Spotted: Fungi are a type of organism that can cause enormous agricultural losses. And many plants weakened by climate stress are more susceptible to fungal infection. Conventional techniques for treatment and prevention involve toxic fungicides, which can have a detrimental effect on the environment and human health. As a result, there is an urgent need for alternative methods of control. One promising approach has been provided by researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The approach involves an environmentally safe alternative that tricks the pathogens’ chemical communication with plants. The goal is to biologically ‘hack’ the process – disrupting the pathogen’s ability to infect the plant and cause disease.

The aim of the project is to develop a new generation of highly specific and effective crop protection products based on reactivating plants’ immune responses. This could help to reduce the use of synthetic pesticides and increase the sustainability of agriculture. In addition, these new methods provide an effective way to combat harmful fungi without causing harm to the environment.

During the study, researchers found that fungi detect specific stress signals from plants and then use their own signal substances to suppress the plants immune system.. The team then identified molecules that could be used to reactivate the immune response, allowing the plant to fight off the infection. To develop the method, about 20,000 fungus strains and 6,000 plant species were used.

The project featured an interdisciplinary research network of botanists, fungal genetic scientists, microsystem technologists, chemists, and professionals in agricultural science. Additional participants included the Universities of Freiburg, Strasbourg, the Institute of Biotechnology and Drug Research (IBFW), and the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) in Switzerland. Funding was provided by the “Interreg Oberrhein” cross-border EU program.

Other innovations spotted by Springwise that combat the negative effects of fungi include non-toxic emulsions and smart wrapping papers capable of killing E.Coli and various fungus species.  

Written By: Katrina Lane