2018/12/21 - Focussing on Magnesium again: The 3rd International Symposium

The 3^rd International Symposium on Magnesium in Crop Production, Food Quality and Human Health was held from 25–28 November 2018 in Guangzhou, China. About 260 experts from 11 countries met for an intense interdisciplinary discourse. In almost 30 keynote and oral presentations and also in 30 poster presentations internationally leading magnesium researchers focused especially on four topics: Magnesium (Mg) dynamics in soils, Mg fertilizers and crop production, Mg in plant physiology and molecular biology, and Mg in animal and human nutrition.

IAPN: Contributing to the Organizing Committee and the scientific discourse

Professor Dr. Klaus Dittert, Director of the IAPN, was member of the International Scientific Committee of the Symposium that, together with the Local Organizing Committee in China was responsible for the event. He chaired the first session of the opening day.

IAPN Junior Professor Dr. Merle Tränkner gave a keynote speech on „Mg Nutrition and Photoprotection in Plants“. IAPN scientist Dr. Melanie Hauer-Jákli presented a poster on „A Meta Analysis Study on the Effect of Mg on Photosynthesis and Plant Growth“.

The lecture of Setareh Jamali Jaghdani, PhD student at the IAPN, addressed „Magnesium and its effect on photosynthetic activities in Triticum aestivum and Helianthus annuus“.

Continuing an interdisciplinary knowledge exchange

The 3^rd International Symposium on Magnesium was organized by the International Magnesium Institute (IMI), the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University and the China Agricultural University. Supported by the Vegetable Research Institute of Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Applied Plant Nutrition (IAPN) at Göttingen University, Germany, Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey, the Center for Magnesium Education and Research, Hawaii, USA, and Shenzhen K+S Trading Co. Ltd the interdisciplinary knowledge exchange has been very successful again. Based on the scientific talks and poster presentations, participants discussed their concepts and findings on frontier issues in magnesium nutrition research.

The event continued the interdisciplinary exchange of knowledge on the functions and characteristics of magnesium that was initiated during the 1^st and 2^nd International Mg Symposia in 2012 and 2014 in Göttingen and in São Paulo, Brazil. Both meetings had been organized in cooperation with the Sabanci University, Istanbul, and the Center for Magnesium Education and Research, Hawaii. Also in São Paulo, the University of São Paulo and the national office of the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) were partners.

Extended coverage on the 3^rd Mg-Symposium – including a photo gallery