Institut für Epidemiologie und Pathogendiagnostik
Depending on the weather, diseases such as, B. lactucae and G. cichoracearum, as well as the aphid N. ribisnigri, which specializes in lettuce, occur. These cannot be controlled in organic farming by means of synthetic chemical pesticides and therefore point to the need to optimize plant resistance in organic farming. Interaction with beneficial microorganisms offers one possibility for this. Accordingly, the objective of this project is to increase the resilience of lettuce to biotic and abiotic stressors. We will identify lettuce cultivars with good responsiveness to beneficial microorganisms (priming effects). The basis of the work planned here will be field experiments in which 30 diverse Lactuca lettuces, including reference cultivars, will be characterized with respect to microbiome and resilience. All work will be in accordance with organic cultivation methods.The planned research activities will investigate the interaction triangle between Lactuca lettuce with different resistance and tolerance characteristics to biotic stressors such as phytopathogenic MO and pests, abiotic stressors and the lettuce microbiome.
Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
