News

The Crop Physiology group participated in the 57th Annual Conference of the German Society of Plant Nutrition, showcasing their research via oral presentations: "Wheat as an early indicator for the shortage of phosphorus in soil", by Dr. von Tucher "Fine mapping quantitative trait loci controlling… [read more]

A vigorous root system is crucial for maize seedling establishment. Its formation and subsequent plant performance are hindered by nutrient- and water deficiency. Upon germination, maize seedlings develop primary, then seminal roots, covered with pubescent root hairs. Functions of root hairs at this… [read more]

Ping completed his PhD at the University of Tasmania and is a postdoc working in the Stress Physiology Lab at the University of Western Australia. He presented a talk titled "Lessons from nature: Salinity tolerance in halophytic rice Oryza coarctata". In this talk, Ping demonstrated distinguished… [read more]

BackgroundContinuous and sufficient boron (B) supply is essential for achieving maximum yield in Brassica napus. Increasing incidences of environmental water limitation are linked to reduced plant B availability and increased B deficiencies. Developing an optimized fertilization strategy that… [read more]

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Welcome Tamara González Illanes to the Bienert Lab at the Technical University of Munich.Within the final year of her PhD, she will work at the Bienert lab for 3 months on a project entitled "Evaluation of rapeseed (Brassica napus) responses to boron deficiency, aluminium toxicity and the potential… [read more]

Congratulations to Dr. Thomas Alcock starting his DFG-funded independent Emmy Noether research group in September 2025 on Plant Micronutrient Physiology. Leading a project named MaizeNutriUp, Dr. Alcock aims to uncover mechanisms by which plants can increase the uptake of micronutrients from the… [read more]

With the possibility of co-optimizing all growth factors in vertical farming, such systems could contribute to future food supply, but the potential productivity is unknown. Analyzing 171 publications with 1403 data points across 10 crop categories from controlled-environment experiments revealed… [read more]

Zusammenfassung Phosphor (P) ist eines der wichtigsten Elemente für alles Leben auf der Erde. Auf zellulärer Ebene ist es ein essentieller Baustein für das Erbmaterial (DNA/RNA), Zellstrukturen (Zellmembranen) sowie ein zentraler Bestandteil des Energiestoffwechsels (ADP/ATP). Daher ist eine… [read more]

We have abundant knowledge on drought responses of plants or soil microorganisms individually. However, there is a severe lack of knowledge regarding interactions in the plant-soil-microbiome continuum, and specifically root-soil interface traits including the role of root hairs. Here, we… [read more]