[2016-10-05] The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation grants two research projects from the Umeå Plant Science Centre with together SEK 76 million. One project focuses on understanding how plants control the time to flower in changing environmental conditions, while the other aims to identify key genes controlling tree growth and environmental adaption.
The project “Epigenetic and Metabolic Control of Flowering Time” is led by Markus Schmid, since 2015 professor at Umeå University and the Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC). He will receive, together with his co-applicants Johannes Hanson, Ove Nilsson and Karin Ljung, SEK 28 million. The project leader of the project “UPSC Forest Biology and Biotechnology” is Ove Nilsson, director of the UPSC and professor at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). This project involves 40 research groups from the UPSC and will be funded with SEK 48 million.
Photo: Mattias PetterssonMarkus Schmid focuses in his research on how plants control their flowering time. The induction of flowering is a central event in the life cycle of plants. Only when plants flower at the right time their reproduction, and therefore their survival, is ensured. The underlying regulatory mechanisms are very complex including regulation on epigenetic (i.e. the modification of the genome without changing the DNA sequence), genetic, hormonal and metabolic levels.
Photo: Mattias PetterssonMarkus Schmid focuses in his research on how plants control their flowering time. The induction of flowering is a central event in the life cycle of plants. Only when plants flower at the right time their reproduction, and therefore their survival, is ensured. The underlying regulatory mechanisms are very complex including regulation on epigenetic (i.e. the modification of the genome without changing the DNA sequence), genetic, hormonal and metabolic levels. “The decision if a plant starts to flower is made in a very small subset of cells”, explains Markus Schmid. “Within this project, we will isolate those specific cells and analyse the molecular mechanisms that control the induction of flowering. This will help us to predict the ecological consequences of future climate changes and to select plant varieties that are well adapted to their particular environment.”
The basis of the second project is the long standing expertise 
Photo: Anne Honselof the UPSC in a broad range of plant biology related research areas. “This is a large joint project from the UPSC and we are very delighted that we received the funding,” says Ove Nilsson. “We will develop a large scale gene-mining program based on data that we have been collecting at the UPSC for more than 20 years. Our aim is to identify key regulators of tree growth and wood development.”
Photo: Anne Honselof the UPSC in a broad range of plant biology related research areas. “This is a large joint project from the UPSC and we are very delighted that we received the funding,” says Ove Nilsson. “We will develop a large scale gene-mining program based on data that we have been collecting at the UPSC for more than 20 years. Our aim is to identify key regulators of tree growth and wood development.”A central point of the project will be the establishment of a tree phenotyping platform. This platform will be part of a new greenhouse that will be built at the UPSC. It will allow to continuously monitor the growth and development of trees under highly standardized conditions. Trees in which the identified key genes are modified will be analysed in order to understand how they control tree growth, climate adaptation and wood properties. The most promising candidates will be further studied in field trials.
The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation has granted in total 22 research projects in medicine, technology and natural science with SEK 752 million. “Funding is awarded to the most excellent researchers in Sweden. Their projects should be innovative and of high international class. This year’s applications have been evaluated by over 300 reviewers in different disciplines,” explains Göran Sandberg, Executive Director of the Foundation. Four of the 22 approved cutting-edge research projects are located in Umeå.
For more information, please contact:
Project: “Epigenetic and Metabolic Control of Flowering Time”
Markus Schmid
Professor at the Department of Plant Physiology and Umeå Plant Science Centre, Umeå University
+46 90-786 58 54
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+46 90-786 58 54
Project: “UPSC Forest Biology and Biotechnology”
Ove Nilsson
Professor at the Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and director of Umeå Plant Science Centre
+46 90-786 84 87, +46 70-286 90 82
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+46 90-786 84 87, +46 70-286 90 82
Further information is available also here: