The photosynthetic apparatus

Being sessile organisms, plants must adapt to deal with the ever-changing environment. One of the key processes affected is photosynthesis. Imbalances experienced by the photosynthetic system can lead to severe oxidative stress and damage, at times irreversible to the plant. Thus, means (both endo- and exogenenous) that protect the plant from excess absorbed light are necessary. We are interested in the alterations, adaptation and protection of the photosynthetic system at various conditions, studying functional, structural and biochemical aspects. We also study the formation of the photosynthetic apparatus during chloroplast differentiation.

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Light manipulation

In many situations light may be a limiting factor for productivity, yield, or other light-dependent processes. In our group, we address questions that relate to light limiations in greenhouse-grown crop species, utilizing light-emitting diode illumination.

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Current projects

• Protection from cold and high-light stress in tropical fruit trees

• Intra-canopy illumination

• Chloroplast biogenesis in the shoot apex

• Adaptation of the photosynthetic machinery to drought

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