Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Temperature extremes can severely affect agricultural production, causing major reductions in crop yield. U.S. government statistics report over 150 billion dollars in damage/lost production due to freezing and heat/drought "disasters" in the U.S. since 1980 (www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/reports/billion/billion2005.pdf). Decreased agricultural production due to temperature extremes is not limited to the U.S., but also occurs worldwide. . The field of temperature stress in plants is rich with opportunities for agriculture and forestry. Some of these opportunities come through conventional plant breeding and genetics, while others arise through application of biotechnology. Most critical at this time is bringing together scientists at the molecular, cell, whole organism, and field levels to advance our basic understanding of the types of damage plants experience during temperature stress, to identify stress-protective mechanisms and their regulatory pathways, and to discuss
breeding and transgenic approaches towards enhancing plant temperature stress tolerance. The 2007 Gordon Research Conference on "Temperature Stress in Plants" will achieve this goal by convening a diverse gathering of academic, government and industry scientists from both the U.S. and abroad with expertise in all areas of plant responses to temperature. Ultimately advances in this field will contribute to the important goal of providing a sustainable food supply.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
75%
Applied
25%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The project will support participants in the 12th Gordon Research Conference on Temperatures Stress in Plants to be held in Ventura, California, January 21-26, 2007.
Project Methods
The Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Temperature Stress in Plants will bring together 100-140 scientists at all career levels, from academia, government and industry, to share new data on the molecular, genetic and biochemical basis of plant responses to temperature. The 2007 GRC also aims to increase participation of young scientists and individuals from minority serving institutions in this field. In addition to ~24 speakers known as experts in their fields, the conference will include 12 invited research talks from young and minority scientists who submit abstracts, and offer support to these individuals for travel and registration. In addition, all participants will engage in a poster session in which all posters will be displayed throughout the meeting, offering optimal time for networking and interaction between young and established scientists.