New Phytologist workshop on root exudation, Berlin, Germany, June 23-24 2025Organization of international meeting on plant C we do not see

11 June 2025

Root exudates – soluble substances released by plant roots to soil – play a central role in ecosystems. However, there have been few efforts to synthesize exudate research and to discuss critical knowledge gaps. Prof. Dr. Ina Meier of the Department of Biology at Universität Hamburg assembles together with colleagues from Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and the USA an international consortium of leading exudation ecologists at the Indiana University Europe Gateway in Berlin.

A primary reason we know so little about root exudates relates to methods. Roots exist in the opaque and heterogenous medium of soil, which limits our ability to measure, monitor and manipulate roots in non-destructive ways. Additionally, most exudates are rapidly assimilated by soil microorganisms or adhere to mineral surfaces thereby limiting our ability to track their fate under field conditions. During the New Phytologist funded workshop, key methodological advances that catalyzed field-based research in recent years will be discussed and future research priorities identified.

More details on the conference website