Plant protection, environment and agricultural area

The research program is based on identification of harmful organisms (development of detection methods), monitoring of their dispersal and ecology. Inside species variability of some parasitic fungi, viruses and bacteria (characterisation of physiological races, prototypes etc.) with regard to virulence, resistance to some pesticides etc. is studied. Special emphasis is paid to epidemiology of economically important plant diseases and pests, population dynamics of these organisms and their dependence on environmental factors. Information system of geographic determination and spreading of harmful organisms in Slovenia is being set up. Some efforts are directed towards isolation and characterisation of soil and other phytopathogenic bacteria and study of influence of particular components of autochthonous soil microbial population on plant growth. Biological diversity of phytopathogenic and soil micro-organisms is studied using microscopic, biochemical, physiological, serological and molecular methods. Special emphasis is paid to studying the influence of host plants on biopotential and morphometrical properties of certain nematodes. Spreading of some harmful weed species is monitored, resistance of weeds to herbicides is studied and strategy to prevent the accidence of resistance in future has been formulated. Determination of pollution of agricultural products and soil with pesticide residues is continued. One of the challenges is also the co-operation in the study of possibilities introducing appropriate ways of biotic plant protection which will help us round up our activities in the sense of as small pressure on the environment as possible. Further we study topics which affect most directly the negative trends in Slovene agricultural area (intensive changes in the use of agricultural land leading towards intensive decay of cultural landscape through abandonment of production and overgrowing of agricultural land; developmental problems of Slovene rural area in the light of socio-ecological concept of further development; developmental options of agriculture from the point of view of environmental friendly ways of farming; the problems of agriculture in areas with aggravated conditions).