Professor Ulrike Mathesius, Head of Division, Division of Plant Sciences

Can you think of a fast and efficient plant gene editing method to produce crops that do not succumb to a changing climate?

Rust fungi are a major cause of cereal yield losses worldwide requiring frequent fungicide applications in case crop resistance is overcome by new pathogen variants.

Cytosolic Ca2+ signals and changes in pH are universal signaling elements that couple a wide range of stimuli to their characteristic responses in plants. Despite decades of intensive research, it is still poorly understood.

Plants rely on their sophisticated innate immune system to protect themselves from surrounding disease-causing pathogens.

Since 2000, oil palm cultivation has generated considerable controversy: more than 20 million ha of plantations have been linked with deforestation, burning, a high carbon footprint, biodiversity loss and environmental pollution from the palm oil industry.