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 Workshop took place in the vibrant city of Tirana, Albania entitled “European Youth Capital for 2022”, and “European City of Sports for 2023”, hosted by the Academy of Sciences of Albania, as a Satellite Meeting to the 2nd International Conference on Water Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development-WEPSD-2023 (www.2ndwepsd.wixsite.com/wepsd-2023 ).
The main topic of the EPICATCH Meeting was the Climate Change Impact on Epigenetic Plant Responses.
Other topics related to the main were:
-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 were welcomed, and so did local researchers, lecturers and students interested in epigenetics and plant eco-physiological adaptation mechanisms.
At the end, a round table discussion for Current concepts and Future Perspectives of Epigenetics for Crop Resilience and Food Security, offered to the speakers and the local researchers the possibility to exchange ideas for the integration of novel approaches in crop research. Works presented at the Workshop were published in a Book of Abstracts with the ISBN: 9789928809032 by the Academy of Sciences of Albania.