SUSTAIN at OBSIDIAN2025: Science, Salinity, and Collaboration

On June 23–24, 2025, the vibrant city of Toruñ, Poland, hosted the 5th International OBSIDIAN Conference – “Plant Productivity and Food Safety: Microbiology, Soil Science, Food Quality and Agricultural Genetics” – in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of COST Action SUSTAIN (CA22144). Held at Nicolaus Copernicus University, the event gathered over 130 participants from 25 countries, transforming the campus into a dynamic arena of scientific exchange and collaborative ambition.
SUSTAIN played a central role throughout the conference, with multiple Working Groups (WGs) organizing thematic parallel sessions aligned with their current deliverables and research directions:

• WG1 meeting focused on the physical and biochemical characterization of soil and water salinity, emphasizing mapping technologies, co-occurring stressors, and spatial heterogeneity.
  
• WG2 explored plant responses to salinity at shoot and root levels, with discussions on phenotyping approaches, genetic strategies, and microbiome interactions.
  
• WG3 led an engaging session on the economic valuation of salt-affected ecosystems, featuring a meta-analysis framework and identification of knowledge gaps to support Deliverable D3.4.
  
• WG4 & WG5 held sessions to address knowledge transfer, stakeholder engagement, and policy frameworks, with an emphasis on how academic research can shape real-world salinization management and innovation pathways.
  

The sessions combined detailed updates from WG leaders, short presentations, and group activities. Each working group reported key outcomes, including agreed paper structures, refined methodologies, and action points to accelerate progress toward SUSTAIN deliverables.
Notably, several SUSTAIN leaders and members contributed to the OBSIDIAN scientific program, including:

• Dr. Kate Negacz (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands), who co-chaired Session IV and delivered a keynote on “Counting the Costs: Economic and Social Dimensions of Rising Salinity in Agriculture.”
  
• Dr. Nadia Bazihizina (The University of Florence, Italy) presented a talk on “Solving the root dilemma in saline soils: evaluating root responses under combined salinity stress and P deficiency.”
  
• Dr. Katarzyna Hrynkiewicz (Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruñ, Poland), who chaired sessions and gave a talk on “From halophyte to microbial toolbox: Exploring the microbiome of Salicornia europaea for agricultural innovation.”
  
• Dr. Ali Volkan Bilgili (Harran University, Türkiye) presented a talk on “Modeling and Mapping Soil Salinity in the Harran Plain Using Geostatistics, Spectral Data, and Machine Learning Techniques.”
  
• Dr. Ahmad Rajabi Dehnavi (Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Poland) presented a posted on “Ecophysiological Responses of the Halophyte Puccinellia distans to Salinity Stress: Mechanisms of Tolerance and Ecosystem Restoration Applications.”
  
• Wang Lin (Ghent University, Belgium) presented a poster on “Rhizosphere microbial responses to soil salinity induced by treated wastewater irrigation.”
  

The conference also included two hands-on workshops linked to SUSTAIN themes:

• A field workshop at a salt-affected landscape near Inowroc³aw, focusing on Plant-soil relationships in saline areas (June 25)
  
• A laboratory workshop on Plant-microbial interactions in saline areas (June 23–27)
  

The event concluded with the Management Committee (MC) Meeting of COST Action SUSTAIN, where strategic updates and coordination across tasks and deliverables were reviewed.
Beyond the sessions, SUSTAIN and OBSIDIAN2025 offered a welcoming space for networking, with highlights including a guided walk through historic Toruñ and the lively OBSIDIAN BBQ Dinner, where science met camaraderie under the summer sky.
The rich integration of COST Action SUSTAIN into OBSIDIAN2025 highlighted the network’s growing visibility and the value of its interdisciplinary, multi-actor approach to tackling soil salinity. As we continue building toward solutions for salt-affected landscapes, events like OBSIDIAN2025 are key milestones on the path to impact.