Mechanisms of Growth

International Conference on

“Mechanisms of Growth, Competition

and Stress Defense in Plants”

March 1-3, 2010

organized by:

the integrative research center SFB 607

as the 4^th international Symposium on

“Growth and Parasite Defense:

Competition for Resources in Economic Plants from Agronomy and Forestry”

Plants need to cope with competition for resources, both with neighbouring plants and, at the same time, within host-pathogen relationships as well as with mycorrhizae. In doing so, plants need to balance resource allocation between growth (to stay competitive) and pathogen defence, under the inherent influences of further metabolic demands as exerted by reserve storage, reproduction and interaction with soil micro-organisms.

A current frontier of research, therefore, is the examination and process-based clarification of whether stimulation of growth and competitiveness leads, as part of a trade-off, to constraints on defence of pathogens and/or other kinds of biotic or abiotic stress. This research question reflects the core of the “Growth-Differentiation-Balance Theory”, which still lacks mechanistic foundation in relation to present and future ecological contexts.

 Such a research theme is pursued by SFB 607, located in the Munich area/Germany, which is an integrated research centre funded, since 1998, through “Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft” (DFG; www.sfb607.de), entitled: “Growth and Parasite Defence – Competition for Resources in Economic Plants from Agronomy and Forestry”. This basic research is of relevance both for economic and wild plants. The conference announced here is the 4^th International Symposium of SFB 607, this time also open to international contributors to the outlined research field.

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