Agrotecnio has launched a series of seminars, the ‘Agrotecnio Seminar Series’, to showcase the studies, results and lines of research of its 18 research groups. From October 2025 to June 2026, on the first Wednesday of each month, all groups will have the opportunity to present a topic of their choice to their peers.
This first event featured Jordi Voltas, principal investigator of the Forest Management group, and Wenshu He, postdoctoral researcher in the Applied Plant Biotechnology group.
Voltas addressed the relevance and interpretation, subject of extensive debate, of demographic effects in explaining current geographical patterns of apparently adaptive traits in plant species. In his presentation, he examined the importance of phylogeographic structure and climate in modulating genetic and plastic changes in the traits of the Mediterranean conifer Pinus pinaster. “Phylogeography is at least as significant as climate in shaping the quantitative genetic landscape of this pine species”, explained Voltas. “From a practical point of view, this is highly relevant of optimizing the use of genetic material for commercial purposes, such as wood production, and for conservation”.
For her part, postdoctoral researcher Wenshu He addressed one of the promising approaches to enhance photosynthesis in crops, importing components from plants and green algae that have evolved more efficient photosynthetic pathways. In her presentation, He reported the functional role of the carbon-concentrating mechanism in Bomba rice that can result in a semi-dwarf phenotype with improved yield components.
Although these sessions are mainly intended for Agrotecnio members, scientists from other institutions are most welcome to attend. The next seminar will take place the 5th of November 2025.