Final Activity Report Summary - ENFC6 (European nitrogen fixation conference 6)
Legumes provide 33% of humankind's protein needs and 45 Tg of fixed nitrogen for global agriculture through Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF), due to their symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing rhizobia bacteria. Multidisciplinary research into BNF includes: microbiology; genetics; enzymology; bio-inorganic chemistry; molecular biology, genomics and proteomics, recently using model bacteria and symbiotic plants. The diversity of approaches was reflected in the 6th European Nitrogen Fixation Conference (ENFC6) which attracted 340 participants, mostly from European laboratories, but also from North Africa, North and South America, and Australia.
The ENFC6 Conference was held in Toulouse, France (July 24-27, 2004). At this 4-day meeting both senior and junior researchers presented current, high quality, multidisciplinary research in BNF through talks and poster sessions. The Conference forged interactions between fundamental aspects of BNF and applications in agriculture and the environment. Moreover, it provided a forum for developing interactions and collaborations between European scientists, with colleagues particularly from Eastern Europe and Developing Countries. At the ENFC6, the opening session raised awareness of our research field by placing it in the context of global agriculture and environmental change. This was achieved through two overview lectures focussing on the diversity of nitrogen fixing symbioses in natural ecosystems, and the benefits of grain legumes to the environment and to agriculture. The remaining multidisciplinary sessions contained keynote talks and presentations by major scientists and junior researchers. The topics that were covered included fundamental mechanisms of nitrogen fixation, plant-bacteria interactions, evolution and diversity of nitrogen fixing systems, regulation of nitrogen fixation, novel applications in agriculture and the environment, physiology of nitrogen fixation and assimilation, nodule development and differentiation, ecosystems and the rhizosphere, and ended with a keynote address on the past, present and future of European nitrogen fixation research. There were two dedicated poster sessions and two special forums for junior scientists intended to foster contacts and networking. BNF research underpins society's interest in controlling the global N cycle through the development of sustainable and low-input agriculture. Many aspects of this field are changing rapidly as a result of new developments in plant and bacterial genomics, microbiology and structural biochemistry.
At the ENFC6 sixty-one Early Stage Researchers, mainly from Europe but also including selected participants from other, including developing, countries had the unique opportunity to learn about the entire research field. They were required to present their work either by oral or poster presentations, to develop their presentational skills and they had the opportunity to build networks for future collaborations.
The ENFC6 Conference was held in Toulouse, France (July 24-27, 2004). At this 4-day meeting both senior and junior researchers presented current, high quality, multidisciplinary research in BNF through talks and poster sessions. The Conference forged interactions between fundamental aspects of BNF and applications in agriculture and the environment. Moreover, it provided a forum for developing interactions and collaborations between European scientists, with colleagues particularly from Eastern Europe and Developing Countries. At the ENFC6, the opening session raised awareness of our research field by placing it in the context of global agriculture and environmental change. This was achieved through two overview lectures focussing on the diversity of nitrogen fixing symbioses in natural ecosystems, and the benefits of grain legumes to the environment and to agriculture. The remaining multidisciplinary sessions contained keynote talks and presentations by major scientists and junior researchers. The topics that were covered included fundamental mechanisms of nitrogen fixation, plant-bacteria interactions, evolution and diversity of nitrogen fixing systems, regulation of nitrogen fixation, novel applications in agriculture and the environment, physiology of nitrogen fixation and assimilation, nodule development and differentiation, ecosystems and the rhizosphere, and ended with a keynote address on the past, present and future of European nitrogen fixation research. There were two dedicated poster sessions and two special forums for junior scientists intended to foster contacts and networking. BNF research underpins society's interest in controlling the global N cycle through the development of sustainable and low-input agriculture. Many aspects of this field are changing rapidly as a result of new developments in plant and bacterial genomics, microbiology and structural biochemistry.
At the ENFC6 sixty-one Early Stage Researchers, mainly from Europe but also including selected participants from other, including developing, countries had the unique opportunity to learn about the entire research field. They were required to present their work either by oral or poster presentations, to develop their presentational skills and they had the opportunity to build networks for future collaborations.