Department of Plant Physiology and Plant Ecology

Last modified: 09. February 2024

Department of Plant Physiology and Plant Ecology

The department was formed from three university research groups with long traditions. At the locations in Gödöllő, Budapest and Keszthely a recognized professional work in plant physiology and ecophysiology has been going on for decades. Several of the department's employees perform the duties of lecturers, supervisors, and staff members in the MATE Doctoral School of Biological Sciences. Student interest in research programs is manifested in academic student activities in addition to doctoral programs.

Plant Ecophysiology Group, Szent István Campus, Gödöllő

The group's employees conduct research in the fields of agroecology and plant ecophysiology. Potential opportunities for this are the drone/satellite remote sensing experience, the associated ecosystem-scale measurement and modeling of carbon and water circulation . In these two areas, the group is currently conducting research in the framework of the MTA-MATE Agroecology Research Group (ELKH), which was launched in 2019 within the MTA TKI framework, and the research enterprise contract (2019-2021) concluded with the European Space Agency. Their research topics: carbon and water circulation in agroecosystems, (techniques used: eddy covariance, chamber systems, drone remote sensing, solar induced fluorescence measurement, ecophysiological measuring devices)

Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology Group, Buda Campus

Their research is conducted in the border areas of stress physiology and molecular biology. Their aim is to develop more efficient production methods and to support noble work. Comparative studies of cucumber hybrids with different cultivation characteristics are carried out. The effects of nutrition and nutritional supplements are characterized at the physiological and genetic level. The issues of nitrogen assimilation and oxidative stress, which are of particular importance in cultivation, are also investigated.

The research topics of the Georgikon Campus Group are the determination of allergenic genes in wormwood, mapping their expression and biochemical pathways. Detection of biologically valuable sesquiterpenes and mapping of their biochemical pathways in weeds and cultivated plants. The effects of plant conditioners and biostimulators on plant physiological processes are investigated in treated monocot and dicot crops (barley, pea, rapeseed, soybean).

Selected publications of the Department of Plant Physiology and Plant Ecology

• Szegő et al 2021 Downregulation of polyamine and diamine oxidases in silicon-treated cucumber PLANTS; Q1; http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/plants10061248
• Malek et al 2021 Responses of Soil Respiration to Biotic and Abiotic Drivers in a Temperate Cropland EURASIAN SOIL SCIENCE; Q2; 54: 1038-1048
• Bat-Erdene et al 2021 Long term silicon exposure coordinately downregulates lipoxygenase genes, decreases reactive oxygen species level and promotes growth of cucumber plants in a semi-hydroponic cultivation system RUSS. J. PLANT PHYSIOL; Q2; http://dx.doi.org/10.1134/S1021443721050022
• Fóti et al 2020 Two potential equilibrium states in long-term soil respiration activity of dry grasslands are maintained by local topographic features, SCIENTIFIC REPORTS; Q1; 10:1 Paper: 14307, 13 p
• Koncz et al 2020 Carbon uptake changed but vegetation composition remained stable during transition from grazing to mowing grassland management AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT; Q1; 304 Paper: 107161, 11 p