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This conference provides an opportunity to discuss recent developments in the understanding of how microorganisms can interact positively with plants in agricultural and natural ecosystems, how these interactions impact (positively or negatively, for example, in the case of weed plants) on ecosystem function and to what extent these interactions can be manipulated to improve plant fitness and/ or enhance ecosystem sustainability. These interactions include: microorganism production of exopolysaccharides which stabilise soil aggregates; rhizosphere microorganism generation of plant inorganic nutrient ions, plant growth promoting hormones and antipathogenic substances; associative, endophytic and symbiotic nitrogen fixation (legumes and actinorhizal plants) ; mycorrhizal uptake of water and nutrients; fungal endophytes of grasses that give protection against herbivore pests; associative fungi that give protection against nematode pests; associative bacteria that protect against insect pests and bacteriophages that protect against diseases.
Invited speakers include:
Professor John A Raven FRS FRSE (University of Dundee)
Professor Carlo Lefeirt (Professor of Ecological Agriculture, Newcastle University; and Director of the Nafferton Ecological Farming Group with 15 years experience in the development of organic farming systems)
Dr Laszlo Nagy (Ecoscience, Scotland; Editor-in-Chief, Plant Ecology & Diversity; & author of the book - Nagy L, Grabherr G. 2009. The Biology of Alpine Habitats. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press)
Prof Janet Sprent (University of Dundee)
Dr Kurt Haselwandter (University of Innsbruck, Austria)
Accepted papers and posters from the Conference will be published in a volume of Aspects of Applied Biology, which will be available to delegates at the Conference. Selected authors will be encouraged to submit full papers for consideration for publication in Annals of Applied Biology or Plant Ecology and Diversity.
Paper from the conference will be published in Aspects of Applied Biology 98, which will be available to delegates at the Conference.
The Olde Barn Hotel is on the eastcoast trainline and the journey is approximately 1 1/4 hours from London (King's Cross) to Grantham. |
