Dr. Palkovics László
Research area:
Diagnosis of plant viruses and viroids using traditional and molecular biological methods
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Grant amount
30 153 260 Ft
Brief description of the research
been identified in Hungary, but have not yet been characterized, are becoming dominant and are causing potentially serious plant protection problems, primarily viruses, but also other plant pathogens. We also examine wild plants and weeds in the environment of cultivated plants as potential reservoir plants. To discover new viruses, we use the new generation sequencing technique (NGS), which enables the identification of complex infections.
Letöltések
As a result of the tests, we discovered a new host plant for the sugarcane mosaic virus, and confirmed the presence of the meadow saffron breaking virus in a highly protected Natura2000 area, and other viruses of ornamental plants were published. We have identified a new, invasive powdery mildew fungus species on hazelnut plants. This pathogen can cause serious damage to hazelnut plantations in Hungary, so we are planning to search for additional, non-native powdery mildew species. Phytoplasma was detected on three new Hungarian host plants, cyclamen, sempervivum and muscari. In all cases, the cultivated plants became unsellable. We are investigating the background the apoplexy of apricot, the gene silencing of certain viral proteins, as well as new post-harvest pathogens on imported fruit. A significant part of our investigations are carried out in cooperation with the research groups of the Plant Protection Institute of the HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research.
Development of technologies that can be directly applied in fields.
The other direction is the development of technologies that can be directly applied in fields. We use the “loop mediated isothermal amplification” technology, a quick and effective solution that does not require a laboratory background, which is optimized for the detection of various pathogens and developed in an innovative way.
We investigate the effects of microorganisms (microalgae, cyanobacteria) occurring in the plant-soil system or artificially applied (microalgae, cyanobacteria), as well as natural extracts from higher plants on the growth and development of plants, against environmental influences (primarily various pathogens). Our aim is to examine the microalgae strains selected from the Mosonmagyaróvár Algae Culture Collection (MACC) for their germination capacity and some physiological processes of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants. Our results indicate that the application of the biomass of certain microalgae strains can be effectively used to improve the germination of wheat seeds, and as a foliar spray they can also modify the acclimatization processes in a genotype-dependent manner.
