Climate Change Impact on Epigenetic Plant Responses

Type of activity: International Workshop
Date: 22-23. 09. 2023
Place: Tirana, Albania
Title: "Climate Change Impact on Epigenetic Plant Responses", Satellite Workshop to the 2nd International Conference on Water Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development-WEPSD-2023.
Organisers: Federico Martinelli, Ariola Bacu, Sotirios Fragkostefanakis, Philippe Gallusci
Venue: "Aleks Buda" Hall, Academy of Sciences of Albania, Tirana.
Conference report:
THE INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP “BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC RESPONSES, MEMORY & EPIGENOMIC DIVERSITY IN CROPS”
will be held at the Academy of Sciences of Albania, in the vibrant cities of Tirana and Vlora, Albania from 2-3 of May 2024. It will be organized in collaboration by COST Action CA22157- EPICATCH, the Academy of Sciences of Albania, the Agricultural University of Tirana, the University of Tirana, and the Centre for Agricultural Technology Transfer, Vlora, Albania. EPICATCH is a cost Action that aims to define, develop, generate and share new breaking knowledge and methodologies for the investigation of epigenetic mechanisms modulating plant adaptation to environmental stresses driven by climate change.
The Workshop will Include Two Main Topics:
1. Crops Epigenetic Stress Memory & Epigenomic Diversity 2. Epigenetic Mechanisms Regulating Crops Adaptation
Other topics related to the main ones will be:

- Physiological plant adaptation to stress: germination, flowering time, redox response, seed ripening, etc.
- Biochemical and Molecular mechanisms of plant tolerance to abiotic stress: Responses, Sensing and Signaling, transcription factors, phytohormones, antioxidant production, etc.
- Development of biosensors for non-destructive, real-time, and monitoring postharvest product quality (decay processes, cold damages, pathogens presence, insect’s presence; Development of bioassays for determination of fruits and vegetable shelf live).
- Biotechnology driven solutions for plant adaptation to environmental stresses.
Researchers working on DNA methylation, chromatin structure and histone modifications in model and crop species are welcomed, and so do local researchers, lecturers and students interested in epigenetics and plant eco-physiological adaptation mechanisms. Also, round table discussions for Current concepts and Future Perspectives of Epigenetics for Crop Resilience and Food Security, are planned to take place both in Tirana (2nd of May) and Vlora (3rd of May) and will offer to the speakers, local researchers and local agrobusinesses, the possibility to exchange ideas for the integration of novel approaches in crop adaptation to climate changes, production management, and related research. The Workshop will promote interactions among speakers, poster presenters, participants that are experts and newcomers in the field of plant epigenetics, as well as early career researchers from diverse scientific backgrounds who work on related fields.