Research activities

Research performed at the Laboratory of Phytopathology

The Laboratory of Phytopathology participates in The graduate school of Experimental Plant Sciences . The aim of the research is to gain fundamental knowledge about plant pathogenic fungi and oomycetes, the interaction with their host plants and the interaction with bacteria as they occur in the rhizosphere. This knowledge can then contribute to prevention, management or control of diseases in important agricultural crops.  

The Laboratory of Phytopathology has 6 different research groups


1. Botrytis cinerea
2. Cladosporium fulvum
3. Molecular Ecology Group
4. Phytophthora infestans   
5. SOL-group
6. Verticillium


Botrytis cinerea  

Go to the Botrytis group pages
Botrytis cinerea, causal organism of gray mould, is a necrotrophic fungal pathogen that has a broad host range. In our group the interaction of this fungus with a number of hosts, among which are tomato and Arabidopsis, is investigated. Molecular-genetic approaches are employed to unravel the infection process and the role of fungal genes that are expressed during this process. Current efforts are directed towards the role of pectinases and ethylene production in pathogenicity as well as towards the molecular phylogeny of the Botrytis genus (Jan van Kan).   

Cladosporium fulvum  



Go to the Cladosporium group pages



Cladosporium fulvum is the causal agent of leaf mould on tomato. Several pathogen avirulence genes have been cloned as well as the corresponding plant resistance genes. Since the successful introduction of resistance genes in cultivated tomatoes, this pathogen generally does no longer pose a serious threat in commercial greenhouse cultivation. However, this pathosystem has proven to be an excellent model to study gene-for-gene interactions between an extracellular fungal pathogen and its host plant. One section of the Cladosporium research group focuses on fundamental aspects of the C. fulvum -tomato interaction with an emphasis on effector proteins produced by the fungus to establish disease and how plants recognize these effectors (Pierre de Wit , Bart Thomma). Furthermore, Arabidopsis has been introduced as a model system to address additional research topics in our research program. Details are described at the webpage of the Arabidopsis Molecular Phytopathology Group. The other section of the research group focuses on the defense responses that are activated in the plant upon detection of the pathogen and how this detection results in effective defense (Matthieu Joosten).   

Molecular Ecology Group   



Go to the Molecular Ecology group pages

Soil- and plant-associated environments harbour an enormous diversity of bacteria that play an important role in plant growth and health. Aim of our research is to study fundamental aspects of the tritrophic interactions between plant-associated bacteria, pathogens and the plant. We specifically focus on: i) genomics and metabolomics of plant-associated bacteria (e.g. Pseudomonas), ii) plant growth promotion and plant-bacteria interactomics, iii) biological control of pathogenic fungi and oomycetes, and iv) role of beneficial bacteria in disease suppressive soils (Jos Raaijmakers).

Phytophthora infestans  



Go to the Phythophthora group pages

Phytophthora infestans is the causal agent of potato late blight. It is a hemibiotrophic pathogen that belongs to the oomycetes, a unique group of eukaryotes that have a fungus-like appearance. Our group focuses on fundamental aspects of the pathology of P. infestans . Of special interest are the signaling mechanisms that play a role in the establishment of pathogenicity as well as the factors that act as race-specific elicitors of plant defense (Francine Govers).

SOL-group



Go to the SOL-group pages

Innate Immunity in Solanaceae
In our recently established Solanaceae (SOL) group of the Department of Phytopathology we want to unravel how plants are able to resist harmful pathogens. For our research we focus on Solanaceous plants as these represent economically important crop plants, such as tomato and potato, and they are also versatile model plants in the lab. We are interested in how pathogens are perceived by resistant plants, how resistance proteins activate defence and which downstream signalling responses, eventually leading to resistance are activated. Furthermore, we are interested in how successful pathogens can manipulate these responses and suppress them (Matthieu Joosten).



Go to the Verticillium group pages