Knowledge Exchange
IAPN at the Annual Meeting of the German Society of Plant Nutrition
The Annual Meeting of the German Society of Plant Nutrition (DGP) was held from September 25th to 27th 2019 in Berlin under the main theme “Plant Nutrition meets social expectations of sustainable plant production”. This year more than 100 participants attended the conference with a wide range of contributions covering the diversity of plant nutrition research. All scientists of the IAPN team participated.
Junior Professor Dr. Merle Tränkner presented meta-analysis on magnesium studies from the last 70 years
Junior Professor Dr. Merle Tränkner introduces results of a meta-analysis on scientific magnesium studies from 1950 bis 2018. (Photo: Jamali)
Professor Dr. Merle Tränkner gave a talk entitled “Critical Leaf Magnesium Thresholds for Plant Growth” within the session about environmentally friendly plant nutrition. She presented results of a systematic review and meta-analysis that was performed on magnesium (Mg) studies published over the last 70 years. It was shown by Merle Tränkner that critical Mg concentrations for biomass formation fall within the range of 0.1 to 0.2 % for numerous crop species such as wheat, potato, rice, maize, sorghum and barley, but critical Mg concentrations are mostly higher for net CO2 assimilation than for biomass formation.
Poster of Dr. Ariel Turcios addressed the effect of potassium in quinoa plants
Knowledge exchange at the DGP conference 2019: Dr. Ariel Turcios explains how potassium affects the growth and physiology of the facultative halophyte Chenopodium quinoa Willd. (Photo: Tränkner)
Both postdoctoral researchers Dr. Ariel Turcios and Dr. Paulo Cabrita presented a poster. Ariel Turcios’ poster was entitled “Importance of potassium for quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) cultivated under moderate saline conditions”. It highlighted the effect of potassium (K) on plant growth and plant physiology for quinoa plants grown under saline and non-saline conditions. The study demonstrated that K is a very important element to increase the productivity of the facultative halophyte C. quinoa Willd., but salinity may negatively affect K uptake under sufficient K supply due to the possible antagonism of the two cations sodium and potassium.
Remote sensing in field trial on Mg: research results of Dr. Paulo Cabrita
IAPN postdoctoral scientist Dr. Paulo Cabrita explores digital and sensing methods in plant nutrition. (Photo: Tränkner)
Paulo Cabrita presented results of a field trial on Mg fertilization in a poster entitled “Study of Crop Response to Magnesium Fertilization through Remote Sensing Methods”. In the field trial, an analysis of high-resolution satellite imagery and field spectrometry together with chemical analyses of field samples was conducted. In his study, Paulo Cabrita showed that there was an increase in biomass, leaf size, and amount of pigment with increasing Mg fertilizer rates, indicated by changes in a number of optical indices (NDVI, MSAVI, Chlorophyll Index RedEdge, ARI). He also demonstrated that remote sensing, namely the application of high-resolution satellite images, presents as very promising method to monitor not only plant growth and development, but also crop physiological and morphological responses to magnesium fertilization.
Photoprotection under Mg deficiency: poster of Setareh Jamali Jaghdani awarded by DGP
Exploring the impact of Mg deficiency on the photosystem functionality and photosynthetic efficiency: IAPN PhD student Setareh Jamali Jaghdani. (Photo: Tränkner)
IAPN’s PhD student Setareh Jamali Jaghdani introduced results of her recent research. On her poster “Influence of magnesium on photosynthesis and photoprotection in barley” she addressed the question whether the photoprotective mechanism of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) can prevent a reduction in photosynthetic efficiency under Mg deficiency. Her results showed that CO2 assimilation rates decreased with moderately deficient Mg supply and, under severe Mg deficiency, a decline in NPQ as a photoprotective mechanism was recognized. For her poster, Setareh Jamali Jaghdani was awarded a DGP poster prize.
The German Society of Plant Nutrition, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Pflanzenernährung (DGP) was founded in 1968. It is a scientific forum of plant nutritionists that brings together the disciplines of nutritional physiology, nutrient cycling in soils and fertilization. Each year, the Annual Meeting of the DGP is held at another location.
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