The presented achievement was delivered to the scientific audience at the miCROPe conference in Vienna. It was presented as an oral presentation of the results presented on a poster (poster presentation), for which it was awarded miCROPe best poster award 2015. Summary: The focus of our research is the development of protective microbial communities in the rhizosphere via bioaugmentation, i.e. the addition of microbes with plant beneficial metabolic or ecological traits, specifically bioaugmentation with entomopathogenic or insect associated fungi. We conclude that the ecological preferences of the fungal species might influence their performance (i.e. virulence to insect pests) in different environments, method of bioaugmentation influences the plant-microbe interaction, and plant-microbe interactions can depend on the specific fungal strain and plant cultivar.
B.03 Paper at an international scientific conference
COBISS.SI-ID: 4888424Agricultural Institute of Slovenia has organised an International Scientific Conference entitled “Plant health for sustainable agriculture” on current challenges in plant health, biotechnology and plant breeding (May 11th and 12th 2015, Ljubljana). Over 170 participants from 18 European countries attended this event organised within European project Cropsustain. Scientific part of the conference was composed of six sessions: Challenges in Plant Health, Plant Pests and Diseases Diagnostics, Nonchemical (Alternative) Control of Pests and Diseases, Biotechnology and Plant Breeding for Plant Protection, Prognosis and Decision Supporting Systems, and IPM and Good Agricultural Practice. Thirty contributions were presented in the form of lectures, and additional 65 contributions as presentations in poster session.
B.01 Organiser of a scientific meeting
COBISS.SI-ID: 279199488At the PHSA conference we presented an innovative plantlet inoculation biological control strategy to protect cauliflower plants against cabbage root fly (CRF). Pathogenicity of several insect- or soil-associated fungi against CRF was confirmed in in-vitro and glasshouse experiments. Additionally, rhizosphere competence of the tested fungi was assessed. We discovered that all tested fungi persisted on the cauliflower rhizoplane. More importantly, we were able to show that the added fungi were found also outside the original place of inoculation. These observations provided the evidence for concluding that our tested fungi, which were not known plant symbionts, could be transferred via or grow with the elongating roots. In addition to colonizing the rhizoplane, some fungi were found inside the plant root or stem tissue, thus exhibiting endophytic characteristics. We concluded that a biological control strategy involving young plantlet inoculation with selected fungi may be considered as an environmentally friendly alternative for CRF control especially in organic farming systems.
B.06 Other
COBISS.SI-ID: 4732776