A group of 21 plant UV-researchers came together on June 27 and 28, 2017 for a discussion-intensive workshop at Czech Globe in the south Moravian town of Brno in the Czech Republic. The workshop was organised by Drs. Otmar Urban (Czech Globe, Czech Republic) and Marcel Jansen (University College Cork, Ireland). The workshop brought together plant scientists with an interest in cross-talk between UV-B and other environmental drivers. In nature higher levels of UV-B radiation are commonly accompanied by high levels of photosynthetic radiation (i.e. risk photoinhibition), while heat and drought are also likely to be relevant under such conditions. Presentations in Brno focused on the interactions between UV-B and a broad range of environmental parameters, such as drought, CO2, pathogens, symbionts, plant nutrition, temperature, and other wavelengths of solar radiation.
A special issue of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry (Volume 134, January 2019) has now been published capturing 15 of the presentations given in Brno.
Presentations were accompanied by discussion sessions that focussed on many of the aspects presented in the talks. One major issue concerned the terminology to describe and discuss data (stress, acclimation, adaptation and especially cross-talk and cross-tolerance). The discussion inspired an editorial that clarified many of the terminology issues, while also arguing that UV-B sensing plays an important role in the complex, natural environment.