future Archives - Page 7 of 7 - The Global Plant Council

Sep 10

Nanopores: Next, next generation sequencing

By Isabel | Blog, Future Directions

Do you have a genome sequencer in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

By Nikolai Adamski

On September 4 I attended an event sponsored by Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) at Norwich Research Park, UK, which focused on nanopore technologies. This new technology has been dubbed ‘Next, next-generation sequencing’, and could have really exciting implications for the future of genome sequencing.

ONT has developed a pocked-sized genome sequencing device called the MinION that can sequence genomes in real time. Thanks to recent pop culture this generates visions of cuddly yellow creatures with an overly developed desire to serve super-villains. However, a MinION is actually a new genome sequencing device. To help confused readers, the figure below should help clarify the issue once and for all (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Demonstrating the difference between the pop culture Minion on the left and the genome sequencing MinION on the right.

The striking thing about the MinION is its size. Sequencing machines these days vary in size from something that sits on a desktop, to something that fills half a student’s room. The MinION however, fits in the palm of your hand. This is possible thanks to highly miniaturized electronics.

So how does it work?

At the core of the MinION are two biological components: the nanopore protein, which gives the company its name, and a motor protein. The nanopore protein sits on top of an artificial layer and acts a microscopic sluice gate that controls how much of the sample solution passes through it into the lower layer. The sample solution contains DNA, but also ions that pass through the nanopore, thus creating a measurable electrical current. If a big molecule like a strand of DNA passes through the nanopore, the flow of ions is perturbed, which results in a change in the electrical current. These changes are recorded and interpreted to give the sequence of said DNA molecule.

Meanwhile, the motor protein sticks to a DNA molecule, attaches itself to the top of the nanopore, and feeds the DNA through the nanopore as a single strand at a certain speed. This process is similar to a ratchet. Each MinION device has thousands of nanopores allowing for as many molecules to pass through and be sequenced in real time. This is nicely illustrated in a video made by ONT, which you can see here which is well worth a watch!

The sequence data are sent to a cloud server in real time, where they are transformed and analyzed and the final data sent back to the user. This eliminates the need for an expensive computer infrastructure as well as the need for extensive training in bioinformatics.

Limitations of the technology

So far so good, but there are still some issues with the MinION system. One of these is the average length of the DNA molecules that can be sequenced. In theory, the MinION system is able to sequence DNA molecules of any length, although the data from users at last week’s event suggests that, at the moment, the average length of sequence obtained is around 6,000 base pairs (bp). This is still a great value, but there is room for improvement. Another issue is the amount of data generated by a single MinION run, which according to user experience is generally around 1Gb, approximately 200 times the size of the gut bacterium E. coli. Both of these issues can be easily remedied by running several MinION sequencers with the same sample.

A larger problem is the matter of sequencing accuracy, which is now somewhere around 90%, although it can be as low as 75%. This can in part be compensated for by the sheer amount of data generated. However, it would require a lot of sequencing to make up for these mistakes, and is a critical point that needs to be addressed by ONT in the future.

Current applications

The MinION system has been and is being used worldwide for a number of different applications. Scientists and medical doctors have used the MinION to monitor strains of the Ebola virus in different patients. Thanks to the real time sequencing data and cloud-based data analysis, patients could be screened within a few days as opposed to weeks. Another interesting example of the usefulness of the MinION system was when scientists travelled to the Tanzanian jungle to assess the biodiversity of frogs in the region.

There are many more fascinating applications for the MinION sequencer. Scientists who are interested can join the MinION Access Programme (MAP) to become part of the research and development community.

I very much enjoyed the ONT event and I am hopeful and curious about what the next few years will bring in terms of innovation and development.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

About the Author:

Nikolai Adamski is a postdoctoral scientist working at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, UK, in the group of Cristobal Uauy. He studies yield and yield-related traits in wheat, trying to identify the underlying genes to understand the control and regulation of these traits.

You can follow him on Twitter @NikolaiAdamski

Aug 28

Plant Biology Scandinavia 2015

By Isabel | Blog, GPC Community, Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society, Scientific Meetings

Celia Knight and Saijaliisa Kangasjarvi at the conference dinner

The 26^th Scandanavian Plant Physiology Society (SPPS) Congress took place from the 9^th – 13^th August at Stockholm University. Celia Knight attended the meeting and has written a report for the blog this week, so that those of you who couldn’t attend are up to speed!

A diversity of speakers and topics

Attending SPPS 2015 was a fantastic opportunity to hear about progress across a really broad spectrum of plant biology research. The program included sessions on development, epigenetics and gene regulations, high-throughput biology, photobiology, abiotic stress, education and outreach, and biotic interactions. There really was something for everyone! Additionally, the organizers had made a notable effort to include a good mix of both established and early career researchers, further adding to the diversity of talks on offer.

I was struck by the contributions from the various Society awards so will focus on these.

Beautiful Stockholm where the meeting was held

SPPS awards

Gunnar Öquist (Umeå University, Sweden) was given the SPPS Award in recognition of his outstanding merited contribution to the science of plant biology. His talk entitled “My view of how to foster more transformative research” provided a reminder that the dual aims of research, both to solve problems and to seek new knowledge, are very important if global challenges are to be met.

The SPPS early career award recognizes a highly talented scientist who has made a significant contribution to Scandinavian plant biology. This year two early career awards were given. The first recipient, Ari-Pekka Mähönen (University of Helsinki, Finland), received the award for his work on growth dynamics in Arabidopsis thaliana, and showed some amazing sections to follow cambium development. Nathaniel Street (Umeå University, Sweden) also received an award for his work “Applying next generation sequencing to genomic studies of Aspen species and Norway Spruce”. Both gave great talks including strong research in these areas; it was great to see upcoming researchers take the spotlight and give us a glimpse to the future of plant biology.

Torgny Näsholm (SLU, Umeå Sweden) was awarded the Physiologia Plantarum award. This award is given to a scientist that has made significant contribution to the areas of plant science covered by the journal Physiologia Plantarum. Torgny uses microdialysis, a technique currently used by neuroscientists, to investigate the availability of soil nitrogen to plants. Data generated using this technique are now bringing into question our current view of nitrogen availability measured using traditional methods.

Additional activities included a tour of the Bergius Botanic Garden

The Popularisation prize, awarded to Stefan Jansson (Umeå University, Sweden), recognizes significant contributions to science communication and public engagement. Stefan’s work in public engagement has been wide-ranging. He has been involved with The Autumn Experiment, a citizen science project engaging schools in observation, data collection and real research. Recently Stefan published a book in Sweden, called ‘GMO’, which tackles the response of societies to genetically modified organisms.

At the congress, Stefan took over as the new President of the SPPS. This could lead to further emphasis and resources being placed on communicating science as the society moves forward.

Poster prizes

Prizes for the best posters are also awarded at the meeting. Five judges, including myself, assessed the posters, and the competition was fierce. It was impossible to split the top prize, so joint 1^st prizes were awarded to Veli Vural Uslu (Heidelberg University, Germany) on “Elucidating early steps of sulfate sensing mechanisms by biosensors” and to Timo Engelsdorf (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway) for “Plant cell wall integrity is maintained through cooperation of different sensing mechanisms”. Joint second prizes went to Zsofia Stangl (Umeå University, Sweden) on “Nutrient requirement of growth in different thermal environments” and to Annika Karusion (University of Tartu, Estonia) for “Circadian patterns of hydraulic and xylem sap properties: in situ study on hybrid aspen.”

Additional activities

Like any meeting, SPPS wasn’t all work and no play! Lisbeth Jonsson (Stockholm University, Sweden) and her team organized an excellent program. I feel very fortunate, on this short trip, to have had the opportunity to view Stockholm’s fine City Hall where Nobel laureates have dined, as well as the incredibly preserved Vasa ship, which sank in Stockholm bay on its maiden voyage in 1628.

I very much look forward to seeing how the society progresses in the future, and nurturing new friendships and collaborations I made at the congress.

The Drinks reception at the City Hall, walking in the footsteps of Nobel Laureates

Jul 31

James Wong: Plant Geeks Will Save The World!

By Isabel | Blog, Interviews

James Wong trained as a botanist at Kew Gardens in London, UK, before embarking on a wide and varied career encompassing broadcasting, writing and garden design. He demonstrates his passion for plants in every strand of his work, and is making a significant contribution towards raising the profile of horticulture and the plant sciences within the UK. He took some time out of his busy schedule to speak to Amelia at the Global Plant Council.

James qualified with a Masters in Ethnobotany; the study of how people use plants, in 2006. This branch of the plant sciences is very relevant to tackling pressing issues such as food security and conservation.

Plants have provided humanity with essentially every aspect of our sustenance and material culture for millennia. Being a fusion of anthropology and botany, ethnobotany is vital to understanding everything we are and everything we do.

Humanity relies on an incredibly narrow range of plants to meet its needs, with just 3 crops providing up to 50% of our sustenance. This means civilization has pinned its future on just 0.00006% of the world’s edible plants!

With threats like climate change and a growing global population, it is simply not feasible to continue to marginalise 99.99994% of our crops. Learning about how to grow, prepare and eat those other plants is where the work of ethnobotanists is vital.

This is just one example of how ethnobotany is essential in helping combat some of the biggest threats our species are facing in the next century. Plant geeks will indeed save the world.

To meet the needs of a growing population, many resources are currently focused on increasing productivity of our large scale farming systems. However, in his most recent book, Grow for Flavour, James explores how we can increase the nutritional quality of home-grown produce. Could small-scale food production such as personal allotments or gardens have any role to play in our future food production systems?

In short, no. My tiny urban garden is just 6x6m, and there is no way that it is ever going to make a significant contribution to my calorie intake.

However (and this is a big however), even in this tiny space I can get access to a range of fruit and vegetables that could make an important contribution towards certain micronutrients in my diet. Many of these, including key phytonutrients, are not found in the limited range of crops grown commercially, at least in large quantities.

Green Zebra tomatoes are a good source of tomatidine. Photo credit: J https://www.flickr.com/photos/florence_craye/2953736794/in/photolist-5v1F3s-6Pshmn-8 Used under a CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license.

Green Zebra tomatoes are a good source of tomatidine.
Photo credit: J Used under a CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license.

For example tomatidine, a chemical found in green tomatoes, may help improve muscle tone and reduce atrophy according to some studies. It is not really found in any supermarket produce, yet I can easily grow 10 kgs of tasty, tomatidine-rich fruit like ‘Green Zebra’ each summer. Popped in the freezer they could provide me with an important source of this phytonutrient year round that would otherwise be almost totally absent in my diet.

Home gardens can make significant financial sense too, removing cost as a barrier to nutrient availability.

The garden design studio, Amphibian Designs, was co-founded by James in 2008. “I have always been fascinated by plants and I feel that designing with them helps me express that.” This fascination has led the studio to win four Royal Horticultural Society medals for its designs, including two gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show. Gardening is perhaps something we might associate more with art and creativity than science. However, James finds that: “creating spaces with plants and arranging them to express an idea allows me to better understand their botany.” Furthermore, having a scientific rather than arts background can be advantageous in design.

I have no formal design training and find this actually allows me more creative freedom! I rarely know the design rules and conventions, so I don’t feel I need to slavishly devote my works to them. There is an awful lot of assumed knowledge and entrenched ideas in horticulture, much of which has no factual basis, and being an outsider means you get to circumvent all that.

Engaging the public with the plant sciences is becoming increasingly important yet the perception that plants are boring can be difficult to overcome. Could gardens and horticulture provide a way to approach this problem?

Absolutely. Humans instinctively find plants beautiful. Sadly, I do think UK horticulture has done a rather good job of suppressing this instinct in many people by holding up a singular, historical ideal as the dominant mode of what a ‘proper’ garden should be. Between the rustic woven willow and stately home symbolism, it can be very easy for many people (like me) to not associate themselves with gardening. Would food, fashion, music, art or film limit themselves to such as singular ideal? Of course not, and that explains their far more broad-based appeal.

One of the most popular stands I saw at Chelsea Flower Show this year was for the European Space Agency, and represented how plants would be grown in space to feed astronauts and fuel interplanetary discovery. The look of wonder in faces of the kids (of all ages) as they wandered through spoke volumes. What an amazing way to engage kids with science.

So, we can’t leave without asking one final question: any tips for the budding gardeners amongst our readers?

Plants always grow and look best when planted to echo how they would naturally grow in the wild. Doing so means you will have less work, healthier plants and a perfectly matching aesthetic almost every time. Google image your favourite plants in their wild habitat and try your best to match them. The rest will take care of itself!

Jul 22

An interview with Ellen Bergfeld

By Isabel | Blog, GPC Community, Interviews

This week, New Media Fellow Amelia Frizell-Armitage has been talking to Ellen Bergfeld, CEO of the Alliance of Crop, Soil and Environmental Science Societies (ACSESS), a coalition of the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) (both of which are Global Plant Council member organisations) and the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA). She spoke to us about the societies, her role as CEO, and her visions for the future.

What is the purpose of the ACSESS?

ACSESS is a nonprofit organization founded by the ASA, CSSA and SSSA to support the activities of member societies.

ACSESS has five primary goals. 1) Firstly, we help professional societies representing agronomic, crop, soil, and environmental sciences to collaborate and 2) advance the missions, visions, and activities of these societies. 3) We promote the value and image of agronomic, crop, soil and environmental resource professions, and 4) unify communication with scientists, educators, policy-makers, and the public to enhance impact. Finally, 5) we engage science-based knowledge on the challenges facing humanity.

How do the work and aims of the ACSESS coalition cross over with those of the Global Plant Council (GPC)?

The GPC’s goal to feed an ever-growing human population sustainably is of paramount interest and importance to all three of our member societies.

Additionally, all three societies advocate nationally and internationally for plant and crop sciences. They act as catalysts to generate plant-based solutions for the sustainable intensification of agriculture, whilst preserving biodiversity, protecting the environment, reducing world hunger, and improving human health and wellbeing.

In your opinion, what will be the biggest challenges over the next 50 years in terms of food production and agriculture?

Three things: climate change, degraded and decreased natural resources, and population growth.

What do you think our top priorities should be in terms of tackling these issues?

Adapting plants to climatic changes and developing crops that can be sustainably grown in the field is a top priority, and very broad in terms of the research required.

Another large gap I see is education and science literacy. By educating and empowering communities, particularly girls and women, regarding the carrying capacity of the planet, we can open up discussions and raise awareness of the need for sustainability in all aspects of our lives.

What are the key developments in agronomy required to ensure sustainable agriculture in the future?

If we continue to deplete our soil and water resources, this will have a dire impact on our ability to feed the population. We need to recognize this, and adapt our agricultural practices accordingly.

2015 is International Year of Soils. Can you sum up in one sentence why soils are so important?

Soils Sustain Life!

What inspired you to leave academia and move into science policy, strategy and administration?

At the time I was looking to graduate, I would have had to do multiple postdocs to be competitive for an academic position. I enjoyed the teaching and working with animals, but not the lab work or grant writing. I pursued the Congressional Science Fellowship to open new doors and took advantages of the opportunities that followed.

Day to day, what is the most rewarding part of your job as CEO?

I enjoy connecting our sciences, and scientists, to address the global challenges that we face.

Interacting with the best and brightest minds who are collectively addressing these challenges is incredibly inspiring and fulfilling.

Ellen Bergfeld received her BSc in Animal Science from Ohio State University, going on to study reproductive physiology, first at masters then PhD level, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. After graduating she was awarded the Federation of Animal Science Societies Congressional Science Fellowship. This Fellowship provides an opportunity for highly skilled scientists to spend a year working in congress as special assistants in legislative areas. Following the fellowship Ellen became Executive Director of the American Society of Animal Science. Ellen is now CEO of ACSESS.

Jul 02

Increasing Food Production in a Changing World

By Isabel | Blog, Global Change

The fifth report of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published last year announced that climate change is already negatively affecting our food supply and this problem is only going to be amplified in coming decades.

Our climate is projected to warm by 5ºC by 2050, with increased incidence of extreme weather events. Coinciding with this is a rapidly rising global population, predicted to reach 9.6 billion by 2050. Feeding all these extra mouths is challenge enough. Doing this under changing weather and climate conditions becomes even more difficult.

Food shortages resulting from population growth or unusual weather events can lead to rising food prices and political instability. A global rice shortage in 2008 saw prices rise by over 50%, resulting in riots in Asia and Africa. We might expect events such as this to become more common in the future as the food supply becomes more and more affected by climate change.

Not surprisingly food security is currently a buzz word in the research community, and many resources are being poured into trying to ensure a stable food supply for future generations.

Some climate skeptics argue that increases in carbon dioxide could boost plant growth, resulting in higher yielding plants under climate change. However, the reality is that any positive effect the increased CO2 could have on plant growth is likely to be outweighed by higher temperatures and extreme weather events.

Since the IPCC report there have been a number of studies focussed on the staple food crop wheat, and how yields could be affected in the future.

Wheat was first domesticated 10,000 years ago and is now grown more widely than any other crop. Photo by jayneandd used under CC BY 2.0.

Wheat yields are sensitive to temperature, and are predicted to fall by around 6% for every 1ºC rise in temperature. If we do not cut down current emissions, the earth could warm by 5ºC by 2050, equating to a 30% reduction in wheat yields due to temperature increases alone.

This 30% reduction in yield is only the tip of the iceberg. Yields could be further reduced by increased instances of disease epidemics. For example, Fusarium Ear Blight is a wheat disease that causes spikelet bleaching and enhanced senescence. A severe epidemic can wipe out 60% of a wheat crop. In order to take effect, the disease requires wet weather at flowering, something which we can expect to happen more often in the future according to climate models.

Extreme weather events, such as flooding, are predicted to increase over the coming decades, and will cause unavoidable crop losses. This will exacerbate problems with declining yields, further increasing the difficulty of feeding a growing population.

What can we do?

Primarily, we should be trying to limit the extent of climate change, and to do so we need to act now. Reducing emissions and moving to sustainable energy sources should be at the top of the agenda. However, most climate scientists agree that even if we act now to reduce our emissions, there will be at least 2ºC of warming, which is already impacting on food production.

We therefore need to make our food sources more resilient to climate change. In terms of wheat this means breeding varieties that are tolerant to higher temperatures and diseases. Additionally, we will need to adapt our farming methods, to be more intensive yet sustainable, and perhaps alter our diets.

Stress Resilience Forum, 23–25 October, Iguassu Falls, Brazil

In October the Global Plant Council, in collaboration with the Society of Experimental Biology, will bring together experts from around the world to discuss current research efforts in plant stress resilience. Abstract submission and registration for the Stress Resilience Forum is now open, and we welcome researchers at all levels to take part.

The meeting takes place immediately before the International Plant Molecular Biology Conference (25–30 October), also at Iguassu Falls, and which also includes several scientific sessions on plant stresses.

Jun 24

An Interview with Mary Williams: Plant Teaching & Social Media

By Isabel | ASPB, Blog, GPC Community, Interviews

This week we spoke to Mary Williams about plant science education, her role as features editor of The Plant Cell, and effective use of social media for scientists.

What inspired you to focus your career on education in the plant sciences?

As a biochemistry student whose friends were arts majors, I discovered that I really enjoyed the challenge of explaining things through plain language and analogy. After a postdoc I took a faculty position at a primarily undergraduate institution where professors were encouraged to explore different approaches to teaching.

By sharing ideas and resources through ASPB Teaching Tools in Plant Biology, workshops, and my blog, I try to help young scientists gain confidence and become better teachers.

How have people responded to the Teaching Tools in Plant Biology (TTPB) you have developed, and how are these being used?

The response has been really positive. I regularly hear from undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, lab heads and educators who are using them for a multitude of purposes including lesson preparation, self-learning and outreach. The articles can be accessed through most university libraries or via ASPB membership. They are also available throughout the developing world through the AGORA program.

The teaching tools articles are quite technical, so we didn’t anticipate that high school teachers would want to read them. However, in response to their expressed interest I started posting interesting newsclips and videos onto the various social media sites that I manage. This summer we’re moving all of the content onto a new platform, Plantae.org, which will provide a centralized place for educators to connect in what I have described as a Global Plant Science Learning Community. I’m really excited about providing a space for people to share their ideas and promote discussions about effective plant science teaching.

Why do you think teaching the plant sciences in an inspirational way proves so difficult?

The biggest obstacle is the preconception that plants are not interesting, which too often is conveyed by teachers in primary and secondary education. Additionally, many students have no first-hand experience of growing or caring for a plant, and this first-hand experience is really key. We find that many of the most engaged young people have grown up in close contact with plants, perhaps through a family’s involvement in agriculture or horticulture.

In terms of status and salaries, our society places a much higher value on medical sciences and medical research than the plant sciences; the tangible rewards of working with and studying plants are not always evident.

How can we better capture student imaginations when it comes to plants?

Giving students the opportunity to physically engage and inquire about plants is critical, and this has to span from the earliest years through university education. Students need to use all of their senses when exploring plants, and being allowed to explore in an open-ended way lets students develop an interest and curiosity about plants.

This idea of exploration and open-ended inquiry should continue into university, even in large lecture classes. Give students a pea in a pot to take home and observe. Hand out Brussels sprouts, green onions and daisies for students to pull apart and examine. Use some class time to pose open-ended questions. Good ideas are plentiful!

Innovative tools and support for teachers can also be found on sites such as Wisconsin Fast Plants developed by Paul Williams, SAPS and PlantingScience.org.

You are features editor for The Plant Cell. What does this role involve?

TTPB is published by The Plant Cell, and we made the decision early on to focus our effort on the teaching of upper-level plant biology. This is the point at which students transition from using textbooks to the primary literature.

To write each article, I read dozens of recent papers and review articles to identify the key questions and the foundational concepts a student needs. I then create both a written article and an image-rich version of the information. Images are powerful ways to explain difficult concepts, and also are useful to people who teach and learn in languages other than English. After I finish the articles I send them out to several experts for peer review. I update the articles regularly so that they continue to reflect our current understanding.

A new initiative this year has been to draw on the talents of the community to develop additional Teaching Tools topics. We’ve been running competitions to solicit pre-proposals for development into Teaching Tools – you can read more about that here.

When did you first get involved with social media? How can social media platforms such as blogging and Twitter be of benefit to researchers?

My social media roots stretch back to the early 1990s when I was active in the usenet email-based Arabidopsis and Plant Education newsgroups. These networks were excellent sources of resources, ideas and support as I became an independent researcher and educator.

I started using Twitter, ScoopIt and Facebook in earnest in 2011 with the encouragement of Sarah Blackford (@BiosciCareers) and the Global Plant Council’s Ruth Bastow (@plantscience). Like many people, I quickly realized the power of Twitter and other social media tools as a way to connect and converse with the broader community of plant scientists, plant educators, and other plant enthusiasts. Social media not only lets me meet and learn from plant scientists from around the world, but also keep abreast of new publications and get a glimpse into what is being discussed at conferences.

Mary identifying moss in the west of Scotland

Mary’s top tips for getting started on social media:

Apply the same social rules online as you would in real life
Be friendly
Give credit where it’s due
Avoid talking about religion and politics; be culturally sensitive
Listen a lot, talk a little
Don’t be discouraged if it takes a while to get noticed
Be professional; swearing, gossip and slander are common in the social sphere, but when it’s being broadcast to the world and recorded for posterity, think twice

Jun 09

GPC President Professor Bill Davies’ vision for the future

By Isabel | ASPB, Blog, Future Directions

Global Plant Council President Professor Bill Davies discusses his vision for the future of the GPC and its role in meeting some of the global challenges facing plant science and society today.

Raising the profile of plant science

As we face the task of sustainably feeding an ever-increasing global population, the issue of food security has never been more pressing, and of course, plant science plays a fundamental role in addressing this challenge. Professor Davies believes the GPC can have a major impact in raising the profile of plants in all parts of society, but perhaps most urgently with the policy makers who can drive investment into research.

He explains: “Plant science tends to have a lower priority with funding agencies. A number of years ago there was quite a lot of talk about plant science being a pretty mature subject and therefore we didn’t need much money for research. Fortunately the European Plant Science Organisation (EPSO) managed to convince the European Parliament and others that there was an important opportunity here, the funding continued and we’ve seen a lot of benefits from that – both in furthering plant science and enhancing food production”. He continues: “Raising the profile of plant science is key, and – more specifically – we need to think about ways in which, collectively, we could address some of these challenges”.

A global conversation

Image by Neil Palmer (CIAT). Used under: CC BY-SA 2.0

Professor Davies believes the GPC is well placed to tackle global problems on a worldwide scale, by providing platforms for member organizations and individuals to collaborate on a variety of issues: “There are some genuinely global challenges that the GPC could take on. We can try to provide more opportunities for people who might be interested in addressing things beyond the boundaries of their own national scientific societies”. He adds: “I’ve been a member of the Society for Experimental Biology (SEB) longer than I care to imagine, and it’s been a really important part of my life. It delivers a lot more than just good science. The SEB has made and continues to make a big effort to operate internationally, but there’s a limit, whereas there’s no limit for GPC.

“One of the things we’ve been talking about is whether there is more that we could offer societies, particularly in developing countries. Are we making resources available that can be as influential in Ghana, for example, as they might be in the United States? If there are opportunities to broaden the scope of that offering, particularly to address some of the areas where food security is a major issue, then we can do that and, I hope, help national societies in parts of the world where they are not as influential as they might be. I believe that there is strength in numbers.

“It seems entirely logical to me to address global challenges with a global organization”.

Building resources

One of the key goals of the GPC is to build up databases of information and resources that can be used by researchers, plant breeders, farmers and other agricultural stakeholders all around the world. This is being done both as part of the three main GPC initiatives (Diversity Seek, Biofortification, and Stress Resilience), but we are also collaborating with the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) to launch an online platform for the plant science community this summer.

Image credit: IRRI. Used under: CC BY 2.0

Professor Davies is keen to harness the power of the online community for cultivating a new excitement around plant science. He led a massive open online course (MOOC) about food security at Lancaster University last year, and was pleased to see how engaged the participants were. He explains: “We had 5000 students with a fantastic level of enthusiasm and commitment. At the end of it we were left with the feeling that people were keen to know more.

“My view is that if you listen to people talk about why they do the science they do, what’s involved, and to some extent how they do it, then I think you’re in a position to make a much more well-informed decision about the science in general or controversial issues, and to contribute to the debate”.

Professor Davies believes that the online plant science platform from the ASPB and GPC will provide useful resources for scientists, teachers and students alike: “I’m in this business because I was inspired by lecturers both as an undergraduate and in graduate school. If we can capture the drama and excitement of science, we can make it available to everyone. It’s a wonderful opportunity”.

Professor William (Bill) Davies is the President of the Global Plant Council and Distinguished Professor of Plant Biology at Lancaster University, UK. His research into stress responses in plants and his involvement with many international projects aimed at improving global food security led to him being awarded a CBE award for services to Science in the 2011 Queen’s Birthday Honours list. For more information, click here.

May 27

Fascination of Plants Day 2015

By Isabel | ASPB, Blog, GPC Community, Public Engagement

Plants really are fascinating, and their continued research and conservation are vital for our survival. To this end, the third international Fascination of Plants Day (FoPD) was held on 18th May 2015, led by Global Plant Council member organization EPSO (European Plant Sciences Organisation). The aim of the day was to enthuse as many people around the world as possible about plant sciences, and to demonstrate the importance of plants in everything from sustainable food production to pharmaceuticals.

The day was a great success with over 874 events held at over 500 institutions in 54 countries around the world! Events were attended by a diverse range of people from all backgrounds and ages, and held at a variety of organizations including museums, universities, research institutes, schools and botanic gardens.

Thank you to everyone who sent their lovely photos to us – it was absolutely wonderful to look through them all! With so many people taking part, we couldn’t possibly report on everything, so in this blog post we provide you with a small snapshot of the diverse FoPD activities from around the world.

ARGENTINA

Events were held in several cities across Argentina including La Plata, Diamante and Esperanza.

Under the microscope

A wide variety of events were held across Córdoba aimed at every one from pre-schoolers to adults. The Museum of Natural Sciences had 18 stands featuring exhibits, games, and activities aimed to increase awareness of native forests. The National Academy of Sciences hosted lectures by distinguished scientists on diverse topics ranging from curious plant names to biotechnology; the enthusiastic audiences responded well by asking thought-provoking questions. In addition, The School of Biology at the National University of Córdoba prepared six stands and offered visits to the Botanical Museum. The Catholic University of Córdoba focused on how natural insecticides are obtained from plants and microscopic plant structures.

AUSTRIA

During the workshop “What does the Bee search for in the Flower” visitors could learn more about why insects visit flowers, and the benefits provided to both the insects as well as the plants.

‘Making the invisible visible’ was the theme of a joint event between the Faculty of Life Sciences of the University of Vienna and the Gregor Mendel Institute (GMI) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Over 500 people attended a family event on Sunday, May 17, which involved exciting hands-on experimental workshops and guided tours. An international ‘root race’ allowed visitors to bet on how fast roots from Arabidopsis plants collected from six locations around the world would grow. Visitors also had the chance to see CT-scans and 3D rendering in action to see inside of a plant.

BULGARIA

Six FoPD events were held across Bulgaria, all of which can be seen on this blog.

At Sofia University, a variety of presentations, photography contests, demonstrations, performances and experiments explored the diversity of exotic plants, the magic of Bulgarian herds, the forests that are the lungs of the Earth, plant diseases, and the role of aquatic plants for life in the water.

Fascinating plant activities at Sofia University

GERMANY

Members of the Institute of Plant Sciences at Forschungszentrum Jülich gave guided tours and presentations to the public during the morning of FoPD. In the afternoon they built a willow hut close to the institute that will provide shade in summertime and will also be used for social events in the future.

Researchers from the institute also went into local schools to talk to young children about the importance of plants.

HUNGARY

There were 36 diverse events organized across Hungary.

In Szeged, the University of Szeged joined forces with the Institute of Plant Biology of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Cereal Research Non-Profit to organise a two-day event. Lectures covering a diverse range of topics were delivered by university lecturers and plant breeders on subjects including Hungary’s biggest trees, a plant’s dispersal strategies, and the effect of climate change on plants. In parallel to these lectures were a series of demonstrations. Visitors could explore DNA extraction from strawberries using rum and pineapple, photosynthesis, writing onto leaves using light, and take part in a discussion on genetic modification.

MEXICO

A big welcome to Mexico who participated in FoPD for the first time this year! A range of diverse events were held at universities, NGOs, museums and botanic gardens across the country.

A variety of events were held at the ENES UNAM Leon. Talks and activities focused on the evolution of maize, and traditional agricultural methods used by the Aztecs. Students had the opportunity then to help plant trees and make the very first vegetable gardens on campus.

FoPD was also celebrated in Mexico by NGO Signos Iraputo, The Institute of Technology in Purisima del Rincon, the science museum in Mexico City, and the botanical gardens of INECOL in Veracruz.

RUSSIA

Fifteen hundred people attended 48 events across Russia in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan, Kemerovo, Petrozavodsk, Perm, Pskov and Tula.

To see more from Russia, visit the Russian FoPD blog.

A variety events were held across the UK to celebrate FoPD.

On May 16^th the World Museum in Liverpool hosted its third FoPD in collaboration with scientists and educators from the University of Liverpool.

Over 500 visitors passed through the exhibition with Rose Froud and Andrew Lambie showing visitors of all ages how to make pots out of newspaper and then helped them plant either sunflowers or runner beans. Elsewhere, GARNet’s Geraint Parry helped visitors to extract DNA from strawberries and then load them onto a genome sequencer.

At Kew Gardens, Hugh Pritchard, Wolfgang Stuppy, Peter Toorop and Charlotte Seal welcomed over 60 visitors. Wolfgang spoke about the biodiversity of the Brazilian Amazon, and guided tours were given of the Wellcome Trust Millennium Building.

Over 170 people visited scientists at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, who hosted an open day highlighting the importance of plants in everyday life. During the day funds were also raised for the Nepalese Earthquake Appeal using plants donated from a local gardener.

The Oxford Fascination of Plants Day event took place at the Harcourt Arboretum. Displays at the event came from several different groups and organisations, including several stands from the University of Oxford Department of Plant Sciences.

For more photos from the University of Reading FoPD visit Dr M Goes Wild blog, and for more from Greenwich University see the MSc Applied Plant Science Facebook page.

USA

Co-ordinated by GPC member organization the ASPB, a number of events took place around the USA. More information and detail about all events can be found on the ASPB FoPD blog.

ASPB member David Puthoff from Frostburg State University explored how plants sense their environment, as well as how plants are used in everyday food, clothes and medicine. Over 60 first-grade students discussed how plants can tell up from down, and what cues the plants might use to make their decision.

In New Jersey, Leeann Thornton, a plant biology professor at The College of New Jersey, taught third graders about plant diversity and identification. Some children were so excited by this that they took plant identification books outside at break time to learn more trees! In addition to this pre-schoolers explored the life cycle of a plant through dancing. The children watched time-lapse movies of growing plants before talking about the role of plant stems, roots and flowers and pretending to be growing plants. The next day several parents commented that their children had talked all evening about plant dancing!

May 19

Dr Anne Osterrieder: Expert advice for plant science communication

By Isabel | Blog, Public Engagement

Dr Anne Osterrieder

Dr. Anne Osterrieder is a Research and Science Communication Fellow at Oxford Brookes University, UK. We asked her expert opinion on the best approaches to raise public awareness of the importance of plants, and what the future holds for science communication.

Anne, you split your time between research and outreach. How do these two aspects of your job influence each other?

The two parts of my role influence each other a lot. My research is fundamental plant biology, trying to understand how plant cells process and transport protein cargo. I know a lot about a very small part of cell biology. Not many people will have heard of the proteins I study, however the Golgi apparatus and cells are part of the school curriculum, which gives me a hook to start a conversation about cell biology. I strongly believe that it is our responsibility to bridge the gap between current plant science and textbooks. What is the purpose of making new discoveries if only a handful of people in the world will ever know about it?

I love it when others get excited about plant cells, and that fuels my own passion for my research. Trying out different ways to communicate science has influenced my writing, my scientific presentations, my teaching, and my thinking.

What sorts of approaches do you think are best for targeting different audiences?

I think, before embarking on any public engagement project, we need to consider two important things: are we going to mainly reach people who are already interested in plant science, or are we reaching out to new audiences? I love the concept of science festivals or Soapbox Science: taking science to public places on a busy day, to attract visitors who normally would not have visited a science event (“I never would have thought that this was so interesting!”).

I also believe it is important to design projects that allow interaction and dialogue. It is very tempting to see ourselves as the experts, spurting out knowledge like a garden hose. However, I realize that my ‘vast expertise’ is very limited to a narrow niche topic. Everyone has a different background and experiences. When we allow our different perspectives to collide, exciting and unexpected things might happen.

#soapboxscience has its fifth birthday this year – thanks to all our speakers and volunteers for 5 years of pure fun pic.twitter.com/l5dGdHXRp7

— SoapBox Science (@SoapboxScience) May 8, 2015

How can we dispel the “plants are boring” stereotype and attract more young people to enter plant science?

I spend a lot of time thinking about this question. One of the main problems is ‘plant blindness’, and the fact that plants are just there and don’t seem to be doing much. We try to dispel this myth by showing how much is going on inside plant cells. Rather than solely dispensing facts about plants, we should discuss the questions that make us curious, and inspire us to study plants. When I look at a flower, I wonder how it knows how to make petals. How does a seed know how and when to grow into a big plant? Are Golgi bodies the same size in Sequoia trees as they are in a daisy? If not, how do they know how to change their size – and if yes, how do they know how to not change their size?

By putting questions in the foreground, we can communicate what we know, and then explore together what we don’t know. But most importantly, if we want to inspire, we have to include our emotions alongside our facts. Passion and enthusiasm can make even the most boring topic exciting and gripping.

Do you have any thoughts on how the plant science community could better connect with agricultural stakeholders and policy makers?

When I went to a conference last year, I learnt about ‘EIP-AGRI’, the agricultural European Innovation Partnership, a network that aims to connect researchers, farmers, agribusinesses and other stakeholders. I think that networks like this, as well as learned societies, are important hubs for connecting scientists with other stakeholders.

Do you think science communication is something all scientists should be doing, or are dedicated specialists like yourself more effective at getting the message across, especially when it comes to heavily debated topics such as GM, genome editing or synthetic biology?

I think there is a need for both. I feel that all academic researchers should become involved in public engagement, but dedicated specialists might have more experience to tackle more difficult questions and can provide advice and training for more casual communicators. Before I became more involved with science communication, I had not realized at all that it was a discipline on its own. I think there should be much more interaction between scientists and science communicators (both professionals and researchers) to exchange information about ‘best practice’ and lessons learned.

How do you envisage the future of plant science communication?

I hope researchers embrace creativity and step out of their comfort zone to try out new ways of communication, and engage new audiences. I also hope that plant science communication will happen offline and online, and that people will maximize their impact by interlinking both!

You can find out more about Dr. Osterrieder’s public engagement projects by visiting her website, Plant Cell Biology, or by following her on Twitter @AnneOsterrieder. Hear more of Anne’s advice for plant science communication in this 11 minute video lecture:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=XKUfpiFfhgQ%3Frel%3D0

May 05

The Nature of Crop Domestication

By Isabel | Blog, Global Change

Why do we eat some plants but not others? What makes a good crop, and how have we transformed these species to suit our own needs?

Around 12,000 years ago, humans began to transition from nomadic hunter-gatherer societies to a more settled agricultural life. We began to selectively breed cereals and other crops to improve desirable traits, such as their yields, taste and seed retention. Today we eat less than 1% of all flowering plant species, relying on a handful of staples for almost all of our calories.

Why do we eat so few plant species?

Professor John Warren, Aberystwyth University

We spoke with Professor John Warren at Aberystwyth University in the UK, who delves into the history of crop domestication in his new book, ‘The Nature of Crops: How We Came to Eat the Plants We Do,’ published on 24^th April 2015. He blogs about how we came to eat certain plants over at Pick of the Crop, and said that his book developed from there. “The stories of crop domestication are just so interesting, weird, biologically strange, fun – they just demand to be told,” he enthused.

So why do we eat so few of the edible plants in the world? Based on his research into gene flow and plant breeding systems, Professor Warren presents novel theories in his book: “Previously people have argued that it’s because most plant are poisonous, but I don’t think that holds water. We actively seek out toxic plants as crops; plants with large food stores tend to be well defended with toxins. Instead I argue that it’s plant sexual habits that limit crop domestication. Plants with the usual pollination mechanisms don’t make ideal crops as they will fail to set seed when grown on an agricultural scale. Thus we domesticate things that are wind pollinated or pollinated by common generalist insects.”

Science-led crop breeding

How did our ancestors come to realise that rhubarb leaves are poisonous but the stems make a tasty crumble? Professor Warren says, “Its discovery was an accident and a fairly recent one – but read the book for the full story.” Image credit: Cory Doctorow used under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Professor Warren works at the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University, which houses much of the research into agriculture and the environment that ties into the theme of his book. “Previously it’s been argued that there haven’t really been any new crops in the last 5,000 years. Here in Aberystwyth, we know that ryegrass, clover, elephant grass and others are still in the process of being domesticated, so you don’t need to be an archaeologist to study the process,” he explained. In addition to breeding new varieties of cereals and forage crops for food and feed, the Public Good Plant Breeding group at IBERS are also in the process of breeding Miscanthus, a fast-growing grass species that could be used for sustainable bioenergy in the future.

Resources like the Diversity Seek (DivSeek) initiative, established by the Global Plant Council in association with the Global Crop Diversity Trust, the CGIAR Consortium and the Secretariat of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, could be used to enable science-driven crop breeding and domestication. DivSeek aims to unlock the genetic diversity that is currently stored in genebanks around the world by using cutting edge sequencing, phenotyping and ‘big data’ technologies. The genetic variation that is identified can then be used as the basis for breeding programs and could assist in the domestication of novel crops.

The future of agriculture

Drought damage in California, 2014. Image credit: US Department of Agriculture used under CC BY 2.0.

The crops we eat today were domesticated in highly fertile conditions; this means they are nutritious but tend to demand a high input of fertilizers and water. Professor Warren argues that we can use modern science to develop more sustainable ways to feed the global population: “It’s important that we start to think outside the box and try and domesticate a whole range of new crops that are more sustainable and less demanding of agricultural inputs.” An important source of future crop species could be stress-tolerant plants living in difficult environments: “I think the crops of the future could still be waiting to be domesticated from plants growing in harsh conditions,” explained Professor Warren.

Professor Warren also discussed how we could use underutilized crops in new ways to make agriculture more sustainable in the future: “I think and hope that we will eat more species, and that we will grow many more of these as perennials in poly-culture systems. That makes ecological sense in terms of niche exploitation and yield sustainability. It also makes more genetic sense in terms of resistance to pests and diseases.” The only downside, he said, is that these systems are so different to what we have now that we will need innovative research to develop them.

About Professor John Warren

The akee is the national fruit of Jamaica. Image credit: Loren Sztajler, used under CC BY-ND 2.0.

John is a plant ecologist at Aberystwyth University, UK, with research interests in the origin and maintenance of diversity and enhancement of conservation value, particularly within agricultural ecosystems. He is the Director of Teaching and Learning and a Professor of Botany in the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences. John says the strangest plant he’s ever eaten is the akee, a plant beloved of Jamaicans that looks and tastes a bit like scrambled eggs but which is delicious with saltfish.

Over to you

What do you think will be the most important crops of tomorrow, and which underutilized plants will become dietary staples in an effort to feed the world more sustainably?