Click on PDF for the final programme here below

For poster title list open the PDF below

The EuAsiaN-ROOT project investigates how interactions among tree roots, mycorrhizal fungi, and soil pathogens shape key forest ecosystem services across a wide Eurasian climate gradient. By comparing forests with different climates, soils, and geological histories, the project aims to reveal how environmental factors and pathogen pressure influence carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling. Bringing together an interdisciplinary consortium, the project builds a long‑term research and training platform to advance forest soil ecology and support sustainable forest management in the context of climate change.

Here is a link to our project website: euasianroot.ldf.mendelu.cz/

A link to a bluesky:https://bsky.app/profile/euasian-root.bsky.social

Newsletter - to subscribe

https://bit.ly/4mXU6Nt

The invited speakers will deliver their talks as part of the Seminar Series – EXCELLENTIA „CHALLENGES IN FOREST ECOLOGY“ organized by the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology (FFWT) at Mendel University in Brno. It will be possible to follow their speeches via Zoom. 

Please find below all the information for the connection.

Boris Rewald (MENDELU, CZ)

Acclimating to Diversity? The Plasticity of Wood Roots and Their Symbionts Under Competition

Join Zoom Meeting

https://cesnet.zoom.us/j/91212775978?pwd=PSXMbTEKMnfIeGT77CEffWFP0st8pl.1

Meeting chat link

https://cesnet.zoom.us/launch/jc/91212775978

Meeting ID: 912 1277 5978

Passcode: 969562

5 June 2026  9:00 CET

Luke McCormack (Morton Arboretum USA)

Fine roots in changing environments: from wide open spaces to closed concrete places. 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://cesnet.zoom.us/j/97776397772?pwd=hXQNo05dQNVAaPMpJSGHfafHpStEaW.1

Meeting chat link

https://cesnet.zoom.us/launch/jc/97776397772

Meeting ID: 977 7639 7772

Passcode: 371756

The social dinner will be held in Villa del Grumello (www.villadelgrumello.it/)

Dinner participation requires a separate payment at registration.

How to reach the venue:

• by foot or by bike: From the center of Como (Piazza Cavour), walk along the lake westward until you reach Villa Olmo, cross the garden, take the bridge of the Kilometro della Conoscenza, and follow the path up to Villa del Grumello. On days when the Kilometro della Conoscenza is closed, after passing through the garden of Villa Olmo, continue along Via per Cernobbio until you reach the entrance gate of Villa del Grumello.
• via the lake: By the scheduled boats of NAVIGAZIONE LAGHI, get off at the Tavernola stop – 1 km. With private boats or taxis, request authorization to dock at the boathouse from the Villa del Grumello Association (+39 031 2287620 or info@villadelgrumello.it).
• by bus: 
  Line 1 stop: Villa Olmo
  Line 6 stop: Villa Olmo Lido
  Line 11 stop: Villa Olmo Lido

Field Trip Organization

• Meeting point: 6th of June at 07:30 in Como, outside the conference venue, to board the bus to the Campo dei Fiori Regional Park.
• Welcome coffee: 09:00–09:30 at the Park’s central office.
• Introduction session: Overview of the Park’s geomorphology and vegetation, followed by a visit to the Park’s chestnut orchard (until 10:30).
• Walk and sampling activities: A 30‑minute walk from the Park’s office to the EuAsiaN-ROOT Project core site in the beech forest, with sampling activities lasting approximately two hours.
• Lunch: Return walk to the bus, which will take participants to the Orti di Bregazzana for an open‑air buffet lunch, included in the conference fee (https://www.centrogulliver.it/orti-bregazzana/).
• Return to Como: At 17:30 the bus will depart for the conference venue in Como.

Contributions from the conference will be published on: 

• Journal: Frontiers in Plant Science

  Title: Unveiling the Woody Root Processes - From Belowground to Sustainability, Soil Health, and Plant Production

  
  Info: Manuscript Summary Submission Deadline 30 September 2026 Manuscript Submission Deadline 31 December 2026. 
  This Research Topic is currently accepting articles.

  Link to the website: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/76181/unveiling-the-woody-root-processes---from-belowground-to-sustainability-soil-health-and-plant-production 
  Journal: Frontiers in Plant Science

• Journal: Plant and Soil 

  Submissions open in July

  To submit to the special issue: 

  (i) ‎Authors submit their paper through the following website: https://www.editorialmanager.com/plso/default.aspx

  (ii) In the Article Type Selection step of the online submission procedure, authors must choose “Special Issue S127 – Woody Roots” from the dropdown box.

  (iii) In the General Information step, authors must select the appropriate Article Category (please indicate which article category, i.e. Research Article, Review, Methods Paper or Opinion Paper)

To register and submit an abstract (two contribution max), please visit the link at the bottom of this section. Please note that posters have a board size of 120 height x 80 width cm:

• Abstract deadline for Oral presentation 31 March
• Abstract deadline for Poster presentation 30 April (New deadline: May 11th)

Early bird registration (extended to the 31st of March for students only)

• Senior scientist € 500
• Student € 300
   

Full price registration (after 15th of February for seniors and 31st of March for students)

• Senior scientist € 600
• Student € 400

Best Poster Prize – Woody Roots IX Conference

The Woody Roots IX Conference is pleased to announce the Best Poster Prize, recognizing excellence in scientific content, clarity of presentation, and visual communication.

Award Categories   
Three prizes will be awarded:

• 1st and 2nd Prize: selected by all conference participants through on-site voting
• Special Jury Prize: selected by the Scientific Committee

Eligibility and Conditions

• The competition is open to all registered conference participants presenting a poster at Woody Roots IX.
• Voting procedures and timing will be communicated during the conference.
• Winners will be announced during the conference closing session / social evening.
• Awardees will receive a certificate and a prize (details to be announced).

By submitting a poster, authors agree that the title, authorship, and poster image may be used for conference communication purposes (website, social media, and reports), with full credit given.

Picture Competition – Woody Roots IX Conference

The Woody Roots IX Conference Picture Competition invites participants to showcase the scientific and aesthetic diversity of woody roots and their symbiotic interactions across scales and ecosystems.

Theme

Submitted images should depict woody roots, ranging from:

• anatomical and microscopic sructures
• whole-root systems
• interactions with symbionts (e.g. mycorrhizae, microorganisms)
• woody roots in their ecological context

Both scientifically informative and visually striking images are encouraged.

Submission Rules

• Each participant may submit a maximum of two (2) images.
• Images must be original and taken or created by the submitting author.
• Images will be printed and displayed in A4 format (landscape or portrait) during the conference.
• Submissions must be sent by the 21st of May 2026. 
• Files should be submitted by email to: woodyroots9@uninsubria.it
• Email subject line and file naming format: WoodyRoots IMAGE COMPETITION (e.g. Surname_FirstName_Image1.jpg )

Technical Requirements

• High-resolution image suitable for A4 printing (minimum 300 dpi recommended).
• Accepted formats: JPG, TIFF or PNG.
• Minimal digital manipulation is allowed (e.g. brightness, contrast), but the scientific content must not be altered or be AI created.

Selection and Prizes

• 1st and 2nd Prize: selected by conference participants
• Special Jury Prize: selected by the Organization Committee

Winners will be announced during the closing session / social evening of the conference.

By submitting an image, participants grant the conference organizers the right to display the images during the event and to use them for non-commercial communication purposes related to the conference, with proper attribution.

Antonio Montagnoli, Antonino Di Iorio, Alex Ceriani, Gustavo Agosto, Yoni Ephrath, Douglas Godbold, Boris Rewald, Ivika Ostonen, Martin Lukac  

Michel Chalot, Pauline Grierson, Luke McCormack, Jiacun Gu, Barbara Hawkins, Yasuhiro Hirano, Tarja Lehto

• 1st edition (8-12 October 1995): Held in Ithaca, New York, USA, at the Boyce Thompson Institute. Foundational event on Woody root physiology and rhizosphere function.
• 2nd edition (26-30 September 1999): Held in Nancy, France, at the University Henri Poincaré. Covered molecular biology and biochemistry.
• 3rd edition (29 September-3 October 2003): Held in Perth, Australia, at the University of Western Australia. Focused on physiological processes in diverse environments.
• 4th edition (16–20 September 2007): Held in Bangor, United Kingdom at the University of Wales. Covered root nutrient cycling, turnover, and mycorrhizal relationships.
• 5th edition (8–12 August 2010): Held in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, at the University of Victoria. Included carbon sequestration and rhizosphere ecology themes.
• 6th edition (8–13 September 2014): Held in Nagoya, Japan, at the Nagoya University. Explored stress responses and technological innovations in root studies.
• 7th edition (26–30 June 2017): Tartu, Estonia, at the University of Tartu. Sessions on root carbon cycling, global change, and rhizosphere dynamics.
• 8th edition (10–14 July 2022): Penn State University, USA, at the Penn State University, USA. Hybrid format; focused on restoration, water uptake, and applied root science.
• 9th edition (3–5 June 2026): Como, Italy, at the Insubria University. It will focus on sustainability, soil protection, and plant production. 

June is high season in Como, so try to make a reservation as soon as possible.

We suggest that participants contact hotels or B&Bs directly to make a reservation. Unless otherwise indicated (by code request), to receive the stated discount, inform the Hotel of your conference participation.

Here is a (non-exhaustive) list of hotels and B&Bs. For additional accommodation options, please refer to online booking platforms:

• Palace Hotel: www.palacehotel.it (10% discount)
• Hotel Metropole Suisse: https://www.hotelmetropolesuisse.com/ (10% discount)
• B&B Hotel Como City Center: www.hotelbb.com Enter the discount code UNINSUBRIA10, all caps, in the discount code section on the home page. The system will automatically calculate the discount.)
• Hotel Tre Re: https://hoteltrere.com/ (10% discount)
• Hotel Plinius: https://www.hotelplinius.com/ (10% discount)
• B&B Hotel Como Camerlata: https://www.hotel-bb.com/en/hotel/como-camerlata (10% discount - Enter the discount code UNINSUBRIA10, all caps, in the discount code section on the home page. The system will automatically calculate the discount.)
• Hotel Barchetta: https://www.hotelbarchetta.it/
• Albergo Firenze Como: https://www.hotelfirenzecomo.com
• Hotel Lizard https://www.lizardhotel.com/
• Hotel Le due corti https://hotelduecorti.com/en/
• Victoria Hotel Royal Garden https://www.royalvictoria.com/
• B&B Le dame della Cortesella https://www.ledamedellacortesella.com/en/

woodyroots9@uninsubria.it 

antonio.montagnoli@uninsubria.it

alex.ceriani@uninsubria.it