ScanBalt Agrobitechnology network symposium and Phd course

ScanBalt Agrobiotechnology Network – symposium and PhD course The 4th symposium and PhD course of the ScanBalt-NOVA-Nordforsk network entitled “Agrobiotechnology Focused on Root-Microbe Systems (AB-RMS)” took place at the Tune Course Center, Greve, Denmark, on November 30 – December 5, 2008.
The participants were from eight countries including 28 PhD students and 23 senior scientists of whom three were invited. The local organiser was Prof.  Dan Funck Jensen.

This time the focus was on novel technologies for management of the beneficial and harmful microbes in the root system. Therefore, the topics presented by scientists and PhD students in the 3 symposium days concerned molecular aspects of microbial interactions in the root zone (mycorrhiza, rhizobia and rhizobacteria), biocontrol interactions and regulatory functions in symbiosis, the production, formulation and delivery of beneficial organisms, and gene discovery of interest for food, feed and non-food industries. One day was spent  at Research Center Flakkebjerg, University of Aarhus, in Slagelse  where  participants were familiarized with studies on soilborne plant   pathogens and roots. The PhD-course continued at The Faculty of Life   Sciences, Copenhagen University,in Copenhagen with demonstrations on fungal secretome analysis,realtime RT-PCR, fungal transformation and cloning strategies, and bio-imaging.

For information about the next AB-RMS PhD course and symposium,
contact the network coordinator Academy professor Jari Valkonen
(e-mail: ).

More info on the network here :http://www.mm.helsinki.fi/mmsbl/english/research/Kpat/AB-RMS/index.htm