Viruses, bacteria and fungi, but also animal pests cause considerable yield and quality losses in agriculture. Globalization and climate change facilitate the spread of pathogens and pests, and pathogens are constantly evolving. These are just some of the challenges the Institute faces.

Any measures to keep plant populations healthy require precise knowledge of the biology of the pathogens and their interactions with the plant. Similarly, specific methods must be available to detect pathogens effectively, reliably and with high sensitivity. Developing, optimizing and standardizing such detection methods is a focus of the institute.

Plants always interact with their environment. It is becoming increasingly clear to what extent plant-associated microorganisms play a role in determining plant health and plant growth. Harnessing this microbial potential to improve the health of our crops is a key goal of modern plant protection.

The spectrum of our research methods ranges from classical biological techniques and serological and molecular biological methods to different light and electron microscopy approaches. The institute maintains extensive reference collections of relevant pathogens and has a broad spectrum of diagnostic antibodies for pathogen detection. The institute is National Reference Laboratory for viruses on vegetables and legumes (EPV) and rust and blight fungi (EPM).