A well-documented rapid increase in population growth and thus a growing demand for food production with enhanced nutritional quality were still top major global issues that needed to be addressed urgently. Plant nutrition research has provided invaluable information in addressing those problems regionally and globally. Several valuable examples in the past had shown great contributions of plant nutrition research to food and nutrient security and thus well-being of human populations. More recently, the growing interaction and synergism between plant nutrition research and molecular biology and genetics opened new windows to broaden our understanding of the molecular and physiological processes controlling plant growth and yield formation.
This colloquium was hoped to be an excellent avenue to discuss and exchange and transfer knowledge, as well as to create new and fostering existing collaborations in the fields of plant mineral nutrition, plant molecular biology, plant genetics, agronomy, horticulture, ecology, environmental sciences and fertilizer use and production.
The colloquium focused on research topics dealing with agro-ecological, environmental, physiological, genetic and molecular aspects of plant mineral nutrition. Major attention was paid to i) soil nutrient dynamics, ii) root biology and microbe interactions, iii) nutrient management, iv) ion toxicity and remediation, v) nutrient uptake, transport and remobilisation, vi) nutrient functions and vii) mitigating impacts of mineral nutrition on various environmental stress factors such as drought, salinity and diseases.
A special general session called “Marschner’s Session: Nurturing the Future” was first introduced to dedicate the presentations of outstanding work and achievements of the selected PhD students and Junior Post-docs.
Plenary topic tracks:
- Rhizosphere Process, Root Biology and Nutrient Acquisition
- Nutrient Uptake, Transport and Storage
- Nutrient Functions, Signaling and Source-Sink Relations
- Mineral Nutrition and Abiotic/Biotic Stress
- Element Toxicity and Remediation
- Nutrient Management and Fertilizers in Crop Production
- Nutrient Cycling, Ecosystems and Climate Change
- Plant Nutrition, Food Quality and Human Health