Customized plant growth chambers

• Subject Area: Plant Sciences
• Term: Funded in 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 573473295

The research groups at the University of Regensburg are investigating the effects of environmental factors such as heat, salt and drought stress as well as pest infestation on the growth, reproduction and seed development of maize, hops, barley, sugar beet and the model plant Arabidopsis. For example, different genotypes with a growth height of up to 4 m (average 2.5 m) are used for maize. In the future, the effect of environmental stressors will also be investigated in the important crop plant hops (up to 5 m growth height), its relative hemp (2-4 m growth height) and sugar cane (up to 5 m growth height) as close maize relatives. Current and future questions are also concerned with the development of female and male flowers and seed formation. For this purpose, fully grown plants must be examined. For gene function studies, genes identified in maize and hemp in particular are to be edited or overexpressed by transient and stable transformation. Excellent and unstressed starting plant material is essential for effective transformation. In addition, the importance of RNA transport in plants, particularly in hops and in the future also in hemp, will be studied to advance the development of RNA-based strategies for plant protection. This research cannot be carried out in ‘classic’ glass greenhouses, as the environmental conditions vary greatly over the course of a year, even in fully air-conditioned glass greenhouse chambers. In addition, the existing glass greenhouses are too small, as lamps must be installed at a height of at least 6 m for the cultivation of the above-mentioned plant species. In addition, the amount of light in the existing chambers is too low for C4 plants at around 25% of full sunlight, and parameters such as CO2 concentration, exact temperature, light intensity, humidity and nutrient composition cannot be precisely regulated. The current and planned research work has a long-term focus and should also enable future plant professorships at the University of Regensburg to investigate molecular mechanisms in very large plant species in particular. In order to be able to simulate growth conditions for different plant species as precisely as possible and to grow them simultaneously under different conditions, a minimum of three identical and very high (7 m) walk-in customized plant culture chambers under near-sunlight conditions is requested. These plant cultivation chambers must be completely independently controllable and would be used in the coming years around the clock with different settings primarily as so-called C4-long day, C4-short day and C3-long day climate chambers for the cultivation of tall plants.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Maßgeschneiderte Pflanzenkulturkammern
• Instrumentation Group: 4400 Pflanzenwuchskammern und -schränke, Klimaversuchsanlagen für Biologie und Medizin
• Applicant Institution: Universität Regensburg
• Leader: Professor Dr. Thomas Dresselhaus