Young Minds Award Winners
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Severe drought and extreme temperatures are two main impacts of climate change, resulting in increased abiotic stress response from plants and an increased demand for fresh water. Breeding for functional traits such as stomatal density can enhance the climate resilience of plants. As stomata control plant-water relations, their function makes them promising targets for improving […]6 January 2024 -
The employment of Vitis vinifera germplasm for the development of downy mildew resistant cultivars could greatly shorten and simplify breeding programs. ‘Mgaloblishvili’ is a V. vinifera cultivar that has shown some resistance to grape downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola), one of the most destructive diseases affecting grapevines. A genome wide association study was able to identify […]6 January 2024 -
Jingyin Bao, a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland, under the supervision of Dr. Alice Hayward, is focused on conserving endangered Australian flora. Armed with a Master of Biotechnology, her prior work has focused on optimizing cryopreservation protocols for the endangered Gossia fragrantissima. Expanding on this foundation, her current PhD project is dedicated to […]6 January 2024 -
Biostimulants can improve nutrient uptake by plants, growth, productivity, fruit quality, as well as plant resilience to abiotic and biotic stresses. Among them, silicon (Si) is reported to be beneficial in mitigating stresses such as plant diseases, salinity, drought, and nutrient imbalances. For organic highbush blueberries, the ability to enhance crop resilience and produce high […]6 January 2024 -
Christine Schmitz is a PhD candidate working on management models for fruit growers with the Horticultural Sciences team at the University of Bonn and the Dienstleistungszentrum Ländlicher Raum Rheinpfalz (Germany). Spring frost damage is a major problem for temperate fruit production in Germany. Techniques to protect apricot orchards against such damage include wind machines, paraffin […]25 November 2023 -
Chestnuts are an ecologically and economically important fruit and forest tree species that have been cultivated for several centuries. Annual chestnut production now reaches over two million tons, yet little is known about the ecology of chestnut pollination. How is chestnut pollen dispersed? Is the quantity and quality of pollen limiting? What are the determinants […]25 November 2023 -
Bixuan Cheng is in the first year of her Ph.D. studies at the School of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, China, under the supervision of Prof. Chao Yu. Based on genomics and linkage analysis, she is seeking to discover the molecular mechanism of important traits for tetraploid roses. China has been cultivating Rosa species for […]25 November 2023 -
The Ranunculaceae family, comprising 2500 species across 53 genera, has long intrigued researchers due to its unique position among flowering plants. Two species, Anemone coronaria L. (poppy anemone) and Ranunculus asiaticus L. (Persian buttercup), are renowned for their ornamental value as cut flowers and potted plants, with breeding efforts focused on enhancing various traits from […]25 November 2023 -
As part of his PhD at the Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy, Francesco Maldera is evaluating the behavior of new hedgerow systems in olive and almond orchards. This research is exploring the relevance of propagation methods for olive trees and how the in vitro propagation techniques affect […]25 November 2023 -
As part of her PhD at the University of Life Sciences “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” Iasi, Romania, Mariana Calara’s research has focused on “Optimization of some organic vegetable crop systems using allelopathic interactions”. There are many products available for disease and pest control in organic agriculture. However, when it comes to weed control, the […]25 November 2023