Research interests
Katharina's main research interest is plant physiology with a focus on abiotic stress responses. Katharina studied Horticulture in Hannover (BSc) and Berlin (MSc) in Germany, specialising in plant physiology before she worked in applied research for the Chamber of Agriculture (Lower Saxony, Germany). Here she was first responsible for the project ‘Gezonde Kas’, which aimed to reduce pesticide use in greenhouses using novel technologies such as a wireless sensor network, decision support system and a sensor-controlled spray boom. In her second project she worked on peat reduced and peat free substrates for horticulture and coordinated the work of three institutes covering experiments with vegetables, bed and balcony plants and potted trees.
In 2017 she started a PhD at Lancaster University, investigating potato water relations in collaboration with NIAB CUF, Rothamsted Research, Forschungszentrum Jülich (Germany) and London Imperial College. Her PhD work spans from the field to controlled environment, using novel technologies such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and investigating the role of a new hormone group (strigolactones) to get an in depth understanding of potato drought stress responses.
At NIAB CUF Katharina aims to use the expertise gained in the PhD to improve irrigation practices towards a more sustainable water use and to explore new avenues in potato research and breeding.
Recent publications
Huntenburg, K, Dodd, IC, Stalham, M, 2021 Agronomic and physiological responses of potato subjected to soil compaction and/or drying. Annals of Applied Biology 178, pp. 328– 340.
Ntatsi, G, Savvas, D, Huntenburg, K, Druege, U, Hincha, DK, Zuther, E, Schwarz, D, 2014, A study on ABA involvement in the response of tomato to suboptimal root temperature using reciprocal grafts with notabilis, a null mutant in the ABA-biosynthesis gene LeNCED1, Environmental and Experimental Botany 97, pp. 11-21,
Full publication list on ResearchGate and ORCID