Prof. dr. Isabel Roldán-Ruiz

Prof. dr. Isabel Roldán-Ruiz
ILVO
Caritasstraat 39, 9090 Melle

Research interests

Isabel Roldán-Ruiz is scientific director of the research group of Plant - Growth and Development at ILVO (Institute for Agricultural, Fisheries and Food Research) and professor at the Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics of Ghent University. She is specialized in molecular plant genetics and breeding and has coauthored over 100 scientific papers. At ILVO Isabel leads a multidisciplinary team studying crop performance in the context of breeding and crop management. The team combines strong competences in plant (eco)physiology, phenotyping modelling and molecular genetics and genomics to investigate the processes that determine crop growth, productivity and biomass quality, in relation to environmental factors such as nutrient or water availability. Drone technology using visual, thermal and hyperspectral imaging is used for automated field phenotyping. The group is also actively involved in European networks such as MACSUR (www.macsur.eu), in which crop models are used to predict and investigate the effects of climate change on crops.

Selected publications

  • Fonteyne, S.; Muylle, H.; Lootens, P.; Kerchev, P.; van den Ende, W; Staelens, A.; Reheul, D.; Roldán-Ruiz, I. (2017) Physiological basis of chilling tolerance and early-season growth in miscanthus. Annals of botany, in press.
  • Barre, Ph., Ruttink, T., Muylle, H., Lootens, P., Sampoux, J.-P., Rohde A., Combes, D., Roldán-Ruiz, I. (2017). Natural diversity in vegetative and reproductive investments of perennial ryegrass is shaped by the climate at the place of origin. Grass and Forage Science, https://doi.org/10.1111/gfs.12304
  • Lootens, P.; Ruttink, T.; Rohde, A.; Combes, D.; Barre, Ph.; Roldan‑Ruiz, I. (2016) High‑throughput phenotyping of lateral expansion and regrowth of spaced Lolium perenne plants using on‑field image analysis. Plant Methods, 2016 12:32; DOI 10.1186/s13007-016-0132-8
  • Fonteyne, S.; Lootens, P.; Muylle, H.; Van Den Ende W.; De Swaef, T.; Reheul, D.; Roldán-Ruiz I. Chilling tolerance and early vigor related characteristics evaluated in two Miscanthus genotypes. Photosynthetica Vol. 54, Nr. 2, pp. 295-306.
  • Vleugels, T.; Ceuppens, B.; Cnops, G.; Lootens, P.; van Parijs, F.R.D.; Smagghe, G.; Roldán-Ruiz, I. (2016) Models with only two predictor variables can accurately predict seed yield in diploid and tetraploid red clover. Euphytica DOI 10.1007/s10681-016-1679-1.
  • Christiaens, A.; De Keyser, E.; Lootens, P.; Pauwels, E.; Roldán-Ruiz, I.; De Riek, J.; Gobin, B.; Van Labeke, M.-C. (2015) Cold storage to overcome dormancy affects the carbohydrate status and photosynthetic capacity of Rhododendron simsii. Plant Biology, Vol. 17, Nr. 1, pp. 97-105.
  • Van Minnebruggen, A.; Roldán-Ruiz, I.; Van Bockstaele, E.; Haesaert, G.; Cnops, G. (2015) The relationship between architectural characteristics and regrowth in Trifolium pratense (red clover). Grass and Forage Science, Vol. 70, pp. 507-518.
  • Cornille, A.; Giraud, T.; Smulders, M.J.; Roldán-Ruiz, I.; Gladieux, P. (2014) The domestication and evolutionary ecology of apples. Trends in Genetics, Vol. 30, Nr. 2, pp.57-65.
  • Gallagher, J.A. ; Turner, L.B. ; Cairns, A.J.; Farrell, M.; Lovatt, J.A.; Skøt, K.; Armstead, I.P.; Humphreys, M.O.; Roldán-Ruiz, I. (2014) Genetic differentiation in response to selection for water-soluble carbohydrate content in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). BioEnergy Research, Vol. 8, pp. 77-90.
  • Muylle, H.; Van Hulle, S.; De Vliegher, A.; Baert, J.; Van Bockstaele, E.; Roldán-Ruiz, I. (2014) Yield and energy balance of annual and perennial lignocellulosic crops for bio-refinery: A 4-year field experiment in Belgium. European Journal of Agronomy, Vol. 63, pp. 62-70.
  • Lootens, P.; Chaves Daguilar, B.; Baert, J.; Pannecoucque, J.; Van Waes, J.; Roldán-Ruiz, I. (2013) Comparison of image analysis and direct measurement of UPOV taxonomic characteristics for variety discrimination as determined over five growing seasons, using industrial chicory as a model crop. Euphytica, Vol. 189, Nr. 3, pp. 329-341.