Opportunities for innovative and applicative Master or PhD projects

New approaches to reducing plant diseases
Pathogenic fungi are the main cause of damage in agriculture.
The main way to control plant diseases are harmful synthetic fungicides.

The aim of the study is to develop alternative methods to control plant diseases that will help reduce the use of synthetic fungicides:
 

1. Manipulation of the plant immune system.

2. Temperature-based treatments.

Genetic editing of wheat and disease-resisatce gene isolation  
1. Isolation of disease resisatance genes and developme if disease-resistant wheat. Disease resistane genes will be isolated from wild plants relatives of wheat using genomic associations and gene silencing techniques. The genes will be transferred to wheat by Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation.
2. Development of tools for genome editing of wheat. As part of the project, tools for genomic editing of wheat will be developed and will be used to change selected genes.

The two projects combine molecular-biochemical work and genome editing, with application at the level of the whole organism (plants and fungi).