Pathogens Webinar | Biological Control of Phytopathogens: Mechanisms and Applications
Welcome from the Chairs
8th Pathogens Webinar
Biological Control of Phytopathogens: Mechanisms and Applications
Microbiological control of phytopathogens has often several overlapping features.
The Webinar is linked to the Special Research Topic “Biological Control of Phytopathogens: Mechanisms and Applications” which currently contains nine contributions (six original research articles, two reviews, and one opinion article), presenting several major aspects of mechanisms and applications for the biocontrol of phytopathogens.
Plant associated microbial communities (or microbiomes) as well as the plant itself has major functions to determine whether phytopathogens will be able to successfully harm / destroy plants or will be greatly inhibited. In addition, the physico-chemical environment could also be a major determinant, which governs the fate of phytopathogens, either through the response of the plant and its microbiome or by setting conditions for the disinfection of potential pathogens in the environment.
In the Webinar, the “Management of the Plant Microbiome” will be discussed to be able to contribute to the establishment of biocontrol activities for improving plant health (presented by Prof. Gabriele Berg). Another important aspect is the knowledge about specific microbes within the plant microbiome, which have particular strong activities to counteract / inhibit phytopathogens. Several examples for this aspect are provided in the Special Research Topic. The contribution of Prof. Ben Fan in the Webinar will provide the latest results about powerful “Antagonistic activities and mechanisms of the Bacillus velezensis FZB42”. Often, it turned out that the plant itself is responding to specific microbial signaling molecules which prime the activation of plant defense measures.
In the Special Research Topic, the plant beneficial fungus Serendipida (syn. Piriformospora) indica and the bacterial quorum sensing signals of the N-acyl-homoserine lactone type are discussed to prime plant defense responses. In the Webinar, Prof. Choong-Min Ryu will present “Bacterial volatiles as signals to mediate biocontrol”. Altogether, the improved understanding of basic mechanisms for beneficial microbe-pathogen and beneficial microbe-plant interactions brought about successful applications of biocontrol, which are documented in the Special Research Topic and the Webinar.
Date: 23 March 2022
Time: 10:00am CET | 5:00am EDT | 5:00pm CST Asia
Webinar ID: 891 1995 3034
Webinar Secretariat: pathogens.webinar@mdpi.com
Chair
Department of Biology, Microbe-Host Interactions, Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU) München, Germany
Anton Hartmann studied biochemistry at the universities in Tübingen and München and obtained his doctoral degree in microbiology in 1980 from Tübingen University (Germany). He was assist. professor at the chair of genetics at the University at Bayreuth (Germany), postdoc at the biochemistry department of the University of Wisconsin at Madison (USA) and received habilitation in microbial ecology in 1989 at Bayreuth University. From 1989 he joined the Helmholtz Research Center for Environmental Health (HMGU) in Neuherberg near München as deputy director of the Institute of Soil Ecology and later as head of the independent Research Units Rhizosphere Biology and Microbe-Plant Interactions. He was teaching soil microbiology and microbe-plant interaction at the LMU München, Germany. His research focus is on plant growth promoting microbes and molecular signals in the rhizosphere. In 2015, he retired from HMGU and LMU and is since then emerited professor at LMU München.
Invited Speakers
Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Technical University Graz, Austria
Gabriele Berg studied biology, ecology and biotechnology at the universities in Rostock and Greifswald obtained her doctoral degree in 1995 in microbiology from Rostock University (Germany). In 2005 she became a full professor in environmental biotechnology at Graz University of Technology (Austria), and in 2021 she accepted a professorship at the Leibnitz-Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy Potsdam (ATB) and University at Potsdam (Germany). Her research interests are focused on microbiome research and management for health issues of plants. From 2018-2020 she belonged to the most influential researchers world-wide (top1, Clarivate Analytics).
College of Forestry, Department of Forestry Protection, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
Ben Fan is a full professor in Nanjing Forestry University, China. He achieved his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the Department of Microbiology, Nanjing Agricultural University, and got his doctoral degree in 2011 at the Department of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin. His researches cover a wide range of events in interactions between microorganisms and plants from molecular mechanism to biocontrol application. Especially, using the model rhizosphere bacterium for plant growth promotion and biological control of phytopathogens, Bacillus velezensis FZB42, he performed highly cited work in the field of root colonization, mechanisms of biocontrol and phylogenetic relationship of plant beneficial and biocontrol active Bacillus strains.
Molecular Phytopathology Laboratory, Infectious Disease Research Laboratory, Korean Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejon, South Korea
Choong-Min Ryu received his master’s degree in Agricultural Biology at GyeongSang National University, South Korea in 1998. In 2002 he got his PhD at the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at Auburn University, Alabama, U.S.A. He discovered bacterial volatile-mediated plant growth promotion and induced resistance in plants during his PhD-study. In 2003/4 he was postdoctoral fellow at the Plant Biology Division, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in Oklahoma, U.S.A. In the year 2004, Choong-Min Ryu joined the KRIBB and is since 2008 principle research scientist at the Molecular Phytopathology Laboratory at KRIBB. South Korea. Major research interests are plant—plant/microbe communications, plant/bacterial responses to volatile organic compounds, induced systemic resistance by rhizobacteria and biological control against plant pathogens. Recently, he got also interested in antimicrobial resistance in human and animal systems.
Webinar Content
Registration
Certificates of attendance will be delivered to those who attend the live webinar.
Program
|
Speaker/Presentation |
Time in CEST/CET |
|
Chair Prof. Dr. Anton Hartmann “From the Identification of Mechanisms for Microbial Control of Phytopathogens to Practical Applications” |
10:00 – 10:10 am |
|
Prof. Dr. Gabriele Berg “Microbiome Management and Biocontrol for Improving Plant Health” |
10:10 – 10:30 am |
|
Prof. Dr. Ben Fan “Antagonistic Activities and Mechanisms of the Model Biocontrol Bacterium Bacillus velezensis FZB42” |
10:30 – 10:50 am |
|
Prof. Dr. Choong-Min Ryu “Bacterial Volatile-Mediated Biocontrol” |
10:50 – 11:10 am |
|
Q&A Session |
11:10 - 11:25 am |
|
Closing of Webinar Chair Prof. Dr. Anton Hartmann |
11:25 – 11:30 am |
Relevant SI
Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Anton Hartmann and Dr. Diogo Neves Proença
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2021)
Sponsors and Partners
Organizers
