Katedra Ekofizjologii Roślin

The Head of Department: prof. dr hab. Malgorzata M. Posmyk

Research topics

• Physiological, biochemical and molecular mechanisms of plant resistance to abiotic environmental stresses. Induction of plant defense strategies.
• Arabidopsis thaliana as a model species in stress physiology studies, using natural (ecotypes) and induced (mutants) variability, in in vivo and in vitro cultures.
• The influence of abiotic factors on the plants growth and development - including the regulation of the process of programmed cell death (PCD-like) of plants in in vitro suspension cultures of Nicotiana tabacum BY-2 tobacco.
• Improving the quality of seed materials by selecting and performing various priming treatments, i.e. seed conditioning.
• Natural plant biostimulators - research and application.
• The role of melatonin in plants (phytomelatonin).
• Research on the antioxidant properties of phytochemicals in the context of obtaining new sources of functional food and natural cosmeceuticals.
• Optimization of energy plant biomass cultivation. Eco-crops with the use of algae and blue-green algae metabolites.
• Phytoremediation - plants in environmental renewal and water renaturation.

Scientific projects (since 2010)

• 2010-2013, Grant of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education N N304 385338 "Phytoremediation as a new area of using energy plants in the renewal of the environment and water renaturation" - supervisor dr hab. Zdzisława Romanowska-Duda, prof. University of Lodz.
• 2011-2014, Grant of the National Science Center N N310 111940 "Proteomic analysis of protein changes in the embryonic axes of seeds conditioned with melatonin, exposed to chilling stress during germination" - supervisor prof. dr hab. Malgorzata M. Posmyk.
• 2016-2020 Project NCBiR BIOSTRATEG 2/296369/5/NCBR2016 "Processing of waste biomass in combined biological and chemical processes" - leader prof. dr hab. Eng. Piotr Kula (PŁ), consortium implementing: Lodz University of Technology, University of Lodz, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Institute of Biotechnology of Agricultural and Food Industry. prof. Wacław Dąbrowski, Institute of Horticulture, EKSPERT-SITR Sp. z o.o., District Center for Expertise and Technical Consultancy, Krajowa Spółka Cukrowa S. A. Representative of the University of Lodz and contractor - dr hab. Zdzisława Romanowska-Duda prof. University of Lodz.
• Polish–Belgian Joint Research Project For Years 2017-1018 "Exploring melatonin beneficial effect in Arabidopsis”; under the agreement on cooperation between the Polish Academy of Science (PAN) and the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS). Cooperators: M. Juraniec* (leader), M.M. Posmyk*, N.Verbruggen**, Ch. Hermans** (*University of Lodz and **Universite Libre de Bruxelles).
• 2019-2020, Grant NCN 2018/02/X/NZ3/02767 "Exogenous melatonin as a factor modifying the response of BY-2 tobacco suspension cells to oxidative stress induced by lead" - supervisor dr. Eng. Agnieszka Kobylińska.
• 2020-2021 Grant of the National Science Center 2020/04/X/NZ3/016 05 "Study of the role of the COPPER MODIFIED RESISTANCE 1 protein in the regulation of the mitotic spindle formation checkpoint in Arabidopsis thaliana". – supervisor Dr. Michał Juraniec.

Cooperation with foreign and domestic partners

• Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Laboratoire de Physiologie et de Genetique Moleculaire des Plantes (Bruxelles, Belgique)
• Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Sorbonne Universities; Paris VI) Physiologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire des Plantes - Germination et Dormance des Semences (Paris, France)
• University of Texas, Health Science Center, Department of Cellular and Structural Biology (San Antonio TX, USA)
• Kahramanmaraş Sütçü Imam University, Department of Horticulture, Kahramanmaraş (Turkey)
• Technical University of Lodz
• Warsaw University of Life Sciences
• University of A. Mickiewicz in Poznań
• University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn
• Institute of Horticulture in Skierniewice

Didactics

KER employees co-implement didactic programs (lectures, seminars, seminars, classes, specialist laboratories) in full-time and part-time studies: 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree, in the field of broadly understood ecophysiology, physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology of plants in the following fields of study:

Biology,

Biotechnology,

Biomonitoring and ecological biotechnologies,

EcoCity.

The topics of diploma theses (bachelor, master, PhD) are generally consistent with the Dept. specialization, however, they take into account the student's interests and choices, it is possible to suggest/delineate new research trends and work topics after prior consultation/discussion with the scientific supervisor/supervisor.