Several research groups at Applied Plant Research (PPO) and Plant Research International working on late blight epidemiology, population genetics, host-pathogen interactions and integrated disease control have combined their efforts initiating the Wageningen late blight management group at Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR).
Our goal is to improve integrated disease management of oomycetous plant pathogens, in particular the potato late blight pathogen, Phytophthora infestans.
Late blight is despite the use of vast amounts of fungicides still regarded as one of the most devastating diseases of arable crops worldwide. Recent migrations of
P. infestans associated with increased pathogenicity and potential sexual reproduction has had a serious negative effect on late blight control, both in Europe as well as in the developing world. We have committed ourselves to deepen our understanding of the biology of the late blight pathogen and interactions between P. infestans and its hosts. We aim to improve existing and develop new late blight management tools to address the increasing problems in the control of P. infestans.
Evolutionary Biology & Population Genetics
- Structure of sexual and asexual reproducing P. infestans populations
- Gene flow studies on host specific groups of late blight strains
- Taxonomy of new Phytophthora pathogens
- Phylogeny of the genus Phytophthora
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