GRK 1798:  Signalling at the Plant-Soil Interface

• Subject Area: Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine
• Term: from 2013 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 197048041

The soil is a complex signal space, where plants interact not only with symbiotic and pathogenic microorganisms, but are also confronted with the different availability of nutrients. In the Research Training Group, the complex main topic "Plant-Soil Interface" is investigated in two lines of research: The interplay with biotic microbial partners in symbiotic and pathogenic interactions as well as the consequences of the abiotic factor "nutrient limitation and accessibility". Thereby, we expect answers with respect to the following questions: (1) How are soil-borne signals or the growth stimulation by rhizobacterial biofilms processed in roots? (2) What similarities and differences exist in the processing of these signals? (3) What consequences does signal perception in roots have for whole-plant metabolism and how does signal perception in roots relate to that? The research concept of our Research Training Group is based on a close interconnection of various disciplines such as plant genetics, plant genomics, plant biotechnology, plant nutrition, horticulture, microbiology and soil science, all of them being represented at the Herrenhausen Campus. This location is characterised by the recent appointment of several full professors in the relevant disciplines. In addition, we rely on an excellent infrastructure including several new research buildings, which altogether offer the most modern laboratories for our graduate students and hence a dynamic, excellent environment for the Research Training Group as a whole. With respect to experimental procedures, we combine molecular, genome-based, microbiological and physiological approaches with expertise in soil science and horticulture, that way providing an ambitious, broad training in the whole area of plant sciences in connection with microbiology and soil science. In our qualification concept, we place a particular emphasis on training efforts that support early, independent publication in refereed journals to guarantee international visibility of the research carried out in the Research Training Group. Apart from teaching advanced theoretical and experimental knowledge via tutorials and short courses, the training of scientific presentation and writing in small groups constitutes a major part of the study programme. This is complemented by relevant modules from a portfolio of job qualifications courses organised by the Graduate Academy of the university or by GRANAT, the Graduate School of the Faculty of Natural Sciences.

• DFG Programme: Research Training Groups
• Applicant Institution: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Helge Küster
• Participating Researchers: Dr. Jens Boy; Professor Dr. Hans-Peter Braun; Professor Dr. Thomas Brüser; Privatdozent Dr. Frank Colditz; Professor Dr. Thomas Debener; Dr. Holger Eubel; Professor Dr. Georg Guggenberger; Dr. Natalija Hohnjec; Professor Dr. Marcus A. Horn; Professor Dr. Sascha Offermann; Professorin Dr. Jutta Papenbrock; Professor Dr. Christoph Peterhänsel; Professor Dr. Manfred Schenk; Professorin Dr. Traud Winkelmann; Professor Dr. Claus-Peter Witte