Duckweeds: tiny aquatic plants with great potential for academic research and practical applications
25. 8. 2023 | 570 visits
Prof. Nikolai Borisjuk, a distinguished plant molecular biologist with broad and deep expertise in biodiversity/application of model aquatic plants and the improvement of agricultural crops, including genome editing and metabolic engineering. During his productive career, Prof. Borisjuk worked at renowned institutions in the USA, Australia, and Europe; published more than 60 peerreviewed articles in prestigious journals, such as Nature Biotechnology, PNAS, and Plant Physiology; and authored 4 USA patents. Currently, he is leading an international team in China, focusing on various aspects of duckweeds’ biology, extremely fast-growing aquatic plants, potent phytoremediators, and sources of valuable biomass.
Duckweeds is a group of small aquatic plants with worldwide distribution and the fastest biomass doubling among flowering plants. Used as a model plant for unveiling basic biochemical and molecular principles in 1950-80s, duckweed has recently attracted new interest from the scientific and business communities because of its highly efficient biomass accumulation and huge potential for remediation of freshwater reservoirs. In this lecture, prof. Borisjuk will share his expertise on studying duckweeds’ biodiversity, genome organization, responses to abiotic stresses and highlight the perspectives of the plant applications for green economy as a
wastewater phytoremediator, feed for fish and farm animals and a biotechnology platform for manufacturing valuable biochemicals. Supported by the Mobility Visit Programme of SAS.
The event will will take place on Wednesday, September 6, 2023 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the SAV Hall on Dúbravská cesta in Bratislava. Visit of prof. Borisjuka takes place as part of the Mobility Visit program.
Foto: canva.com