Profile

Research area

Development of strategies to control plant diseases caused by fungi in high value crops, using mainly biological resources, manipulating both pathogens and their antagonists through cultural practices such as organic matter amendments and application of biocontrol agents. Main research area is plant and soil microbial ecology with special emphasis on interactions between microbial biological control agents and pathogens. Fatty acid based methods are used to study such interactions allowing quantification of specific microbial biomass, community analyses and identification of bacteria and yeasts. Main research interest is interactions between mycorrhizal fungi and other soil biota, such as mycorrhiza helper bacteria, in relation to plant growth and health.

Key research areas:

-Plant and soil microbiology

-Biological disease management

-Root inhabiting fungi both mycorrhizal and pathogenic

-Interactions in the mycorrhizosphere

-Hyphosphere interactions

-Mycorrhiza associated bacteria

-Interactions between soil fungi and mesofauna.

-Fatty acid based methods