Summary

Because of climate change, drought will occur more intensely and more frequently in the future. To be able to sustain food production we need to understand plant-water relations and the effects of drought on the plant metabolism.
My research focuses on strawberry, a crop that is produced worldwide and quickly suffers when water supply is insufficient. Using molecular and physiological approaches I learn about the contribution of hormones and aquaporins to several stress responses such as stomatal conductance and root and leaf hydraulic conductivity. Comparing a more drought sensitive and a more drought tolerant strawberry cultivar, I unravel the underlying mechanisms leading up to these different phenotypes.

Researcher:

Britt Merlaen