Microorganisms are essential for plant growth and health. Pathogens cause plant diseases, which can severely reduce yield and quality of our crop plants. On the other hand, other microorganisms are responsible for the turnover of plant residues and nutrients in the soil and thus support the growth of plants. Many microorganisms protect plants against diseases and strengthen their general resistance to adverse conditions, e.g. drought. Knowledge of the biology of microorganisms and their interactions with plants and the soil environment is therefore a prerequisite for the sustainable production of plants that are robust against diseases and environmental stress impacts, including challenges imposed by climate change.

We combine fundamental and applied research to provide knowledge about

• genetics, epidemiology, virulence and spread of plant pathogens
• interactions between plants and pathogens from cell to field level
• evolutionary and molecular interactions between plants and microorganisms
• the importance of microorganisms for plant resilience towards pathogens, nematodes and abiotic stress, e.g. drought
• the importance of microorganisms for soil carbon sequestration

We perform

• field, greenhouse and laboratory experiments
• genetic and phenotypic studies of rust fungi on a global level
• integrated multi-omics analyzes of interactions between plants and microbiomes
• policy advice with special responsibility for plant diseases and nematodes