Resurrect Bio
Imperial College London | Life Sciences

Helping crops defend themselves against destructive fungi

Crop diseases caused by necrotrophic fungi are a major threat to UK agriculture, reducing yields, increasing farming costs and driving reliance on fungicides. Plants have evolved immune receptors that detect pathogens and trigger defence responses, including programmed cell death to limit infection. However, necrotrophic fungi feed on dead plant tissue and can exploit this response to promote their own growth. This makes developing durable genetic resistance particularly challenging.

Rovena’s project will investigate whether necrotrophic fungi use specialised proteins to manipulate plant immune systems.

The research will focus on three economically important fungi: Alternaria solani, which affects potatoes and tomatoes; Rhizoctonia solani, which affects oilseed rape; and Botrytis cinerea, which infects a wide range of crops.

Using AI-guided predictions alongside high-throughput laboratory screening, the research will identify interactions between fungal proteins and plant immune components that may trigger harmful cell-death responses. Immune genes will then be tested, with the aim of making precise genetic changes that prevent pathogen manipulation while preserving useful plant defences.

The work takes a different approach from simply strengthening immune responses: it aims to stop pathogens turning those responses against the plant. In the longer term, the research could help deliver more durable resistance to important crop diseases, reduce reliance on fungicides and support more resilient UK agriculture.