Boron in Plants and Agriculture

Tariq Aftab received his PhD from the Department of Botany at Aligarh Muslim University, India, where he is currently a Senior Assistant Professor. He is the recipient of a prestigious Leibniz DAAD fellowship from Germany, a Raman Fellowship from the Government of India, and Young Scientist Awards from both the State Government of Uttar Pradesh and the Government of India. He has also served as a Visiting Scientist at IPK Gatersleben, Germany, and in the Department of Plant Biology at Michigan State University, United States. Dr. Aftab has edited numerous books for major international publishers, including Elsevier, Springer Nature, and CRC Press. He has co-authored several book chapters and published extensively in peer-reviewed, international journals. His research interests include physiological, proteomic, and molecular studies on medicinal and crop plants. Marco Landi is a senior scientist in plant physiology and biochemistry at University of Pisa, Italy. His research focuses on biochemical, molecular and physiological mechanisms through which Mediterranean plants accommodate environmental stress. Recent research has investigated the photoprotective role of carotenoids, anthocyanins and flavonoids sensu lato in plants subjected to climate change factors. His research group is also developing optical models to assess the occurrence of anthocyanin-metal bonding, to explore the possibility that anthocyanins might additionally function as metal chelators. Ioannis E. Papadakis received his PhD in Pomology from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece) in 2004. Currently, he is working as Assistant Professor in Agricultural University of Athens, Greece. He has authored more than 39 research articles published in peer-reviewed journals and more than 50 full research articles published in conference proceedings in English or Greek language. His research interests include plant nutrition and fertilization; abiotic stresses (nutrient deficiencies and toxicities, drought, salinity, waterlogging, etc.); sexual and asexual propagation of fruit tree species; evaluation of fruit tree cultivars and rootstock, and effects of various cultural practices on tree yield and fruit quality. Fabrizio Araniti is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Milan in Milan, Italy. Previously, he received his PhD in 2011 in Plant Ecophysiology from the University “Mediterranea” of Reggio Calabria, Italy. He has co-authored over 45 internal journal articles and 7 book chapters. His research interests are mainly focused on plant-plant interaction and extraction, identification and study of secondary metabolites of plant origin with herbicidal activity on their impact on the physiology and metabolism of plants, and on their potential use in eco-friendly agriculture. Dr. Brown is a distinguished professor at the University of California, Davis - USA. He received his B.Sc. in 1984 from Adelaide University, Australia and Ph.D from Cornell University, USA in 1988. Dr. Brown is recognized globally as a leader in both basic and applied plant nutrition research with notable contributions including the establishment of nickel as the 14th essential plant nutrient, founding research on the function, transport and management of boron, and significant contributions to research on potassium, nitrogen, zinc, foliar fertilization, salinity and biostimulants. Dr. Brown has authored more than 220 scientific journal articles, and is among the highest cited experts in plant nutrition globally. Dr. Brown has received many awards for excellence in research and extension including the United States Department of Agriculture extension award, the American Society of Plant Biology Dennis Hoagland Award for Plant Nutrition, and the Soil Science Society of America Leo M Walsh Distinguished Lecturer award for Soil Fertility Research and Extension and the International Fertilizer Association’s Norman Borlaug Award for career contributions to Plant Nutrition. Dr. Brown was awarded the position of Distinguished Professor, University of California-Davis in 2021.

• 1. Essentiality of Boron in higher Plants2. Boron in fruit crops: plant physiology, deficiency, toxicity, and sources for fertilization3. Boron deficiency and toxicity symptoms in plants4. Molecular regulatory mechanisms in plants that underlie phenotypic adaptations to low boron levels5. From outside to inside: mechanisms modulating plant responses to Boron stress6. Physiological and biochemical mechanisms and adaptation strategies of plants under Boron deficiency conditions7. Role of physical and chemical agents in plants for tolerance to boron nutrition8. Impact of boron and its toxicity on photosynthetic capacity of plants9. Comprehensive analyses of gene expression and identification of metabolites for boron (B) stress tolerance10. Transcription factors and target genes involved in plant responses to high boron adaptation11. Alleviation of boron toxicity in plants by silicon; mechanisms and approaches12. Agronomic aspects of Boron: Fertilizers, agronomical strategy, and interaction with other nutrients13. Boron, Hormones and Secondary Metabolites in Plants: A Molecular Point of View14. An Overview on Boron and Pollen Germination, Tube Growth and development under In vitro and in vivo conditions15. Impact of Boron Nutrition on pollen Stigma interaction and Seed Quality