Program

• Wednesday, February, 25th 2026
  • 08:00-09:30 h. Registration and documentation handout
  • 09:30-10:00 h. Opening session. Luis J. Fernández (Director UNED Tudela), Javier Fernández (Director General Fundación Caja Navarra), Iker Aranjuelo (CSIC-IdAB) & Ismael Aranda (INIA-CSIC)
    
  • 10:00-11:00 h. Inaugural lecture. Ian Dodd (University of Lancaster, UK): "Root-to-shoot signalling: Rest in Peace” 
  • 11:00-12:00 h. Coffee break
  • 12:00-13:30 h. Session 1: Physiological and molecular mechanisms of water relations. Moderators: Drs. Ricardo Aroca (Zaidín-CSIC) and Celia Rodríguez Domínguez (IRNAS-CSIC). Alternate: Rosana López (ISIFOR).
    
    • Jeroni Galmés (Universitat de les Illes Balears, España): "Water as an evolutionary driver of photosynthesis: co-adaptation of internal CO₂ diffusion and Rubisco function during terrestrialization and aquatic recolonization of plants"
    • Antonio Díaz-Espejo (IRNAS-CSIC, España): "The strange case of the wrong stomata and the caterpillars"
    • Paulo Eduardo Ribeiro Marchiori (Universidade Federal de Lavras, Brasil): "Crosstalk between nitrogen remobilisation and carbon metabolism in sugarcane facing drought stress and rehydration"
    • José Javier Peguero-Pina (CITA-Aragón, España): "Age-dependent changes in cell-level anatomy and leaf hydraulic conductance triggers the decline in photosynthetic capacity in older leaves of the evergreen Mediterranean oak Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia"
    • María Varona (Universidad Pública de Navarra, España): "Efecto de poliaminas y oximas en la respuesta a estrés hídrico"
    • Nerea Urcola (CITA-Aragón, España): Gas exchange and Minimum Conductance Reveal Leaf Growth Plasticity Under Contrasting Vapor Pressure Deficit in Quercus ilex.
  • 13:30-15:30 h. Lunch
  • 15:30-16:30 h. Session 2: Water relations in natural systems: from grasslands to forests. Moderators: Luna Morcillo (CEAM-Alicante). Alternate: Teresa Gimeno (CREAF)
    • Juan Pedro Ferrio (EEAD-CSIC, España): "Differential response of stem CO2 efflux to soil and stem temperature in two Mediterranean oaks with contrasting water use strategy"
    • M. Rocío Martín-Peláez (Universidad de Sevilla, España): "Integrating drought history into plant water relations: eco-physiological acclimation in a xerohalophyte"
    • Rosana López (INIA-CSIC, España): "Can mother tree age modulate the functional strategy in response to severe water stress in seedlings of Pinus uncinata?"
    • Vera Prazeres (Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal): "Intraspecific variability in Quercus suber L. resistance to embolism in relation to turgor loss in leaves"
  • 16:30-17:30 h. Poster session
  • 17:30-18:00 h. Coffee break
  • 18:00-19:00 h.
    Session 3: Water relations in agriculturally relevant species. Moderators: Drs. Josefina Bota (UiB) and Paula Paredes (Instituto Superior de Agronomia- Lisbon). Alternate: Angie L. Gámez (IdAB-CSIC).
    • Francisco Javier Cano (INIA-CSIC, España): "From Leaf to Canopy: Optimizing iWUE and resource acquisition in C₄ crops under climate change"
    • Mª Carmen Ruiz Sánchez (CEBAS-CSIC, España): "Rootstock influences persimmon water status indicators: ground-based and remote sensing approaches"
    • María Tasa (IVIA-Generalitat Valenciana, España): "Effects of high boron in irrigation water on plant water relations and gas exchange in Citrus macrophylla"
    • Nazareth Torres (Universidad Pública de Navarra, España): "An assessment of the influence of graft vascular alignment on grapevine physiological performance and growths"
• Thursday, February, 26th 2026
  • 09:00-10:00 h. Guest lecture: Cristina Máguas (University of Lisbon, Portugal): Understanding plant responses to water availability across ecosystems - why do we require multiple approaches and collaborative efforts?
  • 10:00-11:30 h.
    Session 4: New methodologies and technologies for monitoring plant water relations. Moderators: Drs. José Javier Pigero (Aula Dei) and Raquel Lobo do Vale (Universidad de Ébora). Alternate: María Ancín (IdAB-CSIC).
    
    • Lola Fariñas (Universidad de Deusto, España): "Non-contact ultrasonic sensing of leaf water relations in field-grown avocado"
    • Irene Galindo Lao (Universidad de Sevilla, España): "Continuous stem microtensiometry assessment for irrigation decision‑support in mature orange orchards under regulated deficit irrigation"
    • Angie L. Gámez (CSIC, España): "In situ estimation of δ13C, δ15N in alfalfa using canopy reflectance under contrasting water regimes"
    • Virginia Hernández-Santana (IRNAS-CSIC, España): "Towards a mechanistic calibration of ¨optical dendrometers” for the construction of pressure volume curves and the prediction of leaf water potential"
    • Andreu Mairata (Universitat de les Illes Balears, España): "Modelling of dynamics of stomatal conductance and hydraulics traits derived from optical dendrometry in woody crops"
    • Beng P. Umali (ICT International, Australia): "In-situ Water Potential Measurement using Stem Psychrometer"
  • 11:30-12:15 h. Coffee break
  • 12:15-13:30 h.
    Session 5: Integrated water management in agricultural and forest systems. Moderators: Iker Aranjuelo (IdAB-CSIC) and Ismael Aranda (INIA-CSIC).
    
    • Yolanda Gogorcena (EEAD-CSIC, España): "Climate Change Effects on Prunus spp.: Physiological-Metabolic Crosstalk with Signaling Molecules"
    • Alícia Pou (ICVV-CSIC, España): "Heat Waves Collapse Rootstock-Mediated Drought Tolerance in Grapevine"
    • Jaime Sebastián-Azcona (IRNAS-CSIC, España): "Tree ring evidence of interactive effects of climate variability and groundwater depth on Pinus pinea growth in Doñana National Park"
    • Olfa Zarrouk (Instituto Politécnico de Santarém, Portugal): "Drought-induced transgenerational memory primes grapevine progenies for enhanced tolerance to water stress and recovery"
  • 13:30-15:00 h. Lunch
  • 15:00-16:00 h. Poster session
  • 16:00-16:30 h. Coffee break
  • 16:30-17:15 h.
    Awards and recognition for a long research career on plant water relations: Robert Save, Manuela Chaves and Hipólito Medrano.
  • 17:15-18:15 h.
    Official reception and presentation of the VI National Research Award of the Best PhD on Water Relations and the Best Project for a Young Researcher on Water Relations.
  • 18:15-18:45 h. Meeting of the Water Relations Group
  • 20:00-20:45 h.
    Guided tour of the historic center of Pamplona
  • 21:00-23:00 h. Social dinner at Restaurante La Capilla
• Friday, February, 27th 2026
  • 09:00-10:00 h.
    Lecture by José M. Torres-Ruíz (IRNAS-CSIC, Spain): How plant water traits help us to elucidate when, why, and which trees succumb to drought
    • José M. Torres Ruiz 
  • 10:00-11:00 h. Session 6: Water relations in the context of global change. Moderators: Clara Pinto (INIAV) and Francisco J. Cano (ISIFOR). Alternate: Jaime Puértolas (Univ. la Laguna). 
    • María José Gómez-Bellot (CEBAS-CSIC, España): "Effects of irrigation with reclaimed water and brine on water relations, photosynthetic efficiency, nutrient uptake and ornamental indicators of two salinity-resistant plants"
    • Iván Jáuregui (Universidad Pública de Navarra, España): "Permanent crop cover as a strategy for drought-resistant viticulture: insights on how rhizosphere metagenomics influences leaf-level -omics for an enhanced overall plant response"
    • María Muñoz Santesteban (IRNAS-CSIC, España): "Saving water without sacrificing yield: a stomatal conductance-based irrigation strategy for Olive trees"
    • Clara Maria de Assunção Pinto (Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, I.P, Portugal): ¨Competition for water drives hydraulic adjustment in Mediterranean cork oak–stone pine woodlands¨.
    • Esteban Vargas-Fernández (CEBAS-CSIC, España): "Irrigation efficiency and prevention of deep percolation in grapefruit through soil sensor monitoring and agronomic evaluation in the Mar Menor watershed basin"
  • 11:00-12:00 h. Poster session
  • 12:00-12:30 h. Coffee break
  • 13:00-13:30 h. Farewell