The 7th International Workshop on Desiccation Sensitivity and Tolerance across Life Forms was held from January 11-15th, 2016 in the Aquila Private Game Reserve, South Africa. The workshop was organized by the University of KwaZulu-Natal - Westville Campus, which brought together 54 representatives from 15 countries from South Africa, France, USA, UK,  Netherlands, and China. Dr. WEN Bin and Dr. FU Peili of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) participated in the workshop and made presentations.
Dr. FU Peili made an oral presentation entitled “Leaf gas exchange and xylem hydraulic traits of a resurrection plant (Paraboearufescens, Gesneriaceae) and its responses to drought and re-watering”. Dr. WEN Bin presented his study on a poster entitled “Desiccation tolerance and cryotolerance development in intermediate pomelo and grapefruit seeds”.  The two presentations aroused interest among participants and brought potential of collaborative research.
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ABOUT
The 1st International Workshop on Desiccation Tolerance and Sensitivity of Seeds and Vegetative Plant Tissues came about as a consequence of a perceived need to hold a meeting that concentrated on the phenomenon of desiccation-sensitivity, in addition to that of desiccation tolerance, in plant tissues. It was generally felt that a study of sensitivity is essential for a greater understanding of tolerance. Though the first four Workshops concentrated on plants – seeds and vegetative tissue, last two Workshops have had papers on desiccation-tolerance in animals. Hence, the 7th workshop had cross-disciplinary interaction and addressed this phenomenon across life forms.

Participants pose a group photo