As well as leading the Integrated Plant Protection Unit, Professor Laura Grenville-Briggs Didymus also leads her own research group, the Plant Pathology Lab.
Professor Didymus’ own research group focuses on the molecular and genetic determinants of disease in oomycete and fungal plant pathogens in combination with molecular analysis of interactions between microbial biocontrol agents and their prey along with the soil rhizosphere microbiome communities. They combine these mechanistic studies with applied research, testing combinations of biocontrol agents, plant probiotics and plant resistance inducers and disease modeling strategies, for effective disease control. This information is used to develop more durable, environmentally sustainable integrated pest management (IPM) strategies for plant diseases that are applicable both for large scale Swedish farmers and for smallholder farmers in Western Africa.
