Dani Eshel Full Professor

Head of Research Group, Department of Postharvest Science

Institute of Postharvest and Food Sciences
The Department of Postharvest Science
68Hamakabim Rd, P.O. Box 15159 Rishon LeZion, 7505101, Israel
+972-3-968-3621

dani@volcani.agri.gov.il

Biography

Prof. Dani Eshel is a Rank A+ scientist at the Institute of Postharvest and Food Sciences at the Volcani Institute. He holds a Ph.D. in Agriculture from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, with expertise in plant physiology, postharvest biology, and crop stress responses.

Prof. Eshel began his career in the biotechnology industry, serving as a research scientist at InSight and later as a Team Leader at Compugen Ltd., where he worked on therapeutic protein discovery. Since 2007, he has led research at the Volcani Institute, focusing on potato tuber dormancy, sugar and hormone signaling, and the effects of abiotic stress on vegetable crops.

His work combines molecular breeding, molecular physiology, and postharvest approaches to improve the resilience and quality of crops such as potato, onion, and garlic.

Education

1990-1993
B.Sc. studies at the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Rehovot; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
1993-1995
M.Sc. studies at the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Rehovot; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, and ARO, The Volcani Institute, Rishon LeZion, Israel
1996-2000
Ph.D. studies at the Department of Postharvest Science, ARO, the Volcani Institute and the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Rehovot; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Research Interests

Plant dormancy in a changing climate

Bud dormancy is a survival strategy that plants have developed in their native habitats. It helps them endure harsh seasonal changes by temporarily halting growth and activity until conditions become more favorable. Research has primarily focused on bud dormancy in tree species and the ability to halt growth in vegetative tissues, particularly in meristems. Various plant species, such as Solanum tuberosum (potato), have developed specialized storage organs, enabling them to become dormant during their yearly growth cycle.

Deciduous trees and potato tubers exhibit a similar type of bud endodormancy, where the bud meristem will not initiate growth, even under favorable environmental conditions. Chilling accumulation activates C-repeat/dehydration-responsive element binding (DREB) factors (CBFs) transcription factors that modify the expression of dormancy-associated genes. Chilling conditions shorten the duration of endodormancy by influencing plant hormones and sugar metabolism, which affect the timing and rate of bud growth. Sugar metabolism and signaling pathways can interact with abscisic acid, affecting the symplastic connection of dormant buds.

In relation to dormancy, global warming has led to a chilling deficit during the winter, which could become a limiting factor in the near future for crop growth, particularly in the tropics and subtropics. We use the potato plant as a model system to study bud dormancy and vegetative growth. Since dormancy cannot be studied in classical plant models, the potato tuber offers a versatile and compact system for studying endodormancy under diverse temperatures and light conditions.

Sugar metabolism as a mechanism for abiotic stress tolerance

To cope with abiotic stress, plants have developed antioxidation strategies combined with osmoprotection by sugars. Soluble sugars are important osmoprotectants that play a large role in cellular osmotic adjustment by protecting cell structures that are exposed to environmental stress. Potato tuber, a swollen stem, exposure to abiotic stress, such as cold stress, induces starch degradation and sucrose synthesis.

Imaging of Potato Starch by SEM

Using sugar metabolism CRISPR/Cas9 mutants, we have discovered alternative plant pathways that allow them to cope with abiotic stresses using other essential water‐soluble carbohydrates derived from sucrose include the raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs: α‐galactosyl extensions of sucrose). Sucrosyl oligosaccharides and the enzymes associated with their metabolism might interact indirectly with ROS-signaling pathways.

In this study, we integrate omics analyses with transgenic plants to understand the mechanisms leading to stress tolerance. This information is utilized in the development of genetically edited potato varieties with enhanced tolerance to a wide range of abiotic stresses.