Department of Environmental Science

My research interests in the microbes associated with plant and the factors that shape them.  Plants are associated with diverse microbial communities not only in the roots (rhizosphere) but also in the leaves (phyllosphere). By actively helping the plant by manipulating the microbiome, it could be possible to improve yield and to minimize inputs in plant production. Recently developed tools in metabarcoding have provided much more sophisticated ways of studying the effects of agronomic manipulation or plant breeding on the plant microbiome. Currently, I am studying microbes in the plant environment of wheat and Arabidopsis along with the focus on the plant pathogens. I seek to understand the possible mechanism adopted by plants to shape its microbiome to cope with plant diseases.