Abstract:
How do plants sense nutrient availability and translate this information into decisions that determine growth, development, and productivity? Uncovering the molecular logic underlying these decisions represents a fundamental frontier in plant biology and a critical opportunity for sustainable agriculture.
In this seminar, I will present our discoveries revealing how plants integrate nutrient signals to coordinate growth and developmental transitions. I will highlight distinct molecular mechanisms linking nutrients availability to a central hub of growth regulation and discuss how nutrient signaling controls flowering and reproductive development.
I will further explore how these discoveries are being translated from model plants into crops, opening new avenues to enhance nutrient-use efficiency and productivity while reducing dependence on agricultural inputs.
Together, our findings establish a conceptual framework for understanding how plants convert nutritional information into biological decisions, laying the foundation for a new generation of resource-efficient and resilient crops.

Bio:
Hatem Rouached, PhD, is an Associate Professor at Michigan State University and a faculty member of the Plant Resilience Institute. Previously, he served as Research Director at INRA (France) and gained industrial research experience at BASF/CropDesign.
His research focuses on how plants sense and integrate mineral nutrient signals to regulate growth, development, and adaptation. Combining molecular genetics, physiology, and systems biology, his laboratory aims to translate fundamental discoveries into improved nutrient-use efficiency, crop productivity, and nutritional quality, contributing to sustainable agriculture and global food security.