Tasks

• Head of the team „Viruses in cereals and sugar beet”
• Analysis of the biology, distribution, epidemiology, and control of plant viruses infecting cereals and sugar beet. Focus on soil-borne viruses in cereals
• Molecular characterization of plant viruses
• Molecular- and cell biological characterization of virus-vector-plant interactions
• Resistance screening of winter barley and winter wheat
• Deputy head of the EP-Virology laboratory of the national reference laboratory for harmful organisms in plants
• Current projects:
  • "Investigations on the infection-inhibiting effect of a rhamnolipid-containing biopreparation and liquorice extract on soil-borne viruses of sugar beet and their plasmodiophorid vector under field conditions" Rhamnofield, financed by FNR of the federal ministry of food and agriculture.
  • "Characterization of new barley mosaic virus variants and development of a variant-specific molecular test", ChanGE, financed by FNR of the federal ministry of food and agriculture.