Tackling devastating crop pathogens for a future sustainable agriculture in Sweden
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Stockholms universitet - Botaniska institutionen |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 2 070 000 |
| Project duration | August 2011 - December 2014 |
| Status | Completed |
Purpose and goal
The ultimate purpose was to deepen the integration and scientific competence of the grant applicant (SE), as well as providing her a greater ability to partake in a grander and more established network system. All this have been achieved, SE now has more personal scientific contacts, has deepened her knowledge within new scientific areas and has become a Swedish ´Docent´.
Results and expected effects
We were expecting to perform a study of the devastating potato/tomato pathogen Phytophtora infestans, by a combined strategy of infection studies with plant gene silencing. Unfortunately, a combined problem with the reproducibility of P. infestans-infestation and green house conditions of our plants we decided to change plans. Instead we switched to study the tomato pathogen Pyrenochaeta lycopersici of tomato, which worked better and have yielded three scientific articles )two published and one in press)
Approach and implementation
The initial strategy was very well formulated and well thought through. However, biology and life is not mentally controlled. We got problems with our pathogenic strains and also with our plants. Several months was wasted just to try to sort the problems out. But finally, as the system always behaved erratically, we decided to put energy into a better working system.