Projects
An integrated plant model for tomato: combining plant water and carbon status to predict fruit growth and quality Ghent University
The aim of this research project is to gain more insight into the interaction between microclimate, plant water and carbon status and quality aspects of tomato fruits. This will finally result in an integrated plant model for tomato that mechanistically describes different plant processes and allows to predict fruit growth and quality based on climatic conditions.
Development of a mechanistic and integrated model for simulation of tomato fruit production and quality Ghent University
Well-considered experiments will be carried out on tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) to elucidate the driving microclimatic factors and to unravel the ecophysiological mechanisms underlying growth, development and quality of tomato fruit. Based on this knowledge a useful and integrated simulation model for tomato fruit production and quality will be developed. Biosensors will be used to monitor the plant health status.
Modeling stomatal oscillation of fruit trees using thermal and shortwave infrared wavelengths KU Leuven
This dissertation is intended to develop a bioengineering systems approach in modeling “Conference” pear trees (Pyrus communis L.) responses to plant water deficit. Plant water deficit begins when a crop’s demand exceeds water supply. When plants enter a state of water deficit due to partial soil drying and/or high atmospheric demand, the hormone abscisic acid is produced in the root and translocated to the shoot reducing water and ...
Know your enemy: Colletotrichum, the upcoming postharvest disease on apple (Malus x domestica) KU Leuven
A major challenge in fruit production nowadays is to limit losses due to postharvest diseases. Despite optimized storage conditions and the application of fungicides, postharvest fungal pathogens are still responsible for considerable losses. The postharvest pathogen Colletotrichum is a recent problem on apple fruits and information is still limited. This pathogen is not visible at harvest due to a quiescent phase. It is only during ...
Agrivoltaics: optimizing the synergy of crop production and solar panels KU Leuven
Sustainable crop production and the continued profitability of agriculture in Europe are increasingly perceived as two opposing goals. The desire to continue traditional farming while reducing chemical inputs and fossil energy consumption brings with it many challenges. Also, the changing climate challenges agriculture in many new ways: jeopardizing harvests, pressuring growers to adopt new management practices or changing cropping systems ...
Molecular Plant-Pathogen Interactions KU Leuven
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one the most important horticultural crops in the world and is of high economic and nutritional value. As a consequence, it is a part of the diets of several cultures from around the world. Besides its economic and socio-cultural value, tomatoes are also ideal model fruit plants for plant research since they possess a diploid genome which has been fully sequenced, have a short generation time, require ...
Identification and characterization of novel regulators that affect the production of the plant hormone ethylene KU Leuven
Just like humans and animals, plants posses hormones to regulate their development. One of the most fascinating plant hormone is the volatile molecule 'ethylene'. Ethylene regulates many processes such as ripening of tomatoes, root growth and responses towards stress. The biosynthesis pathway by which ethylene is produced is well known, but the regulation of this pathway is only poorly understood. My expertise in ethylene and plant physiology ...
The quest for climate-smart bananas: screening the banana diversity from plant to cell level KU Leuven
The rise in global mean temperature, frequency of hot temperature extremes, and geographic and temporal shifts in precipitation, increasingly exert pressure on agricultural systems, thereby altering the distribution of highly productive agricultural areas. Approximately 60 % of the area currently under banana cultivation has been predicted to become unsuitable by 2060. To enhance the resilience of our agricultural systems, increased crop and ...
The regulation of photosynthesis by ethylene in tomato KU Leuven
Ethylene is a volatile plant hormone that plays a regulatory role in many aspects of vegetative plant growth and development, including the regulation of photosynthesis. It is also regarded as an 'aging' hormone, as it is required for processes such as climacteric fruit ripening, leaf and flower senescence, and abscission. In addition, ethylene is also involved in regulating plant responses to various biotic and abiotic stresses.
It ...