PROFILE

The SME Phytophthora Research and Consultancy (PRC) was founded in 2005 and is offering consulting and scientific cooperation related to Phytophthora species and the diseases they cause. The services include:

• Diagnosis of diseases and damages of trees, forest stands and plantations including analysis of the disease factors.
• Investigations of nursery stock and nursery fields for infections/infestations by Phytophthora species.
• Detection of Phytophthora species from soil samples and symptomatic tissues.
• Coordination and realisation of small and large scale disease surveys.
• Characterisation and description of new Phytophthora species.
• Participation in research projects investigating the diversity, morphology, physiology, ecology, pathological strategies, survival strategies and phylogeny of Phytophthora spp.
• Development of integrated management concepts; consulting and if necessary realisation of control measures.
• Training of scientists and technical staff in methods related to sampling, isolation, identification and pathogenicity testing of Phytophthora spp.
• Training of practitioners in recognising disease symptoms, especially of Phytophthora diseases

ROLE IN THE PROJECT

PRC will survey the presence of Phytophthora in natural ecosystems by in situ baiting of rivers and by sampling of rhizosphere soil for baiting tests in the lab in previously unsampled ecosystems and regions of Europe and in 2 overseas regions. For previously unknown emerging Phytophthora species or lineages PRC will examine the morphological and physiological characteristics, determine the mating types of heterothallic strains, produce multigene phylogenies, and perform pathogenicity tests to assess their virulence and the susceptibility of different forest hosts. PRC will also evaluate the adaptation of the new species and different lineages to the new environment and climatic conditions using temperature-growth rate trials. Finally, PRC will provide pure cultures of new Phytophthora species found in the surveys of WP1 for the development of new q-PCR markers, and host tissues infected with these new Phytophthora species as well as uninfected control tissues as blind samples for the validation of new q-PCR protocols.

PRC will be involved in the following work packages: WP1, WP2, WP3, WP4, WP10

STAFF

• JUNG THOMAS
• HORTA JUNG MARILIA