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Juan Alonso-Serra started his research group at Umeå Plant Science Centre in early 2026. Photo: Malin Grönborg
Water moves through every growing plant, changing the pressure inside cells. Juan Alonso-Serra, a new group leader at Umeå Plant Science Centre, wants to understand how plants sense these changes and turn them into molecular signals that guide growth.
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Potato plants during the greenhouse experiments in which beneficial soil bacteria were applied to the roots. Photo: Benedicte Albrectsen
Researchers have shown that two soil bacteria can work together to influence potato development. The bacterial partnership triggered distinct responses in potato plants and was associated with earlier tuber initiation and improved yield under greenhouse conditions. The findings suggest that combinations of beneficial soil bacteria could become a valuable tool for potato growers in the future.
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Barbora Pařízková is studying root development in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings (photo: Gabrielle Beans).
A chance encounter between a plant physiologist and a computational biologist at Umeå University’s interdisciplinary "IceLab Camp" has developed into an ongoing collaboration exploring how plants regulate root growth in response to nutrients. Mathematical models were a crucial component to bypass a major experimental bottleneck.
Read more: Graduate course collaboration sparks new plant growth insights
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In the DYNAMO project, Laura Bacete Cano uses advanced microscopy to study how the structure and signalling of the cell wall influence plant development (photo: Mattias Pettersson, Umeå University).
The cell wall gives plants strength and structure, but contrary to what one might assume, it is not a rigid structure. Instead, it is highly dynamic and constantly interacts with the rest of the cell and the neighbouring cells as the plant grows. There are still many open questions about the nature of these interactions and this is what Laura Bacete Cano investigates in her project DYNAMO, recently funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
Read more: New project investigates how plants stay strong while growing
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An unmanaged forest (left) borders a clear-cut area that is now regenerating (right). Marcus Larsson studied how such changes affect carbon in forests. Photo: Jenny Dahl, 2017
Boreal forests store about one third of the world's forest carbon. But how they should be managed to store more carbon and help mitigate climate change is debated. In his PhD thesis, Marcus Larsson shows that focusing only on trees is not enough, carbon in the soil should also be taken into account.
Read more: Understanding carbon storage in forests means looking at the whole ecosystem
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Stéphane Verger (right) with his first PhD student, Özer Erguvan (left), who defended his thesis in October last year (Photo: Anne Honsel).
A fascination with nature set Stéphane Verger on the path to a career in plant science, where he now leads a research group studying how plant cells interact and respond to physical forces during growth. Recently appointed docent, he reflects on his academic journey, the challenges along the way, and the motivation behind his research.
Read more: Discussing ideas is what he enjoys most in his work
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Structure of the Photosystem II protein complex form Arabidopsis thaliana created using cryo-electron microscopy. Global resolution: 2.44Å; local resolution illustrated by colour: 2.0Å violet, 2.5Å blue, 3.0Å green, 3.5Å yellow. Illustration: Jack Forsman, J. Messinger & W. Schröder group).
Plants use sunlight to turn water and carbon dioxide into energy stored in biomolecules such as sugars, a process that also produces the oxygen in the air. But exactly how water reaches the part of the system where the initial steps of this reaction happen – the active site for water splitting - has remained unclear. Now, researchers have revealed a detailed structure of this system in plants, uncovering what they describe as a “water valve” that helps control the flow of water during photosynthesis.
Read more: Scientists reveal water pathways in photosynthesis
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PhD student Eduardo Rodriguez Soldado studied how genes work together to shape the formation of wood in trees (photo: Anne Honsel).
At first glance, trees may seem to belong to a single, ancient family. But in reality, they are not one lineage at all. Instead, they represent a growth strategy that evolution has invented several times. PhD student Eduardo Rodriguez Soldado compared the genes and gene activity in six tree species to understand how trees evolved and how wood develops. His results show that what makes a tree a tree is not unique “tree genes”, but how genes work together in complex regulatory networks.
Read more: Not the genes, but how they work together makes a tree a tree
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The potential for apple cultivation and business in northern Sweden was explored at an interdisciplinary workshop organised by Northfood. Photo: Stefan Jansson
Northern Sweden may hold greater potential for apple cultivation and apple-based businesses than many realise. This was one of the key messages discussed when researchers, growers, companies and students gathered in Umeå for the interdisciplinary workshop “Apples – From breeding to business opportunities” on 2–3 February.
Read more: Workshop explores the future of apples in northern Sweden
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Olivier Keech leads the research behind a new initiative focused on circular and resource‑efficient farming of shrimp and fish (photo: Stéphanie Robert).
Soon, it may be possible to farm tropical shrimp and fish in Northern Sweden. With support from two EU projects, UPSC researcher Olivier Keech will develop and scale up a circular aquaculture system with a low carbon footprint, utilising surplus heat from Umeå Energi’s combined heat and power plant.
Read more: From surplus heat to seafood: building circular aquaculture systems