Asset 2 Conferences
Plant Biology

Plant Science for Climate Emergency

7-9 June 2021, Virtual edition
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Plant Science for Climate Emergency

Plant Science for Climate Emergency
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Climate change is one of the most serious threats humanity has ever faced.

Developing crops that are more resilient to rapidly changing and harsher environments will be crucial for tomorrow’s food production. Green biotechnology offers solutions to maintain high food productivity while preserving the earth’s valuable ecosystems. In addition, plants may also play an important role in mitigating the rising levels of greenhouse gases.

This VIB conference ‘Plant Science for Climate Emergency’ aims at reviewing current research on adapting plants to climate change as well as on using plants for mitigating the accumulation of greenhouse gasses.

Twenty leaders in plant biotechnology will present the latest developments in sessions focused on drought tolerance, tolerance to high temperatures, salt and flooding tolerance, the effects of climate change on defense systems against insects and pathogens, carbon capturing plants, crop engineering and improvement, nitrogen use efficiency, and much more.

Besides an inspiring scientific program, conference participants will have ample networking opportunities during the poster sessions and networking moments.

IPBO satellite: ‘Applied Climate Research in Africa’
On Wednesday 9 June 2021, the IPBO satellite is organized. This satellite is free of charge but to participate it's obligatory to register for this event.


Information for abstract submission
The best four abstracts were given a short talk slot in the plenary program. The 2 best posters of the poster session will win the Poster prize!

When your abstract is accepted for a poster presentation, please complete the form which was sent to you by email by 24 May the latest. In this form you can submit your video recording + your 4 slides (in 16:9 format).

Time zone
The time zone for the scheduled program is GMT+02.00. (CET Brussels). (More info).

Videos On Demand
VODs of the presentations (with permission of the speakers) will be made available for the attendees for a period of 4 weeks.

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Confirmed speakers

Mark Lynas
Lynas Mark - profile picture
Mark Lynas

Mark Lynas

Visiting Fellow, Cornell Alliance for Science, Cornell University, US
Yunhai Li
Li Yunhai - profile picture
Yunhai Li

Yunhai Li

Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, CN

Program

Day 1 - Monday, 07 June, 2021

The time schedule below is Brussels Central European Time

Adaptation to climate change

11:00
11:50
Virtual coffee
11:50
12:00
Welcome
11:50
12:00
12:00
13:20
Salt tolerance

Chaired by: Kazuki Saito

12:00
12:25
The ins and outs of crop salt tolerance
12:25
12:50
Out of Shape during Stress: Getting to the Roots of Plant Resilience to Salinity Stress
12:50
13:05
Drought and salt stress affect xylem development through distinct molecular pathways

Frauke Augstein

Department of Organismal Biology, Physiology Botany, and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, Uppsala University , SE
Selected from abstracts
13:05
13:20
Short break
13:20
14:40
Drought tolerance

Chaired by: François Chaumont

13:20
13:45
Drought resistance by engineering tissue-specific responses of Brassinosteroids in plants
13:45
14:10
Chemical Regulation Networks in Plant Abiotic Stress Tolerance
14:10
14:25
Does the memory of a first water deficit enable a more efficient response to a subsequent water deficit?

Cécile Jacques

Agroécologie, AgroSup Dijon, INRAE, University Bourgogne Franche-Comté, FR
Selected from abstracts
14:25
14:40
Short break
14:40
16:00
Tolerance to high temperature

Chaired by: François Chaumont

14:40
15:05
Dissecting wheat floral development under variable temperatures
15:05
15:30
Plant growth integrates information to face environmental threats
15:30
16:00
Meet the speakers
16:00
16:50
Effect of climate change (high temperature) on defense systems against insects/pathogens

Chaired by: Sue Rhee

16:00
16:25
Design a climate-resilient plant immune system for the future
16:25
16:50
Secondary Small RNAs confer disease resistance through trans-species RNAi
16:50
17:50
Poster session 1
17:50
19:45
Flooding tolerance

Chaired by: Sue Rhee

17:50
18:15
Braving the deluge: plant survival strategies in a wetter world
18:15
18:40
The Many Facets of Hypoxia in Plants
18:40
19:15
Closing keynote

Chaired by: Dirk Inzé

18:40
19:15
Our Final Warning: Six Degrees of Climate Emergency

Mark Lynas

Visiting Fellow, Cornell Alliance for Science, Cornell University, US
19:15
19:45
Meet the speakers

Day 2 - Tuesday, 08 June, 2021

The time schedule below is Brussels Central European Time

Mitigation of Climate change

11:00
12:00
Virtual coffee
12:00
13:20
Nitrogen use efficiency

Chaired by: Kazuki Saito

12:00
12:25
A systems approach to plant signaling interactions
12:25
12:50
Phytohormonal regulation of root architectural adaptation to nitrogen deficiency
12:50
13:05
Potential of a new type of enhanced-efficiency fertilizer (EEF) as an improved climate change mitigation tool

Hans Motte

VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology, BE
Selected from abstracts
13:05
13:20
Short break
13:20
14:25
Crop engineering and improvement

Chaired by: Geert De Jaeger

13:20
13:45
Genetic regulation of grain size and yield in rice

Yunhai Li

Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, CN
13:45
14:00
The return of the legumes: a story of sustainability for EU

Benjamin Laga

Protealis, BE
Selected from abstracts
14:00
14:25
Targeting assimilate partitioning for crop improvement
14:25
15:25
Poster session 2
15:25
16:45
Carbon capturing plants

Chaired by: Jane Langdale

15:25
15:50
Engineering lignin to tailor trees as biorefinery crops
15:50
16:15
Decoding Root Growth to Address Climate Change
16:15
16:45
Meet the speakers
16:45
18:50
Emerging areas

Chaired by: Jane Langdale

16:45
17:10
Mitigating the impact of a warming climate on photosynthetic carbon gain with an alternative photorespiratory pathway.
17:10
17:35
Re-thinking photosynthesis with synthetic biology: From natural photosynthesis to artificial chloroplasts and back

Tobias Erb

Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, DE
17:35
17:50
Single-nuclei sequencing reveals drought’s impact on hormone activity and leaf development

Joseph Swift

Plant Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, US
Selected from abstracts
17:50
18:05
Short break
18:05
18:30
Engineering the plant microbiome to improve crop health in a changing climate
18:30
19:45
Closing keynote 2

Chaired by: Geert De Jaeger

18:30
19:05
How intensification saves the planet
19:05
19:15
Closing words
19:15
19:45
Meet the speaker session

Organizing committee

Abstracts

The full list of abstracts will be available on 24-05-2021 until 15-06-2021
This list will only be available for registered attendees of the event.

Attendees

The full list of attendees will be available on 24-05-2021 until 15-06-2021
This list will only be available for registered attendees of the event.