Plant-microbe interactions

The interactions of plants with microbes both in the soil and above ground shoot are of great importance for the growth and productivity of plants in agricultural and natural ecosystems. At the Research School of Biology, interactions between plants, symbiotic bacteria, fungi, and pathogens are being investigated at levels ranging from the molecule to the ecosystem. 

Project Groups
A synthetic biology approach to detect pathogen molecules in crops Schwessinger Group - Plants, fungi, evolution
Agrochemical control of stress signalling pathways for enhanced stress tolerance Chan Group - Plant Organelle and Cellular Signalling
Australian Mountain Research Facility (AMRF, ARC LIEF project)
  • Borevitz Group - Plant genomics for climate adaption
  • Nicotra Group - Plant physiological ecology, plant evolutionary biology, reproductive ecology
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    Australian native truffle diversity Linde Group - Population genetics, evolution, phylogeography and molecular phylogenetics of fungi
    Bioinformatics and gene discovery in wheat rust pathogens Rathjen Group - Plant immunity
    Bioinformatics Summer Scholarship projects Solomon Group - Wheat biosecurity
    Cell specific activation of plant hormones Mathesius Group - Root microbe interactions - symbionts to parasites
    Characterising the Zymospetoria tritici - wheat interaction Solomon Group - Wheat biosecurity
    Control of meristem differentiation and plant architecture in legumes Djordjevic Group - Root architecture, root nodule formation, nitrogen fixation, regulatory peptides, plant development, Rhizobium
    Coordination of chloroplast signals with cellular secondary messengers during abiotic and biotic stresses Chan Group - Plant Organelle and Cellular Signalling
    Delivery of virulence proteins by fungal rust pathogens Rathjen Group - Plant immunity
    Detection of fungal pathogens and their associated microbiome Schwessinger Group - Plants, fungi, evolution
    Dissecting the defence responses activated by tomato receptors able to detect Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici infection Jones Group - Disease resistance
    Effector delivery by fungal rust pathogens Rathjen Group - Plant immunity
    Elucidating the role of plasmodesmata in wheat stripe rust fungal infection
  • Rathjen Group - Plant immunity
  • Danila Group – Plant cell structure and intercellular communication
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    Engineering microRNA pathways for broad-spectrum plant disease resistance. Millar Group - Plant microRNA biology and disease resistance
    Environmental risk assessment of genetically modified Alfalfa mosaic virus resistant white clover (Trifolium repens L.) Linde Group - Population genetics, evolution, phylogeography and molecular phylogenetics of fungi
    Evolution of scald and net form of net blotch Linde Group - Population genetics, evolution, phylogeography and molecular phylogenetics of fungi
    Exploring Australia’s diversity for pathogens of weeds Solomon Group - Wheat biosecurity
    Factors affecting Perigord truffle production in Australia Linde Group - Population genetics, evolution, phylogeography and molecular phylogenetics of fungi
    Flavonoid functions in nitrogen-fixing symbioses Mathesius Group - Root microbe interactions - symbionts to parasites
    Functional characterisation of the flax rust fungus AvrP and AvrL2 effector proteins Jones Group - Disease resistance
    Fungal effector uptake into plant cells Hardham Group - Plant pathogen interactions
    Fungal genomics, evolution, and host adaptation Schwessinger Group - Plants, fungi, evolution
    Honours projects are now available to study a wide range of topics in biosecurity and pathogenesis Solomon Group - Wheat biosecurity
    How do effector proteins from necrotrophic fungi cause disease in plants Solomon Group - Wheat biosecurity
    How do effector proteins from necrotrophic fungi cause disease in wheat
  • Solomon Group - Wheat biosecurity
  • Williams Group - Plant structural immunology
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    Identification and functional characterisation of flax rust effectors Jones Group - Disease resistance
    Identification and functional characterisation of the Fusarium oxysporum Avr7 effector gene. Jones Group - Disease resistance
    Identification of signal transduction and accessory protein requirements for resistance responses mediated by the tomato I gene for Fusarium wilt resistance. Jones Group - Disease resistance
    Infection of plants by rust fungi Hardham Group - Plant pathogen interactions
    Microbial control of root developmental plasticity
  • Mathesius Group - Root microbe interactions - symbionts to parasites
  • Nicotra Group - Plant physiological ecology, plant evolutionary biology, reproductive ecology
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    Novel metabolite discovery and characterisation Solomon Group - Wheat biosecurity
    Novel small molecule regulators of animal development Djordjevic Group - Root architecture, root nodule formation, nitrogen fixation, regulatory peptides, plant development, Rhizobium
    PhD projects are now available to study a wide range of topics in biosecurity and pathogenesis Solomon Group - Wheat biosecurity
    Phytophthora cell wall degrading enzymes Hardham Group - Plant pathogen interactions
    Phytophthora pathogenicity Hardham Group - Plant pathogen interactions
    Phytophthora zoospore adhesion Hardham Group - Plant pathogen interactions
    Phytophthora zoospore motility Hardham Group - Plant pathogen interactions
    Postgraduate projects with research support: Drivers of climate change responses in the Australian Alps
  • Borevitz Group - Plant genomics for climate adaption
  • Nicotra Group - Plant physiological ecology, plant evolutionary biology, reproductive ecology
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    Protein function in plant immunity Rathjen Group - Plant immunity
    Quorum sensing signalling in root symbioses Mathesius Group - Root microbe interactions - symbionts to parasites
    Rust resistance in Australian Myrtaceae Foley Group - Animal-Plant interactions
    Speciation in co-evolved taxa: sexually-deceptive orchids and their mycorrhizal symbionts Linde Group - Population genetics, evolution, phylogeography and molecular phylogenetics of fungi
    Studying pathogen proteins that cause disease Solomon Group - Wheat biosecurity
    Synthetic biology to engineer novel disease resistance in cereal crops Rathjen Group - Plant immunity
    The molecular basis for plant susceptibility and immunity to Fusarium wilt disease
  • Jones Group - Disease resistance
  • Williams Group - Plant structural immunology
    		•
    Understanding the molecular basis of fungal rust diseases in plants Williams Group - Plant structural immunology
    Understanding the role of peptide hormones in determining root architecture Djordjevic Group - Root architecture, root nodule formation, nitrogen fixation, regulatory peptides, plant development, Rhizobium
    Use of a tobacco Pathogenesis-related Protein-5 (PR-5) promoter: β glucuronidase (GUS) reporter system to study plant defence activation in response to phytohormones, abiotic stresses and biotic inducers. Jones Group - Disease resistance
    Wheat immunity and applied synthetic biology Rathjen Group - Plant immunity

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