In our study of plant–microorganism interactions, we investigate the mechanisms involved in pathogen recognition and the activation of plant immune responses, with the aim of reducing pesticide and fertiliser use in the global context of sustainable agriculture. In our current research, we systematically focus on a model system involving the interaction of oomycetes and the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae with tobacco, tomato, and Arabidopsis plants. We also integrate findings from molecular pathophysiology and biochemistry to better understand the molecular basis of the phenomenon known as defence priming as a new strategy for protecting crops against biotic and abiotic stress conditions.

Recently, we have also begun studying microbiota from various environments. Using state-of-the-art approaches and instrumentation, we determine not only which bacterial species are present in a given environment (metagenomics), but also investigate their functional activity as determined by gene expression (transcriptomics and metatranscriptomics) and subsequent metabolite production (metabolomics). Combining these approaches allows us to better understand microbiota–environment interactions, which play a key role in a wide range of environmental and pathological processes.