Topics:

1. Genetic Diversity in Miscanthus Photosynthesis and Carbon Partitioning Perennial grasses, like Miscanthus, play a key role as sustainable biomass feedstock for the upcoming bioeconomy. Reduced photosynthesis during the growing season has been suggested as a potential driver of Miscanthus long-term productivity decline, however, the underlying mechanisms behind these declines are still unknown.

Previous research has identify decreased carbon allocation to belowground storage as a potential limitation to photosynthesis, however, these results are based on only one genotype and limited environmental conditions. We hope to expand this approach to a larger variety of Miscanthus genotypes. Data from this project will help breeding programs to better associate photosynthesis and final yield.

The aim of this project is to characterize Miscanthus genetic diversity in seasonal photosynthesis and its interaction with development. Within the project, you will have the opportunity to expand on the physiological and developmental response to the environment, the underlying biochemical limitations, and/or genetic variability across genotypes, depending on their own interests.

For more information, please contact Mauricio Tejera (mauricio.tejera@jii.org).

2. Quantifying Sink Limitations in Photosynthesis

While photosynthesis is the primary driver of plant growth and yield, it is not always the main limiting process. During plant development and under certain environmental conditions, photosynthetic performance can become constrained by the downstream consumption of carbohydrates—so-called sink limitations—rather than by carbon assimilation itself. Identifying when sink limitations become the primary bottleneck is key for efficiently improving photosynthetic performance.

To address this challenge, the JII aims to develop fast, reliable, and scalable instrumentation capable of measuring relevant photosynthetic traits and diagnosing sink limitations. Such tools could facilitate the integration of photosynthetic traits into breeding programs and accelerate the development of higher-yielding, climate-resilient crops.

The aim of this project is to test and validate fast protocols to quantify downstream metabolic limitations of photosynthesis (sink limitations) and identify key developmental stages. The project will investigate how sink limitations change during plant development and how different environmental or weather conditions influence the balance between carbon assimilation and carbohydrate utilization.

For more information, please contact Mauricio Tejera (mauricio.tejera@jii.org).

3. Spectroscopic Signals Beyond the light reactions: Capturing Biochemical Limitations and Photorespiratory Capacity

Increased photosynthetic efficiency represents a promising frontier for achieving substantial improvements in crop yield and agricultural sustainability. However, the lack of reliable high-throughput tools limits its integration into breeding programs. To address this challenge, the JII aims to develop fast, reliable, and scalable instrumentation capable of measuring relevant photosynthetic under field conditions.

The aim of this project is to test and validate fast protocols to quantify biochemical limitations and photorespiratory capacity. Within the project, you will have the opportunity to expand on sensor design, the environmental and developmental effects on the photosynthetic processes, or the genetic variability across barley and potato genotypes, depending on your interests.

For more information, please contact Mauricio Tejera (mauricio.tejera@jii.org).

4. From Light to Water: Nanoscale Vibrations as a Proxy for Water Content

In a warming world, monitoring plant water balance is becoming increasingly important. However, most current techniques are either difficult to deploy in the field or focus on measuring water loss (transpiration) rather than the actual water content within the leaf.A promising alternative is to measure how much a leaf vibrates when excited by short pulses of light at increasing frequencies; the faster the damping, the more the leaf contains water. These vibrations are extremely small, on the nanometre scale, but can be detected by analysing the reflected light from a laser diode using interferometry. In this project, you will build a compact, cost-effective setup using off-the-shelf components and clever hacks to measure these tiny vibrations.

For more information, please contact Ludovico Caracciolo (ludovico.caracciolo@jii.org).