Session Chair
As sessile organisms permanently restricted to their site of germination, plants have developed, over the course of evolution, unique mechanisms that allow them to thrive in the environment without moving. In this session, we will first talk about how plants sense their environment in the rhizosphere, and then discuss how plants response to unfavorable environments at the subcellular level. We will also discuss novel genomic and genetic tools by which we can manipulate crops to improve agriculture in the face of rapid climate change
Featured talks
Strigolactones (SLs) act as endogenous hormones that sculpt plant architecture and exogenous signals in the rhizosphere. I will discuss how SLs trigger germination of Striga, a devastating plant pest that parasitizes crops. I will also describe how we used yeast as a model system to elucidate how fungi sense SLs.
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is essential for protein synthesis, folding, and stress adaptation. This presentation will highlight recent discoveries on how the plant ER senses and responds to environmental stress while sustaining protein production, revealing key mechanisms that maintain cellular homeostasis and promote resilience under adverse conditions.
Professor, Associate Dean Graduate Studies And Global Relations, Dalhousie University
Summary of the talk: In this talk, I will present our selective autophagy receptor discovery pipeline and show how we use cross-species comparisons to map the architecture of selective autophagy networks. I will highlight the discovery of new receptor–cargo modules and pathways that reveal how cells safeguard proteome and organelle integrity under stress.
Senior Research Officer, Aquatic and Crop Resource Development, National Research Council Canada
Prescriptive breeding defines an ideotype tailored to specific environment and cropping system, recognizing that complex G×E×M interactions make a universal cultivar unrealistic. This approach is increasingly vital as population growth, rising demand for sustainable, nutritious foods, and climate and resource pressures intensify challenges for agriculture.
