Hydrosensing Project
Discovering How Plants Sense Water Stress
The Hydrosensing Project Team is on a mission to transform our understandingof how plants sense and respond to water availability. We aim to uncover the mechanisms plants use to perceive water stress, a key factor in their survival and productivity.
By combining cutting-edge genomics, structural biology, biophysics and imaging approaches, we strive to revolutionize crop resilience and pave the way for climate-proof agriculture.
Join us as we explore new frontiers in plant science, working towards a future where crops are better equipped to withstand the challenges of a changing climate.
Publications
Journal articles and preprints by the Hydrosensing project
Abscisic acid activity across tissues: Linking biosynthesis, transport, and target-site action
Anfang, M., & Shani, E. (2026). Abscisic acid activity across tissues: Linking biosynthesis, transport, and target-site action. Current Opinion in Plant Biology, 93, 102932. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2026.102932
Coping with stress: Transcriptional regulators linking cell wall integrity maintenance with primary-wall metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana
Tichá, T., Zwartkruis, S., Engelsdorf, T., Bartosova, Z., Bacete, L., & Hamann, T. (2025). Coping with stress: Transcriptional regulators linking cell wall integrity maintenance with primary-wall metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana. bioRxiv, 2025-12. https://doi.org/10.64898/2025.12.12.693917
AGP and EXO-LIKE genes promote brassinosteroid-dependent anisotropic growth
Novikova, D., Rana, S., Li, K., Diaz-Ardila, H.N., Trozzi, N., Alonso Baez, L., Hamann, T., Majda, M. and Hardtke, C.S. (2026), AGP and EXO-LIKE genes promote brassinosteroid-dependent anisotropic growth. New Phytology, 250: 2384-2398. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.71063
The function of the Arabidopsis receptor kinase THESEUS1 in plant cell wall integrity maintenance: from evolutionary origin to future perspectives
Zwartkruis, S.T.W., Vandegehuchte, M.L. and Hamann, T. (2026), The function of the Arabidopsis receptor kinase THESEUS1 in plant cell wall integrity maintenance: from evolutionary origin to future perspectives. The Plant Journal, 125: e70701. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70701
News
Hydrosensing news
Congratulations to Dr. Poonam Mehra on Receiving the Rising Stars in Plant Sciences 2026 Award
The Hydrosensing Team is delighted to congratulate Dr. Poonam Mehra on being selected as a recipient of the Rising Stars in Plant Sciences 2026 award.
Two years in: notes from the ERC Hydrosensing annual meeting in Lausanne
Late May took our whole ERC Hydrosensing consortium to the University of Lausanne for two days that turned out to be equal parts intense science and genuine team building.
Thorsten Hamann Elected to Prestigious Norwegian Academy
Hydrosensing is proud to share that Thorsten Hamann, one of our Principal Investigators, has been elected as a member of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters (DKNVS).
HYDROSENSING after 18 Months: Growing Knowledge and Growing Impact
While still being at an early stage of our 5-year journey, the HYDROSENSING project is moving forward with strong momentum. Over the past 18 months, we have advanced our scientific understanding of how plants perceive and respond to water, while also contributing to broader discussions about foundational plant science, agriculture,…
