Postdoc in Frost Protection of Fruit Crops in a Changing Climate
Postdoc in Frost Protection of Fruit Crops in a Changing Climate
Aalborg University - Department of Chemistry and Bioscience
Aalborg, Denmark
Job description:
Freeze injury is a main limiting factor in horticultural crop production in temperate regions. In particular, spring frost is a significant production hazard and despite global warming, the risk of spring frost damage to fruit crops is forecasted to increase. This postdoc position is part of a project focusing on developing solutions for improved spring frost protection of buds and flowers in fruit orchards.
The project has three main objectives:
- to evaluate new frost protection tools that are more efficient and sustainable than the existing methods;
- examine the use of microclimatic temperature sensors for better risk prediction; and
- provide better indicators of bud freeze resistance for more precise warning.
The postdoc will mostly be working on obtaining improved indicators of bud freeze resistance. This involves collecting plant material in the field, recording phenological development, measure freeze tolerance of buds and flowers of selected fruit crops and investigate underlying physiological and metabolic changes such as changes in soluble carbohydrates, fatty acids and water status that may be bio-signatures of changes in bud freeze resistance. The project is carried out in collaboration with Aarhus University, HortiAdvice and commercial fruit growers and some of the experimental work will be carried out in an experimental fruit orchard at Aarhus University.
Qualification requirements:
Appointment as Postdoc presupposes scientific qualifications at PhD-level or similar scientific qualifications. It is a significant advantage if the applicant has experience in the field of Plant Sciences (e.g., plant physiology, horticulture, agronomy, botany, plant breeding, ecology) with a documented track-record related to these competencies. Experience with temperature tolerance assays, plant physiological methods, or metabolic analysis in plants are considered a great advantage. A valid driving license is needed to do field sampling.
The research potential of each applicant will be emphasized in the overall assessment. Appointment as a Postdoc cannot exceed a period of four years in total at Aalborg University.
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