Plant Nutrition – From Genetic Engineering to Field Practice, the 12th International Colloquium on Plant Nutrition, was the latest in a series which began in 1954. Earlier meetings were mainly concerned with the practical problems of soil fertility, with soil assessment, fertilizer requirements and methods of analysis. With the progression of the colloquia, the emphasis slowly changed too. The practical problems were still important, but their increasing emphasis focused on plant physiology, plant biochemistry and membrane biochemistry. Even the chemistry of genes which control proteins to transfer nutrient ions to the inside of cells became of importance. The meetings therefore aimed to provide a valuable opportunity for each half of the science of plant nutrition to interact with and to learn from the other half.
Plenary papers/topic
- The rhizosphere and plant nutrition
- Membrane function
- Molecular biology
- Dynamics of nutrient transport and uptake
- Nutrient partitioning
- Diagnostic techniques
- Strategies for plant survival
- Mycorrhizas
- Phosphorus nutrition
- Management of phosphorus
- Boron
- Nitrogen fixation
- Nitrogen and sulfur
- Nitrogen requirements
- Nitrogen requirements, minimum tillage, residues
- Calcium, magnesium and potassium nutrition
- Micronutrients
- Constraints to plant growth