Scientists studying some of the world’s most important cash crops are to converge on Dundee this Autumn. They are world-leaders in research work on potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and aubergines.
Collectively, these crops are all members of the Solanaceae family of flowering plants. Their relatives also include tobacco, petunias and even deadly nightshade! In fact, the Solanaceae family is known as ’the nightshades’.
Dundee beat the rest of the world to host the 7th Annual Solanaceae Conference, SOL2010. Over 300 delegates from all over the globe including Asia, Australia and North America, will gather at the Apex City Quay Hotel & Spa from 5 to 9 September 2010 to attend the event.
It’s the first time the Solanaceae conference has been held in the UK. The conference will bring together scientists from research institutes, universities and breeding companies with a common focus of studying the diverse Solanaceae family. SOL2010 has been jointly organised by the SCRI, Scotland’s world renowned centre for crop research which is based at Invergowrie and UK-SOL. It is taking place during the UN International Year of Biodiversity.
The Latin word Solanaceae is thought to be derived from the shape of solanum flowers which bear a resemblance to the sun and its rays. One species of Solanum (Solanum nigrum) is known as the sunberry.
Glenn Bryan, leader of the Potato Genetics and Breeding Group of SCRI says, "Being home to a leading crop research institute makes Dundee a perfect destination for this conference. It will provide a platform for SCRI and Scotland to showcase the groundbreaking research which it carries out.
"The potato is the world’s third most important food crop and the most important vegetable. Researchers from SCRI and the University of Dundee have been heavily involved in sequencing the potato genome, producing a genetic map of all its hereditary information. Working within the Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium (PGSC) we are gaining an understanding of the ’genetic blueprint’ of potato, which sheds light on how it grows and reproduces. The ultimate aim of this project is to improve yield, quality, nutritional value and disease resistance within different potato varieties. We plan to give an overview of this project and make an exciting announcement about it during the course of the event.
"The topics which will be covered at the conference include; SOL biodiversity and evolution, plant growth and development, biotic and abiotic stress, informatics and computational biology, the SOL genomes, translational genomics and molecular breeding, and metabolomics and proteomics. There will also be a series of crop specific workshops, along with a range of exciting keynote speakers who will be sharing their expertise within the Solanaceae field."
Karen Tocher, Manager at Dundee & Angus Convention Bureau says, "SCRI is a globally renowned crop research institute and Dundee is home to extensive expertise in the field of plant science. With the support of our local ambassadors such as Dr Glenn Bryan from the SCRI, who are able to influence associations of which they are members, the city continues to attract major international scientific conferences.
"A large number of international delegates are expected to attend the event. This presents a significant opportunity not only for SCRI to raise the profile of the work it does on an international platform, but it also helps to showcase the exceptional qualities which make Dundee and Angus an outstanding tourism destination."
By next April, SCRI will have joined forces with Aberdeen’s Macaulay Land Use Research Institute to form one of the biggest land and plant research institutes in the world.
