Thesis subject

Finding novel bioindicators to detect soil quality and predict plant health

Often plant growth is impaired by adverse conditions in soils such as toxic elements and presence of pathogens from previous plant growth. Crop rotation is done often as a precaution but for some pathogens, many years have to pass before it is safe to grow some crops again.

Often we miss a tool that tells us exactly when it is safe to grow plants again. Bioindicators might promise to provide simultaneous information on abiotic and biotic conditions in soils that could be implemented as cost-efficient and highly precise detection of conditions safe to grow plants. This is what you will try. You will use sequencing techniques, qPCR and bioinformatic analyses to determine potential bioindicators.