About

Plant Science and Biotechnology (SBT) is a Scientific / Expertise Group (KK) consisting of 13 members, with 90% doctoral qualifications, and we join with the same interest with a study focus using plants as the main research object, both as basic and applicative research. The field of scientific development of KK members varies from basic science related to botany, physiology, development, ecophysiology, metabolism, to more applicable fields such as biotechnology, precision agriculture, breeding to bioprocess engineering. 

The research developed in the roadmap SBT KK roadmap focuses on: Bio-prospectingplant improvement and biomass production, namely by conducting exploration, plant breeding and biomass production of horticultural/medicinal/industrial/energy plants, and metabolites. (2) Engineering biological systems at the organism, population and ecosystem levels, to improve plant growth, quality and reproduction. (3) Plant studies in environments with biotic & abiotic stress, including phytoremediation. (4) Developing plant materials and products, both by engineering and bioconversion.

The stages carried out in product and biomass development are from basic bioprospecting (TRL 2-3), then process optimization (TRL 4-5) and then larger scale production (TRL 6-7).  

KK members have contributed to the development of plants that are resistant to water stress and disease, more nutritious, developing plants as a source of medicine and raw materials for other industries and inducing the increase of these metabolites, phytoremediation is not only intended for waste remediation but also turning the process into product development such as fertilizers from waste and biomaterials from phytoremediation, seedlings from tissue culture technology with bioreactors for plants, aeroponics, genetic transformation, and others. Studies are conducted from the molecular to the organism level, using science, engineering and biotechnology approaches, from genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, to metabolomics and phenomics. The works have been published in national and international journals as well as disseminated in seminars, including becoming patents (can be seen on the SBT web: sbt.sith.itb.ac.id).

Significant studies for science are generally in the field of agriculture, both in the form of preparing superior seeds, cultivation in the field and efforts for post-harvest. Another significant study is in the field of plant metabolites, both their production and increase in production. The research in the field of phytoremediation greatly contributes to the problem of waste and environmental pollution which is a major problem in Indonesia. This year only one IPR was obtained in the form of a simple patent, which is related to a container that can slow down the ripening of fruit, but other patents have also been obtained in previous years.  

Other KK activities are in the form of Visiting Professor Visiting Professor (VP) dan International Conferenceactivities carried out in KK this year involved a lecturer and researcher, Prof. Theo Elzenga from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. The program that has been implemented at this time is a discussion, which is used to determine the program that will be implemented next year, namely guest lectures and joint mentoring for S3.  Internasional Conference heInternational Conference organized by KK SBT successfully invited four keynote speakernamely: Prof. Katsumi Suzuki, Prof. Eiichiro Fukusaki, Prof. Theo Elzenga, and Prof. Siti Rozaimah. All of them are experts in their fields and are partners of SBT KK members, this partnership is built in the long term and is expected to continue to be developed in the form of more intensive research.