Studying the development of twig scab (Venturia pirina) in pear

Description

Venturia pirina, the causal agent of pear scab, presents a significant challenge to pear production. Current research aims to better understand the pathogen’s lifecycle, which helps pinpoint key moments to target within management practices. Next to infecting leaves and fruits, V. pirina is able to infect twigs and produce lesions on wood releasing asexual conidia. This inoculum source makes V. pirina difficult to control in orchard condition, however, not much is known about this part of the life cycle of pear scab.
This research project will focus on the twig lesions part of the life cycle of V. pirina. The student will try to unravel what happens to the fungus in the twig during winter and spring, study what will happen during various orchard conditions and monitor spore flights in early spring. The student will coordinate and execute various experiments regarding twig scab, gaining a hands-on learning experience in phytopathology. These experiments will take place both in the lab, the pear orchard in Randwijk and various other orchards in the Netherlands.

Techniques/experiments:

• Experimental coordination
• Planning and design
• Microscopy
• data analysis
• Scientific thinking and writing

Requirements

Basic understanding of phytopathology and microbiology; A basic understanding of the Dutch language and a driving license is not required, but is considered advantageous.