2018 Roger Slack Award in Plant Biology presented

The Roger Slack Award in Plant Biology is made annually by NZFSB to one of its members in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the study of plant biology. 

Professor Jameson has utilised the fundamental knowledge gained from a life-time’s research on the cytokinin plant hormone group, which are involved in many aspects of plant growth and development, and in plant-microbe interactions.

The award is presented specifically for her extensive research into the roles of cytokinin in seed and forage development, resulting in 12 publications in the last five years. Paula’s group has identified the key cytokinin homeostatic elements that could be disrupted to increase seed production while maintaining quality, and has shown that the cytokinins are intimately involved in the re-establishment of carbon/nitrogen status following defoliation of perennial ryegrass.

Paula’s group has also investigated gene expression in plants infected with the gall-forming bacterium Rhodococcus fascians, and has proposed that an interaction between cytokinins, cell wall invertases and the newly identified sugar transporter genes, the SWEETS, contributes to apical dominance loss and the appearance of the multiple shoots in infected pea seeds. Professor Jameson will be presented with her award at ComBio2018 on 26th September, when she will give a plenary address on her research.