Plant Physiology

The Laboratory of Plant Physiology, led by Christa Testerink, aims to contribute to the understanding of how plants function. We are particularly interested in how plants respond to changes in their sometimes hostile environment.

Education

Education by Plant Physiology

The Laboratory of Plant Physiology teaches plant physiology to 1st and 2nd year BSc Biology, Plant Sciences and Forest & Nature Conservation students. Further, we contribute to a whole series of more specialized courses for 3rd year BSc, MSc and PhD students from several Study Programmes. In addition the lab provides diverse opportunities for BSc and MSc thesis projects.

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Excursions

Our Biology of Plants course includes not only lab practicals, but also a one-day excursion.

Publications & Projects

The Plant Physiology group studies the mechanisms by which plants deal with their environment. This includes topics like, for example, the conundrums faced by seeds early in the plant life cycle. Our research aims to gain fundamental insight into the perception and adaptation mechanisms of plants. We share these insights through publications in scientific journals, professional journals, scientific and popular books, and proceedings.

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Chair Holder

Christa Testerink is professor and chair of the Laboratory of Plant Physiology. The mystery she most eagerly wants to solve, is that of salt tolerance in plants. She likes to balance her focus between the broader picture of stress tolerance and the fine details of cellular events.