Isolating and testing compost microbes to enhance disease-suppressive properties of composts 100%

Art des Angebots: Master these

Topic/Focus

Do you want to shed light on the hidden world of compost microbes and their plant-beneficial effects?

Compost use has proven effective in reducing soil-borne diseases. However, effectiveness varies depending on the plant diseases and compost batch. Having a diagnostic tool that predicts a compost’s disease suppressive potential before application would be a huge leap forward in using compost for plant protection. To meet this challenge, the two research institutes FiBL1 and Agroscope2 are conducting a joint project to identify and isolate key compost microbes in order to diagnose and optimize the disease-suppressing properties of composts.

As part of a PhD project, 37 composts from commercial compost producers were tested for their disease suppressive properties. By sequencing the 16S rRNA marker gene the bacterial communities of these composts were characterized. Now, the focus is laid on isolating and investigating the specific compost bacteria which were indicative for the most suppressive composts to address the question about their role in diseases suppression.

The Master’s project includes the targeted isolation of bacteria using selective media and molecular methods, and the in-vitro and in-vivo characterization and testing of their suppressive properties. If the scope of the project allows it, there is also the possibility to carry out an in-situ experiment to test microbial enrichments of composts in order to enhance their disease suppression ability.

This thesis project requires prior experience in microbiological and molecular lab work.

1 Research Institute of Organic Agriculture

2 Swiss federal institute for research in the agricultural and food sector

Start

By agreement. Earliest start March 2024.

Contact

Anja Logo, anja.logo@fibl.org

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