillin synthase

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Read whole viewpoint in our scientific journal Plant Biology DOI: 10.1111/plb.13465

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

About DBG

Portrait

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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