This webinar was recorded Thursday, November 18, 2021 About This Webinar This webinar was organized celebrate the November 2021 Plant Physiology Focus Issue on Architecture and Plasticity. It was hosted by the Focus Issue editors, Ronald Pierik, Christian Fankhauser, Lucia Strader, and Neelima Sinha; and it featured talks from three of the authors whose work […]
When: Tuesday, November 16, 2021 12 PM PST (UTC-8) | 2 PM CST (UTC-6) | 3 PM EST (UTC-5) About This Webinar Plant biologists are inundated with the message to develop “translational” research but given little guidance on how to achieve that. This panel, representing nonprofit and commercial agricultural research, will provide expertise on how […]
When: Monday, November 15, 2021 10 AM PST (UTC-8) | 12 PM CST (UTC-6) | 1 PM EST (UTC-5) About This Webinar This webinar and discussion will focus on how Early Career Researchers (ECRs) can get involved with their communities through political action or activism. Guest speaker Hallie Thompson will share her experiences recently running […]
As part of our ongoing commitment to creating a vibrant and engaging community for plant scientists, we launched the Plantae Fellow Program in 2016. So far, we have had 119 Fellows join the program and this year we are pleased to welcome 25 new Fellows to the 2022 class! The role of the Fellows is […]
When: Monday, November 1, 2021 10 AM PDT (UTC-7) | 12 PM CDT (UTC-5) | 1 PM EDT (UTC-4) About This Webinar This webinar, which is being organized by the ASPB Early Career Plant Scientists Section Subcommittee on Equity Diversity and Inclusion, will facilitate a discussion on the grave impact that COVID has had on […]
Plantae Webinar Highlighting Plant Physiology Focus Issue “Sensors and Controllers: For and From Plants” Recorded Wednesday, October 20, 2021 A characteristic of plant life is the ability to rapidly acclimate tissue function and to change body plans in response to changing conditions. Their responsiveness is underpinned by sophisticated signaling and metabolic networks. These networks are […]
Are you a creative and articulate plant scientist looking to connect with other like-minded folks? We need your help to nurture and grow Plantae, the online home for the global plant science community that is powered by ASPB. We are looking for individuals who want to become highly engaged by creating and curating content, facilitating […]
ASPB is in the process of moving the Plantae community to a new platform so that we may better serve you and your needs. Our current community site https://community.plantae.org/ will be replaced at the end of May by a new and improved community site at https://plantae.org/community/ This new site can be more easily customized to grow over time […]
Plantae Webinar: Launch and advance a career in science without a PhD Recorded Thursday, April 22nd About This Webinar Many of our career conversations focus on what’s next after a plant science PhD, but there are other ways to be extremely successful in this field without a doctorate. In our next Plantae Webinar, our panelists […]
Plantae Webinar: What I Wish I had Known When I Started Grad School When: Tuesday, April 13th at 2 PM EDT 11 AM PDT (UTC-7) | 1 PM CDT (UTC-5) | 2 PM EDT (UTC-4) About This Webinar This semester, many graduate students are embarking on a new unprecedented journey. The ASPB Early Career Plant […]
In this episode, our guest is Aman Husbands. Aman is originally from Canada and got his undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto. After completing his PhD at the University of California Riverside, he moved to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories. In 2018, he moved to The Department of Molecular Genetics at the Ohio State University […]
This week’s podcast is a conversation with Dr. Kevin Cox. Kevin earned his PhD at Texas A&M University before returning to his hometown of St Louis, Missouri to do a postdoc with Blake Meyers at The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. Kevin has won numerous awards and grants and was recently awarded an HHMI Hanna […]
Plantae Presents: Eric Schranz and Caroline Pont Recorded Feb 10 – 10am EST, 3pm GMT, 4pm CET Eric Schranz: Context Matters: Phylogenomic synteny analysis of plants and animals Eric Schranz is currently the professor of Biosystematics at Wageningen University. He was a an undergraduate at Cornell University and received his PhD from the University of […]
In this episode, we talk with Dr. Thelma Madzima, Assistant Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Washington, Bothell. A native of Zimbabwe, she received her Ph.D. in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Florida and went on to complete a postdoc with Karen McGinnis in the Department of […]
This week’s podcast is a conversation with Dr. Adán Colón-Carmona, Professor of Biology at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Adán received his PhD from University of California, Irvine and he did postdoctoral research at the Salk Institute and at the University of California, Davis. His research currently focuses on plant rhizosphere interactions, abiotic stress response, […]
This week’s Taproot podcast episode is a conversation with Dr. Tanisha Williams A plant researcher, she was inspired this summer by the simultaneous rise of the pandemic and the civil uprising against police brutality to draw Black botanists together for a social media event called #BlackBotanistsWeek. Tanisha is an impressively accomplished early career researcher whose […]
Careers in Plant Biology Startups Recorded Thursday, November 12, 2020 About This Webinar Startups are an essential component of the plant biology and ag-tech industry ecosystems. In this webinar, organized by the Women in Plant Biology Committee, you will learn what it’s like to work at a startup, understand the basics of founding a company […]
Careers Beyond the Bench – Industry Edition Recorded Monday, October 26, 2020 About This Webinar During this Plantae webinar, which has been jointly organized by the ASPB EDIC Committee and the ASPB Women in Plant Biology Committee, you will develop insights into the many career options available to plant biologists by meeting scientists who have […]
It has been quite a few months since our last episode! We intended to have a new season out by now, but as you might imagine, a few things got in the way. We are, however, back to working on topics and guests for Season 5 so stay tuned for new episodes this Fall! In […]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic many seminar series and conferences have been canceled or postponed. In response to this, and to make sure plant scientists can continue to communicate their latest work to their peers, The American Society of Plant Biologists launched a virtual seminar series via our online community, Plantae. A list of upcoming […]
Parenting & Scientific Training Recorded Tuesday, June 16, 2020 About This Webinar In this webinar, organized by ASPB’s Women in Plant Biology Committee, our panelists discuss challenges, resources, tips, and opportunities for scientists in training who are also parents or considering starting a family. This webinar is freely available thanks to the support of […]
What makes a paper *really* pioneering? Recorded Friday, May 8, 2020 About This Webinar With the benefit of hindsight, we can all recognize key ideas and innovations that opened up new avenues of research or provided radical new insights. But is it possible to learn how to recognize these pioneering advances before they’ve had their […]
Plant Science Careers in Space Biology Recorded Thursday, April 9, 2020 About This Webinar Plant science careers in the space program. Really? For many plant biologists, the concept of working for NASA or contributing to space exploration might be rather unexpected. However, career opportunities in space biology are expanding, and these jobs can be exciting […]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic many seminar series and conferences have been canceled or postponed. We wish to make sure plant scientists can continue to communicate their latest work to their peers during these difficult times and establish a platform on which scientists may connect year-round, regardless of where they are located. On April 1, […]
What Happens after Manuscript Submission? Recorded Friday, March 6, 2020 About This Webinar In one of our recent webinars, Mary Williams discussed how to prepare your manuscript for publication. But what happens next? In the second webinar of this series, Jon Munn, Jennifer Regala, and Mary Williams discussed how your manuscript is reviewed, from […]
As part of our ongoing commitment to creating a vibrant and engaging community for plant scientists, we launched the Plantae Fellow Program in 2016. With over 80 applicants from all over the world, we are proud to announce the people accepted into this year’s class. The role of the Fellows is to help nurture and […]
Last week, the Phenome 2020 meeting took place in Tucson, Arizona. Plantae Fellow and Plant Phenomics Community Network Leader Zihao Zheng attended, photographed, and summarized each talk. To get an idea of what the conference check out these tweet-length summaries. elink.io | See Original See Original | Powered by elink
This week we are featuring the Faculty Job: Myths and Realities Series created by ASPB Ambassador Arif Ashraf. In each interview, faculty members describe their journey from student to newly appointed faculty and answer the following questions: What inspired you most to pursue your current career? Which conferences do you regularly attend? How long did […]
In the final episode of Season 4, we talk with Todd Barkman, Professor of Biology at Western Michigan University. Todd earned his PhD in Botany at the University of Texas at Austin with Beryl Simpson, and went on to a postdoc position at Penn State with Claude dePamphilis. He started his lab at Western Michigan […]
This Valentine’s Day, give a gift that keeps growing with these DIY seed packets! A fun project for kids and adults! Instructions: 1.) Download this PowerPoint file and select the Valentines that you wish to print Plant Valentines.pptx 2.) Download the Seed Packet Template .pdf and print as many as you need on colorful paper […]
Preparing your Manuscript for Submission Recorded Tuesday, February 4, 2020 About This Webinar In this webinar, ASPB Features Editor Mary Williams will outline the key steps in writing a paper, preparing figures, and navigating the submission process. Topics include how to frame the significance of the question being addressed; how to put the results […]
This episode, we continue our discussions about cultivating a career with guest Kelly Gillespie, Nursery Solutions Lead at Bayer Crop Science. Kelly got her bachelor’s degree at Knox College, a small liberal arts college in Illinois. She then moved on to do a PhD with Lisa Ainsworth at the University of Illinois. She did a […]
This month we are celebrating the anniversary of The Global Plant Science Events Calendar! So far, we have collected over 200 events. In the past year, the calendar has become one of our most viewed pages, but how global is the calendar? To get an idea, here is a word cloud generated from the location […]
Transdisciplinary Plant Phenomics and Phenotyping for Maize Crop Improvement Recorded Tuesday, January 21, 2020 About This Webinar Emerging tools in plant phenomics and high-throughput field phenotyping are redefining possibilities for decisions in plant breeding and agronomy as well as discoveries in the plant sciences more broadly. More specifically, coupling unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, i.e., drones) […]
Our guest for this episode is Dr. Holly Bik. Holly obtained her PhD in Molecular Phylogenetics at the University of Southampton, working with John Lambshead at the Natural History Museum of London in conjunction with the UK National Oceanography Center. She completed postdoctoral appointments with Dr. Kelley Thomas at the University of New Hampshire and […]
HAPPY NEW YEAR, PLANT BIOLOGY COMMUNITY! What a year 2019 was! So many wonderful things happened. ASPB hosted another successful Plant Biology meeting in San Jose, CA. We spent the year celebrating The Plant Cell‘s 30th anniversary (check out the hashtag #ThePlantCellebration30 for a year full of fun, and […]
Our Global Calendar project was initiated on January 2nd, 2019 in an effort to collect and curate all of the plant science events of interest to our community. Agrisera, our calendar sponsor, recognized the need for scientists and exhibitors to have a comprehensive list of events and approached us with the idea and offer of […]
In this episode, we talk with Laura Klasek who is a Plant Biology Ph.D. Candidate at the University of California, Davis about her research and experiences as a graduate student. Laura received her undergraduate degree from Hendrix College, where she double-majored in Biology and English with a creative writing focus. She was a 2018-2019 ASPB […]
2019 was an amazing year of growth for Plantae’s social media accounts. It is always interesting to look back at what worked and which posts were of most interest to our community. Here is a list of our Top 5 Twitter and Facebook posts. Thank you for following our accounts! Light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) methods […]
We Are Here and We Are Scientists! LGBTQ+ Perspectives and Topics in Plant Science Recorded December 12, 2019 About This Webinar Academic and industry work environments are becoming increasingly welcoming of out LGBTQ+ scientists at many career levels. Nevertheless, many members of the LGBTQ+ community find themselves lost as they try to navigate issues […]
In our previous episode, we talked with Dr. Scott Barolo about his research and shared tips for completing written graduate school applications. In this episode, we go to the next step, following up with Scott to discuss what to do once you’ve made it to the interviews. Scott shares tips for how to excel at […]
Functional Phenomics: Studying Root Physiology Using Affordable Open Source Tools Recorded December 17, 2019 About This Webinar Functional phenomics is an emerging discipline that utilizes phenotyping, physiology, multivariate statistics, and simulation modeling to generate and test new hypotheses about how plant traits integrate to influence crop performance and other attributes. Open science is a […]
On our Changing Cultures and Climates Page, we’ve created an Anti-Racism Toolkit. This post provides a place for you to share your feedback. Let us know how you are using these resources, which resonate with you, and why. View Resources as a Spreadsheet Add More Resources
How Top Scientists Use Twitter to Support their Research Recorded November 7, 2019 Scientists are increasingly using social media as vehicles via which to communicate with other scientists and with the public. Social media platforms also provide excellent opportunities to build professional networks, learn about opportunities, and develop a sense of community. This webinar is […]
Social Media for Scientists: What, Why, and How Recorded: Friday, September 27 About This Webinar Scientists are increasingly using social media as vehicles through which to communicate with other scientists and the public. Social media platforms also provide excellent opportunities to build professional networks, learn about opportunities, and develop a sense of community around what […]
All aboard the mentor-ship: making and using an Individual Development Plan Recorded September 10, 2019 About This Webinar Individual Development Plans (IDPs) are a tool to facilitate student-trainer relationships and help students and post-docs of all levels to evaluate their project and career progress and set goals for the future. Katie Murphy and Laura Klasek […]
This season’s theme is “Cultivating a Career”, and we’ll talk about this from both sides–ideas and advice for your own career AND for helping the careers of others. Be sure to listen to our previous seasons while you wait and stay tuned! https://cast.rocks/hosting/8420/S4E0-Teaser.mp3 How to listen, download and subscribe to The Taproot podcast The Taproot […]
How to be an effective mentor Recorded July 25, 2019 About This Webinar Being an effective mentor involves making yourself available to support and advise someone when they need it, delivering that support in a way that makes sense to them, and always keeping that person’s best interests in mind. In this webinar we discussed […]
Plant Biology 2019 is fast approaching! If you’ll be attending for the first time, don’t worry—you’re in good company! You’ll be among 1400+ other plant biologists from nearly 40 countries, from grad students to professionals with 20+ years of experience, so no matter what you do, you’re guaranteed to have a great experience. If you’re […]
This page is a collection of news, information, and events about the Plant Cell’s 30th anniversary, or #ThePlantCELLebration30!…
What does your lab work on? My lab studies the mechanisms of lateral root morphogenesis in Arabidopsis. We combine molecular genetics, cell biology and microscopy to understand how these new roots are robustly formed. Tell us about the key findings from your recent article in Plant Direct. This article links to another interest of my lab: […]
What does your lab work on? My group studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which plants sense and response to mechanical stimuli. In particular, we focus on a class of molecular mechanoreceptors called mechanosensitive ion channels. Tell us about the key findings from your recent article in Plant Direct. This project was meant to be […]
What does your lab work on? We combine functional genomics with synthetic biology approaches to study the metabolism of redox-active plant natural products that can harnessed for applications relevant to agriculture and human health. We are particularly interested in specialized quinones like the notorious allelochemical juglone made by black walnut trees and the anticancer compound […]
Addressing fundamental questions in plant science through synthetic biology Recorded July 10, 2019 About This Webinar In this seminar, we examined the role that synthetic biology can play in answering fundamental questions in plant science. In studying plants for the past hundred years, we’ve learned a great deal about the mechanistic underpinnings of development and […]
Review: N-degron pathway-mediated proteostasis in stress physiology The rate of most biological processes is ultimately determined by protein activity levels, which of course are determined by rate of degradation or inactivation as well as production. Dissmeyer reviews the Cys/Arg branch of the N-degron pathway (previously called the N-end rule pathway) that contributes to protein degradation. […]
Most synthetic pesticides do not stick well on plants especially during raining season and can be washed off during irrigation shorty after application. Therefore, the farmer may need to apply several times or hope for dry days to spray. Swinges et al. developed a synthetic peptide with two separate functional groups; one adheres to the […]
Mango trees have been cultivated for approximately 4000 years which places their domestication in the same timeline as that of walnut, peach, sweet orange, lychee, citron, sweet orange, lemon, and jujube. Throughout the process of domestication, most crops undergo severe bottlenecks which decrease genetic diversity. The effects of these bottlenecks have not been extensively studied […]
Synthetic biology is a set of tools, a way of thinking, the integration of engineering principles into biological sciences, and potentially the biggest opportunity for advances in plant sciences since PCR. Yet many struggle to define it, and fewer still grasp its full potential. Now, four early-career synthetic biologists have conducted a set of video interviews […]
Over the course of 26 years Richard Lenski, a professor at Michigan State University, watched the E. coli bacteria used in his lab multiply through over 59,000 generations. He used his lab freezer as a “time machine” and collected samples after every 75 days, roughly every 500 generations. Over time, he saw some lines double in size, […]
In 2014, ASPB launched Plantae as part of our ongoing commitment to create a vibrant and engaging community for plant scientists. Currently, Plantae has over 9,000 users and the content generated by this community is broadcast to over 27,000 people on social media. Each year we select a group of Plantae Fellows to help nurture […]
We’re excited to announce the launch of a new Plant Science Events Calendar on Plantae.org. This service is provided free…
Nitrogen (N) is a main constituent of amino acids and nucleotides and therefore plays a central role in plant growth, development, and stress responses. Plants are able to take up nitrogen from the soil in two forms, nitrate and ammonium. Nitrate is the predominant form of nitrogen found in most crop soils. This review paper […]
Rice (Oryza sativa) is an important food source in many parts of the world. Unfortunately, this crop requires large amounts of water and it is not tolerant of drought or high temperatures. Here, Caine et al., have engineered the ‘IR64’ rice cultivar so that leaves will have lower stomatal density. Engineered plants used 40% less […]
Plants are not able to move out of their neighborhood if they are unhappy, but they are capable of recruiting and assembling a community in which they are able to thrive. Plants are also able to initiate defense when they sense that threats are near. To keep tabs on their neighbors, plants utilize both physical […]
This publication has many beautiful images of flowers and provides a detailed guide that researchers can use to statistically analyze corolla shape and structure. Part of what makes the flowers in these pictures so beautiful to our eyes and encourages us to hit “share” is their symmetrical designs. However, symmetry is useful for more than […]
The term “phyllosphere” refers to the world of microbes that interact among themselves and with their plant hosts above ground. In this review, the authors explore what is known about this interesting habitat and how abiotic factors, especially light, influences the interactions and survival of its residents. In general, light is detrimental to phyllosphere microorganisms, […]
Zu et al., have successfully harnessed the power of synthetic biology to increase the nutritional content of rice by overexpressing only four synthetic genes in rice endosperm. Here, the authors have created a colorful gradient of carotenoid-enriched rice by expressing two, three, and then four genes involved in astaxanthin synthesis. Overexpressing phytoene synthase and phytoene […]
Without roots, plants are unable to gain height due to poor anchorage and are less fit for survival outside of humid environments. Root branching allows plants to better adapt to their environmental conditions and improves their capability to forage for water and nutrients. In this review, Motte and Beeckman explore major differences in the way […]
The holiday season is upon us! If you are looking for a good book to read and relax with, browse the Plantae Bookshelf Network to find your next favorite. In this post, Juniper Kiss has compiled a list of some of your 2018 favorites including, She Has Her Mother’s Laugh by Carl Zimmer, The Food […]
Plants provide us with food, fiber, shelter, medicine, and fuel. In the process, they also release the oxygen that we breathe. Now, they can also help remove carcinogens from our homes. Zhang et al., have developed a genetically modified a common houseplant, Epipremnum aureum, pothos ivy, that can remove chloroform and benzene from the air […]
Striga hermonthica (Striga) parasitizes a wide range of crops including sorghum and rice, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. This parasite decreases crop yields and results in billions of dollars in economic damage. Striga seeds are numerous and remain dormant in the soil until prompted to germinate by the presence of host-generated hormones called strigolactones. Application of […]
To compensate for their lack of a nervous system, vascular plants have developed complex mechanisms to connect their organs and coordinate stress. Many different types of molecules are involved in long-distance signaling and must be integrated to maintain homeostasis. In this review, Takahashi and Shinozaki explore current knowledge of plant molecules including small proteins, peptides, […]
The economic importance of angiosperms, whether for food, ornamentals, timber, pharmaceuticals, or any other commercial product is easy to prove. However, their origin is not. Evolutionary biologists have long debated the origin of flowering plants. Fu et al., have unearthed fossils from the Early Jurassic period that suggest angiosperms may have been here longer than […]
Floral heteromorphy (differences in form) in Primula has long been of interest to plant biologists. Over 150 years ago, Charles Darwin recognized the importance of this floral anatomy for promoting cross-pollination. In heterostylous Primula species, plants produce either, pin or thrum flowers. Pins have a long style and low anthers, whereas thrums have a short […]
Cryptochromes are a class of flavoproteins found in plants and animals that are sensitive to blue light. In Arabidopsis, cryptochromes are involved in many important physiological processes including de-etiolation, flowering, circadian rhythms, cotyledon opening and expansion, anthocyanin accumulation, and root growth. In economically important crops, these photoreceptors could be manipulated to influence horticultural traits such […]
In rice, successful completion of meiosis to generate haploid cells is essential for seed production and propagation. This process is complex, requires precise regulation, and produces visible changes in the structure of chromosomes. In this paper, Zhao et al., characterize a sterile rice mutant with defects in leptotene, an early stage of prophase I in […]
Welcome to the penultimate 2018 collection of plant research highlights. Starting this week, for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes we are renaming the series “Plant Science Research Weekly“. We thank contributors and readers for their ongoing support. We started this project more than two years ago (October 2016) for several reasons. Firstly, as a one-stop-shop […]
A list of book recommendations from our community with a focus on Plant Sciences Current Topics The Plant Messiah: Adventures in Search of the World’s Rarest Species by Carlos Magdalena Carlos is a tropical plant horticulturalist at the Royal Botanic Garden Kew in London. He acquired the nickname “Plant Messiah” after a journalist from his home country […]
A list of book recommendations from our community that are not directly related to plant science, but are still good reads “I’d recommend scientists to get out of the wormhole and read something else… Something historical, philosophical, or something as far removed from science as is possible. Something beautifully written that might end up with […]
A list of book recommendations from our community with a focus on Professional Development Research Skills At the Bench: A Laboratory Navigator by Kathy Barker (2004) At the Bench is the unique and hugely successful handbook for living and working in the laboratory, an essential aid to understanding basic lab techniques and how research groups work at a […]
Part of the Self-Reflection; series by and for early-career researchers Your application has arrived at the top of the stack and you have passed the phone/web interview evaluation! Now all you have to do is ace the academic interview to land that faculty position you’ve been dreaming of for months. How? There are few who would […]
Part of the Self-Reflection; series by and for early-career researchers Your application has arrived at the top of the stack and you have passed the phone/web interview evaluation! Now all you have to do is ace the academic interview to land that faculty position you’ve been dreaming of for months. How? There are few who would […]