KutmanLab on KutmanLab — Plant Biotechnology, Physiology and Nutrition Lab

Ayşenur Bayrak

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Ayşenur Bayrak completed her PhD in the lab in 2026. Her doctoral work on selenium biofortification and sulfur supply in leafy greens grown in an indoor vertical farm was published in Agronomy in 2026.

Ümit Barış Kutman

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Ümit Barış Kutman is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Biotechnology, Gebze Technical University, where he leads the Plant Biotechnology, Physiology and Nutrition Lab and is Vice Director of the Institute. He studied Biological Sciences and Bioengineering at Sabancı University (BSc 2005, PhD 2010). His doctoral work on the interaction between nitrogen and zinc nutrition in wheat is widely cited in the biofortification literature. Before joining GTÜ he worked at Konya Food and Agriculture University and at the University of California, Davis.

Bahar Yıldız Kutman

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Bahar Yıldız Kutman is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Biotechnology, Gebze Technical University, and co-leads the Plant Biotechnology, Physiology and Nutrition Lab. She studied Biological Sciences and Bioengineering at Sabancı University (BSc 2008, PhD 2013) and worked at Konya Food and Agriculture University and at the University of California, Davis before joining GTÜ.

Her research is on plant biology and biotechnology, soilless and vertical farming, biostimulants and plant nutrition products, seed treatments and sustainable agriculture. Much of it is aimed at turning laboratory findings into products and practices that growers can use.

Yağmur Arıkan Algül

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Yağmur Arıkan Algül carried out doctoral research in the lab on seaweed-based biostimulants from the brown alga Cystoseira barbata and on the medicinal plant Cistus creticus under salinity stress, and graduated in 2025. The seaweed work was presented at the Balkan Agricultural Congress, ISNFF and Biotech4Sus congresses between 2022 and 2025, and is published in Physiologia Plantarum (2024) and Agronomy (2025).

Ali Kaval

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Ali Kaval was the first doctoral student to graduate from the lab.

Zaeema Khan

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Dr. Zaeema Khan joined the Institute of Biotechnology at Gebze Technical University as a lecturer in July 2026. She completed her doctorate before joining the lab.

Aleyna Su Bostan

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Aleyna Su Bostan completed her graduation project in the lab and continues her studies in a double major programme. She holds a scholarship on the TÜBİTAK 1833 SAYEM project.

An IoT-based soilless growing unit and its mobile application

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Development of an internet-connected soilless growing unit and the mobile application that controls it, with the industry partner Vahaa.

Establishment of the Institute of Biotechnology R&D greenhouse

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A research greenhouse with controlled climate and fertigation, built on campus under the GTÜ and GÜBRETAŞ agreement and opened in October 2020.

Ezgi Şengül

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Ezgi Şengül completed her MSc in the lab in 2026.

Hande Mutlu Durak

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Micro- and nanostructures for controlled-release urea, boron and iron fertilizers

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Controlled-release fertilizer formulations made from lignocellulosic materials derived from agricultural waste, developed and tested in plants within the LignoNANO platform.

Mudasir Ejaz

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Ömer Faruk Taştan

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Plant nutrition & next-generation fertilizers

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Macro- and micronutrient management, fertilizer use efficiency and controlled-release fertilizers.

Şükran Duman Öden

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Şükran Duman Öden is a lecturer at the Institute of Biotechnology. She runs the R&D greenhouse and the greenhouse laboratory of the institute and supports the experiments of the group.

Draft. Please edit.

Yağmur Diler

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Yağmur Diler works in the lab as an undergraduate researcher and holds a scholarship on the TÜBİTAK 1833 SAYEM project.

Emir Taha Selman

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Emir Taha Selman completed his MSc in the lab in 2026.

Zehra Sena Behram

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Zehra Sena Behram completed her MSc in the lab in 2026.

Özgür Altundaş

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Özgür Altundaş joined the lab as a master’s student in September 2020 and defended his thesis in March 2023.

Taşkın Kerem Koçak

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Taşkın Kerem Koçak joined the lab as a master’s student in September 2020 and defended his thesis in August 2022.

A probe for real-time monitoring of nitrate concentrations in soils

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A portable probe that measures soil nitrate on site and in real time, within the LignoNANO platform.

AI-based vertical farming automation systems

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A student technology start-up project on automating vertical farms with artificial intelligence, advised by the lab, which reached the finals of the TÜBİTAK 1512 programme.

Başak Ayyıldız

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Başak Ayyıldız completed her graduation project in the lab and graduated in 2025. In 2025 she represented Türkiye at the finals of the UrbanFarm competition in Stockholm, where her team Flourish won first place.

Burak Tunçbaş

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Centre of Excellence for Original Bioeconomy Resources (ÖBEK)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A centre of excellence for original bioeconomy resources, set up in 2020 with MARKA funding.

Elif Özlem Günçaldı

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Hammad Ahmad

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Physiological effects of Piriformospora indica on boron toxicity in wheat

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

How the root endophyte Piriformospora indica (Serendipita indica) changes the response of wheat to boron toxicity.

Soilless & vertical farming

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Nutrient solution recipes, substrates and light conditions in soilless production and their effects on plant growth.

Elif Mutluay

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Elif Mutluay joined the lab in 2025 as a TÜBİTAK STAR undergraduate research scholar, completed a graduation project in the lab and graduated in 2026.

Mert Işık

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Mert Işık completed his graduation project in the lab and graduated in 2026.

Esra Porsuk

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Esra Porsuk completed a graduation project in the lab and graduated in 2025.

Nisanur Okuş

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Nisanur Okuş completed a graduation project in the lab and graduated in 2025.

Rümeysa Kaleli

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Rümeysa Kaleli joined the lab in 2025 as a TÜBİTAK STAR undergraduate research scholar, completed a graduation project in the lab and graduated the same year.

Simay Akpınar

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Simay Akpınar completed a graduation project in the lab and graduated in 2025. The work on the cold-press extract of the brown seaweed Cystoseira barbata as a biostimulant for lettuce was presented as a poster at the Biotech4Sus'25 congress in October 2025.

Beyza Gökcük

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Beyza Gökcük completed a graduation project in the lab and graduated in 2025. The work on zinc-enriched duckweed (Lemna minor) as a biofortification agent for lettuce was presented as a poster at the Biotech4Sus'25 congress in October 2025.

Berkay Bütün

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Berkay Bütün first came to the lab for his summer internship in 2023, from the Bioengineering programme, and stayed on as a TÜBİTAK STAR undergraduate research scholar. He is a co-author on the lab’s work on biochar and perlite mixtures as substrates for soilless systems, presented at Biotech4Sus'24.

Gülçin Akpınar

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Gülçin Akpınar worked in the lab in 2025 as a TÜBİTAK STAR undergraduate research scholar.

Biotechnological fertilizers and biostimulants for sustainable agriculture

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A TÜBİTAK 2244 Industry PhD Programme project with GÜBRETAŞ that supports doctoral students working on biotechnological fertilizers and biostimulants.

Circular bioeconomy in agriculture

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Returning agricultural and industrial wastes to crop production as biochar, substrates and fertilizers.

Dr. İbrahim Bodur Test and Analysis Laboratory for Sustainable and Traceable Agriculture

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A test and analysis laboratory for sustainable and traceable agriculture, set up in 2021.

Exosome bioactive content of Cistus creticus under salt stress and its anticancer effects on pancreatic cancer cell lines

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Exosomes of the pink rock rose grown under different salt stress levels: bioactive content and effects on pancreatic cancer cell lines.

Kübra Tutkun Akdeniz

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Menahil Iqbal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Nurselin Kılıç

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Nurselin Kılıç worked in the lab in 2024 as a TÜBİTAK STAR undergraduate research scholar on the TÜBİTAK 3501 project on biostimulant extracts of the brown seaweed Cystoseira barbata.

Rıfat Buğra Bildiri

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Betül Unur

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Betül Unur worked in the lab in 2024 as a TÜBİTAK STAR undergraduate research scholar on the TÜBİTAK 1003 project, run jointly with TAGEM, on arbuscular mycorrhiza and bacteria consortia as microbial fertilizers.

İlyas Zekeriya Dik

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

İlyas Zekeriya Dik first came to the lab for his summer internship in 2021 and went on to complete his graduation project here. He is a co-author on the lab’s work on biochar from waste biomass gasification, presented in 2023 and 2024.

İlknur Çaça

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

İlknur Çaça worked in the lab between 2021 and 2023 and completed her graduation project here.

Ezgi Aydöner

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Ezgi Aydöner came to the lab for a summer internship in 2019 and completed her graduation project here in 2020.

Büşra Elkatmış

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Büşra Elkatmış completed her graduation project in the lab in 2021.

Serra Akansel

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Serra Akansel came to the lab for a summer internship in 2022 and completed her graduation project here in 2023, from the Bioengineering programme.

Abdullah Duman

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Abdullah Duman came to the lab for a summer internship in 2021 and completed his graduation project here in 2024.

Ahmet Buğrahan Akbıyık

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus and bacteria consortia from native isolates: solid and liquid formulations and their efficacy as microbial fertilizers

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Building mycorrhizal fungus and bacteria consortia from native isolates, developing solid and liquid formulations, and testing their efficacy as microbial fertilizers in plant trials.

Biostimulant effects of Cystoseira barbata extracts on wheat

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Extracts of the brown seaweed Cystoseira barbata as biostimulants for wheat growth and stress tolerance.

Biostimulants, microbial products & plant-microorganism interactions

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Effects of seaweed and plant extracts, mycorrhiza-bacteria consortia and root endophytes on plant growth.

A biofertilizer based on rice straw and lignocellulolytic bacteria to improve soil health and yield in rice production

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Turning rice straw and lignocellulolytic bacteria into a biofertilizer for healthier paddy soils and higher rice yields.

Biofortification & hidden hunger

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Increasing zinc, selenium, iron and iodine concentrations in wheat grain and vegetables through agronomic practices.

Interactive physiological effects of salinity and boron toxicity in wheat

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Salinity and boron toxicity, alone and combined, and their physiological effects on wheat.

Abiotic stress physiology & tolerance

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Effects of drought, salinity, boron toxicity and high temperature on plant physiology, and the role of mineral nutrition in stress tolerance.

Nutrient recipes for the Plant Factory soilless vertical farming system

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Plant nutrition recipes developed for the vertical farming system of Plant Factory, which also hosts an R&D unit on the GTÜ campus.

Roles of UMAMIT28 in iron uptake, transport and seed accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The transporter UMAMIT28 and its roles in iron uptake, transport and accumulation in seeds of Arabidopsis.

Sensors, IoT & AI for sustainable agriculture

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Sensors for real-time nutrient monitoring, IoT-based growing systems and data-driven decision support.

System and nutrient optimization of the Vahaa soilless growing device

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Optimization of the growing system and nutrient solution of the Vahaa smart home garden.

TARIM2030: a digitalization programme for supply security, sustainability, innovation and transparency in food

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

An industrial excellence programme on the digitalization of agriculture, in which the lab takes part.

A biochar and perlite substrate from soilless tomato greenhouse waste to replace imported coconut coir

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A sustainable substrate made from greenhouse tomato waste and perlite, as a domestic alternative to imported coconut coir.

Biochar from waste biomass gasification as a sustainable soil amendment

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Biochar, a by-product of waste biomass gasification, tested as a soil amendment with GÜBRETAŞ.

A domestic growth capsule prototype from natural raw materials for soilless systems and seedling production

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A growth capsule prototype made from natural raw materials for different soilless systems and for seedling production.

Steel slag as a soil amendment and fertilizer in crop production

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The potential of steel slag as a soil amendment and fertilizer in crop production, with Matil.

Upcycling the superabsorbent polymer and cellulose mixture of diapers for agricultural applications

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Giving the superabsorbent polymer and cellulose mixture of diapers a second life in agriculture.

KutmanLab launches its new website

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Research, people, publications and news, now in one place and in two languages.

KutmanLab at Nitrogen 2026 in Gatersleben

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Burak Tunçbaş presented a poster on urea-loaded biodegradable superabsorbent polymers and nitrogen use efficiency in wheat at the 6th International Symposium on the Nitrogen Nutrition of Plants.

Nordik biosensor project we co-advise receives TÜBİTAK TEYDEB 1507 support

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0300

The LAMP-based biosensor project of Nordik, a venture of two GTÜ Institute of Biotechnology PhD students that our lab helps advise, has received TÜBİTAK TEYDEB 1507 support.

Aleyna Su Bostan gave the valedictorian speech at the graduation ceremony

Sat, 11 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Aleyna Su Bostan, who presented her graduation project in May, spoke as valedictorian at the graduation ceremony on 11 July 2026.

Ezgi Şengül, Zehra Sena Behram and Emir Taha Selman complete their MSc degrees

Sat, 11 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Ezgi Şengül, Zehra Sena Behram and Emir Taha Selman completed their MSc degrees and attended the graduation ceremony on 11 July 2026.

Ayşenur Bayrak's paper is published in Agronomy

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0300

A paper by Ayşenur Bayrak has been published in Agronomy, another Q1 publication from our lab.

Our team made a technical visit to Keskin Kimya

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0300

On June 16, 2026 our team visited Keskin Kimya with the GTÜ Technology Transfer Office to discuss joint projects in plant nutrition, agricultural R&D and biotechnological applications.

Ömer Faruk Taştan's paper is published in Horticulturae

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0300

A paper by Ömer Faruk Taştan of our lab has been published in the journal Horticulturae.

Our Cystoseira barbata paper is among the most-read articles in Physiologia Plantarum

Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Our paper on brown seaweed Cystoseira barbata extracts as biostimulants for wheat seedlings is among the top 10% most-read articles published in Physiologia Plantarum in 2024.

Two TÜBİTAK 2209 proposals from our lab conditionally accepted

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Project proposals by Elif Mutluay and Aleyna Su Bostan to the TÜBİTAK 2209 undergraduate programme were conditionally accepted.

Nobel laureate Morten Meldal gave a seminar at the Congress Center

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Prof. Morten Meldal, who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2022, gave a seminar at the Congress Center on 10 April 2026.

Our research assistant Rıfat Buğra Bildiri wins the best oral presentation award at CSRW26

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Our research assistant Rıfat Buğra Bildiri won the best oral presentation award at CSRW26 in Thessaloniki with his study on duckweed and mineral recovery from agricultural wastewater.

Our team's startup Lentify wins first place in the TTO Business Plan Competition

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Lentify, an early-stage startup run by members of our team, won first place in the TTO Business Plan Competition and received a prize of 100,000 TL.

We met high school students on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0300

On 11 February 2026 Bahar Yıldız Kutman spoke to 300 students at Çayırova Girls’ Anatolian İmam Hatip High School, and our team ran a plant pigment extraction activity.

We hosted the management of Teknopark İstanbul at our R&D greenhouse

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Teknopark İstanbul General Manager Prof. Dr. Abdurrahman Akyol and Board Member Dr. Mehmet Akif Özyurt visited the R&D greenhouse of the GTÜ Institute of Biotechnology.

Our lab sent 16 abstracts to the Biotech Solutions for Sustainability congress

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Our lab took part in the 2nd International Congress on Biotech Solutions for Sustainability, hosted by GTÜ, with 16 abstracts.

Yağmur Arıkan Algül has received her PhD

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Yağmur Arıkan Algül, who carried out her doctoral research in our lab, has been awarded her PhD.

Tarım2030 platform project accepted: GTÜ will lead two of its productization projects

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0300

The Migros-coordinated Tarım2030 project was accepted under the TÜBİTAK 1833 SAYEM Green Transformation call; GTÜ is a coordinating partner and our lab takes part in the work.

Our high school internship programme has started

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Our high school internship programme started on 24 July 2025 at the Plant Biotechnology, Physiology and Nutrition Lab of Gebze Technical University.

Our startup Lentify advances to the third stage of EIT Jumpstarter 2025

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Lentify, the early-stage startup run by our team, ranked in the top 10 of the EIT Food category in EIT Jumpstarter 2025 and qualified for the third stage, the Local Joint Training.

Rıfat Buğra Bildiri completed his thesis defence

Mon, 07 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Rıfat Buğra Bildiri, a member of our team, defended his master’s thesis on 7 July 2025.

Our students at the UrbanFarm 2025 final: team Flourish takes first place

Mon, 26 May 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Başak Ayyıldız and Simay Akpınar, who did their graduation projects in our lab, represented Türkiye at the UrbanFarm 2025 final in Stockholm; Başak’s team Flourish won first place.

We held an ICP-OES workshop on element analysis for the GTÜ-BİOS club

Sat, 24 May 2025 00:00:00 +0300

On May 24, 2025, research assistant Burak Tunçbaş from our lab trained GTÜ-BİOS club students in element analysis with ICP-OES, from acid digestion to interpreting the results.

We presented our research to an Anadolu Group Holding delegation

Fri, 09 May 2025 00:00:00 +0300

On May 9, 2025, an Anadolu Group Holding delegation with representatives from Migros, Coca Cola, Anadolu Efes and Adel visited the GTÜ Institute of Biotechnology and heard about our research.

Ümit Barış Kutman joined the water episode of Günlük Hayat Bilimi on TRT Belgesel

Sat, 03 May 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Ümit Barış Kutman, one of the principal investigators of our lab, took part as a guest expert in the water episode of Günlük Hayat Bilimi on TRT Belgesel.

İGSAŞ delegation visited our lab and the R&D greenhouse

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0300

On April 22, 2025, our PIs Bahar Yıldız Kutman and Ümit Barış Kutman accompanied an İGSAŞ delegation on a tour of the GTÜ Institute of Biotechnology and our R&D greenhouse.

Naturalg project takes second place at TechXtile Challenge'24

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Buse Bıyıklı and Rıfat Buğra Bildiri’s Naturalg project won second place in the Level-Up category of the 6th TechXtile Challenge Design Competition.

Undergraduate projects we advise win TÜBİTAK 2209-A support

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0300

In the 2024/1 term of the TÜBİTAK 2209-A programme, 11 undergraduate research projects from the GTÜ Institute of Biotechnology were funded, several of them advised by our PIs.

Five of our six TÜBİTAK 2209-A applications were accepted

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Five of the six TÜBİTAK 2209-A applications submitted from our lab were accepted.

We completed our sixth OpenLab event

Sat, 21 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0300

At OpenLab 6 on 21 December 2024 the lab shared elemental analysis results for mineral waters alongside the values on their labels.

Bahar Yıldız Kutman speaks at the Gastromasa Gastronomy Conference

Thu, 14 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0300

At the Gastromasa Gastronomy Conference in Istanbul on 13-14 November 2024, our PI Bahar Yıldız Kutman discussed university and industry collaboration with Eataly Istanbul chef Claudio Chinali.

The Agriculture Minister of the Philippines visited our greenhouse

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0300

On September 3, 2024, the Agriculture Minister of the Philippines visited the greenhouse that our lab runs at the GTÜ Institute of Biotechnology.

Three oral presentations from our lab at Biotech4Sus'24

Wed, 08 May 2024 00:00:00 +0300

Rıfat Buğra Bildiri, Ayşenur Bayrak and Elif Özlem Günçaldı gave oral presentations at Biotech4Sus'24.

GTÜ TTO invests in Agriverts, a student start-up advised by our PI

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0300

GTÜ TTO Inc. took a 3% stake in Agriverts, the vertical farming AI start-up founded by GTÜ student Abdullah Duman and advised by our PI Ümit Barış Kutman.

We completed our Open Lab 5 event at the GTÜ Institute of Biotechnology

Sat, 23 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0300

We completed our Open Lab 5 event at the GTÜ Institute of Biotechnology on December 23, 2023.

Our PI Ümit Barış Kutman joined a panel at the Green R&D Conference

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0300

Our PI Ümit Barış Kutman spoke about green R&D and start-ups in agriculture on the Green Start-Up World panel at the Green R&D Conference on 15 November 2023.

Visit to Plant Factory's İstinyePark vertical farm with the GTÜ rector

Wed, 18 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0300

Together with GTÜ Rector Prof. Dr. Hacı Ali Mandal and Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Işıl Aksan Kurnaz, we visited Plant Factory’s vertical farming facility inside the İstinyePark shopping mall.

Seven talks from our lab in one block at the BioTürkiye congress

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0300

Seven researchers from our lab gave oral presentations at the BioTürkiye congress in Istanbul, 28 to 30 September 2023.

Our second 1003 project in the TÜBİTAK and TAGEM joint call has been accepted

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0300

Our second proposal to the TÜBİTAK and TAGEM joint 1003 call was accepted at the end of a rapid revision process.

Our lab ran a stand at the GTÜ and İstanbul Teknopark protocol launch

Wed, 21 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0300

Our lab ran a stand at the launch of the GTÜ and İstanbul Teknopark cooperation protocol.

Plant Factory opens at İstinye Park

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0300

The Plant Factory opened at İstinye Park on 27 April 2023, and its first produce went on sale at the İstinye Park Macrocenter.

BAP ADEP project on a soilless substrate from tomato waste accepted

Fri, 21 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0300

Our project to develop a soilless growing substrate from tomato waste was accepted under the ADEK programme with a total budget of about 1,116,000 TL.

Our TÜBİTAK 1003 project on mycorrhiza and bacteria consortia from domestic isolates is accepted

Wed, 19 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0300

Under the TÜBİTAK and TAGEM 1003 Agricultural Research Joint Call, the mycorrhiza and bacteria consortium project led by Ümit Barış Kutman was accepted for support.

Özgür Altundaş defended his MSc thesis

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0300

Özgür Altundaş successfully defended his MSc thesis at the Institute of Biotechnology on 6 March 2023.

Our contributions to the fourth edition of Marschner's Mineral Nutrition of Plants

Thu, 05 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0300

Ümit Barış Kutman wrote chapter 9, Mineral Nutrition and Crop Quality, and Bahar Yıldız Kutman the Nickel section of chapter 7 of the fourth edition, published in December 2022.

LignoNANO project accepted under the 1004 Centres of Excellence Support Programme

Fri, 16 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0300

The LignoNANO project, coordinated by the Sabancı University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center (SUNUM) and with our lab as a research partner, has been accepted under the 1004 Centres of Excellence Support Programme.

Cooperation protocol signed with MNS University of Agriculture, Multan

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0300

Gebze Technical University has signed a cooperation protocol with MNS University of Agriculture in Multan, Pakistan, and our lab has been invited to the partner’s online seminars.

Taşkın Kerem Koçak defends his thesis at GTÜ

Wed, 17 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0300

Taşkın Kerem Koçak defended his thesis on 17 August 2022 in the amphitheatre on the basement floor of our new building at GTÜ.

Our vertical farming R&D facility with Plant Factory opens at GTÜ

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0300

The indoor vertical farming R&D facility built with Plant Factory in the greenhouse area of the GTÜ Institute of Biotechnology opened on 28 July 2022.

Arzum x Vahaa Smart Garden, developed with our lab, is launched

Tue, 31 May 2022 00:00:00 +0300

The home soilless smart garden, first product of about a year of R&D collaboration between the GTÜ Institute of Biotechnology and the start-up Vahaa, was launched in Istanbul on 27 May 2022.

Domestically built smart agriculture automation device Farmomnia installed at GTÜ

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0300

Farmomnia, a domestically produced smart agriculture automation device developed under the MANAKİN and GTÜ collaboration, was installed in the LAVFARM laboratory on campus.

We took part in the first GTÜ and GÜBRETAŞ R&D workshop

Thu, 14 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0300

The first GTÜ and GÜBRETAŞ R&D workshop was held at the GTÜ Congress and Culture Centre, with our PI Ümit Barış Kutman among the participants.

Student startup Agriverts to give soilless and vertical farming training

Mon, 23 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0300

Agriverts, a startup founded by GTÜ students and alumni, will give soilless and vertical farming training in pilot schools with GTÜ TTO and our institute, the GTÜ Institute of Biotechnology.

Our university GTÜ signs a protocol with MANAKİN on smart farming automation

Sat, 10 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0300

The GTÜ Smart Agriculture Research and Application Center (ATAM) and MANAKİN Elektronik Yazılım signed a protocol on domestic smart automation systems for vertical and soilless farming.

TÜBİTAK 3501 support for our Cystoseira barbata seaweed project

Mon, 05 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0300

Our project on the biostimulant potential of Cystoseira barbata seaweed extracts on wheat, led by Asst. Prof. Bahar Yıldız Kutman, was accepted for TÜBİTAK 3501 support.

Dr. İbrahim Bodur Test and Analysis Laboratory opens on our campus with Kale Group support

Mon, 28 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0300

Kale Group set up a Sustainable and Traceable Agriculture Test and Analysis Laboratory on the GTÜ campus for high-sensitivity element analysis of soil, fertilizer, plant and food samples.

Büşra Elkatmış's TÜBİTAK 2209-A project on nickel and cobalt in alfalfa accepted

Sat, 08 May 2021 00:00:00 +0300

Büşra Elkatmış’s TÜBİTAK 2209-A project on the effects of nickel and cobalt nutrition on nodulation and biological nitrogen fixation in alfalfa has been accepted.

Ten-year cooperation protocol signed with Mavruz Tarım of Kale Grubu

Fri, 02 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0300

Our lab signed a protocol with Mavruz Tarım of Kale Grubu that runs for ten years and brings an element analysis laboratory and 1,050,000 TL worth of instruments to our university.

Ten times the yield per unit area with vertical farming on our campus

Fri, 12 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0300

In LAVFARM, the LED-supported vertical farming lab on the GTÜ campus, 20 plant species were grown without soil or sunlight and gave ten times the yield per unit area.

Burak Tunçbaş defended his thesis and we celebrated in the greenhouse

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0300

Burak Tunçbaş defended his thesis on 26 January 2021, and we celebrated the same afternoon in the greenhouse.

Zehra Sena Behram and Hande Mutlu Durak win the best seminar awards

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0300

Zehra Sena Behram won the best MSc seminar award and Hande Mutlu Durak won the best PhD seminar award.

We signed a four-year R&D protocol with Plant Factory on vertical farming

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0300

GTÜ and Plant Factory signed a four-year R&D cooperation protocol on indoor soilless vertical farming in December 2020; our lab runs the academic side.

Teke Tek Bilim's Mars episode, with a studio guest from our lab

Sun, 29 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0300

Asst. Prof. Ümit Barış Kutman spoke about food production beyond Earth on the Mars episode of Teke Tek Bilim, broadcast live on Habertürk on 29 November 2020.

Our R&D greenhouse opens, the first concrete step of the GTÜ and GÜBRETAŞ partnership

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0300

The Institute of Biotechnology R&D Greenhouse, built under the 2019 protocol between GTÜ and GÜBRETAŞ, opened on 23 October 2020; our lab runs it.

About KutmanLab

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Who we are

KutmanLab is the Plant Biotechnology, Physiology and Nutrition Lab of the Institute of Biotechnology at Gebze Technical University. The lab is led by Asst. Prof. Ümit Barış Kutman and Asst. Prof. Bahar Yıldız Kutman, who both completed their BSc and PhD in Biological Sciences and Bioengineering at Sabancı University and worked at Konya Food and Agriculture University and the University of California, Davis before joining GTÜ. The team includes two faculty members, two lecturers, three research assistants, doctoral and master’s students, and undergraduate researchers.

Contact

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For questions about research, collaborations or joining the lab, please write to the principal investigators directly. Visitors are welcome by appointment.

Getting here. The GTÜ campus is in Gebze, about 45 km east of Istanbul and 50 km west of İzmit; it is reached by Marmaray and suburban trains (Gebze station), intercity buses and the TEM / D-100 highways.

Facilities

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Join the lab

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Open positions

We do not have a separately advertised position at the moment. Positions open with new projects several times a year, and we always read unsolicited applications: if your interests match ours, get in touch and we will tell you what is possible and when.

Who we look for

People who like plants and numbers in equal measure. Most of our work combines greenhouse or growth chamber experiments with element analysis and careful statistics, so curiosity, patience and a willingness to learn analytical methods matter more than a specific background. Students with degrees in biology, molecular biology and genetics, agriculture, bioengineering, chemistry or environmental engineering have all found their place in the lab.