The goal of this conference is to increase awareness about the value of light sources for agricultural research, and to engage with potential researchers and industrial users to increase the use of advanced imaging synchrotron tools, by showcasing leading research in the field.
BACKGROUND:
The challenges of food security and malnutrition are top priority for agricultural research efforts worldwide. Through advanced research tools such as synchrotron-based techniques, research into disease and drought-resistant crops has enormous potential to make our food supply more secure, and can further improve agricultrural processes at every level of production - from ‘soil to shelf’.
The bottleneck to this research is our ability to screen large numbers of genetically distinct plant varieties quickly and efficiently for advantageous traits. Increasing our knowledge of the genotype-to-phenotype relationship simultaneously advances our understanding of the mechanisms governing life and provides the basis for engineering safe and effective new crop varieties. PALSA showcases these topics as well as research on soil microscale morphology and properties, plant-soil interactions, and more!
The Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) at Cornell University has a combination of unique infrastructure capabilities, in-house expertise, and close proximity to outstanding agricultural science infrastructure at Cornell.
CONFERENCE HISTORY AND DESTINATIONS:
PALSA I - 2019 - Canada
The first PALSA conference, with the theme of “Lighting the Path to Agricultural Innovation,” was organized by the CLS and took place July 6–7, 2019, in Saskatoon, Canada, in conjunction with the Rhizosphere 5 conference.
PALSA II - 2021 - Brazil
The fully online second PALSA conference was organized by LNLS at CNPEM from April 14–16, 2021, in conjunction with the Second LNLS AgroEnviro Workshop. The theme of PALSA 2021 was “Elucidating Dynamic Processes in Agricultural Systems Using Synchrotron Light,” and the invited talks showcased synchrotron research aimed at measuring time-dependent physical, chemical, and biological processes in soils, plants, the rhizosphere, animals, and micro-organisms relevant to agricultural systems.
PALSA III - 2023 - United States
CHESS, in partnership with the Canadian Light Source and the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory, is organizing this international conference for the third time, taking place every 2 years and alternating between the three major light sources.
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE:
An international organizing committee will oversee the conference program, develop future series, and -- in collaboration with the local organizing committee (LOC) -- finalize the scientific program. The LOC is responsible for the finance, organization, and execution of this conference.
International organizing committee
TBD
Local organizing committee
TBD
