First meeting of new network aiming to improve crop health through microbes

Posted on: 30 March 2023 by Dr Sharon Zytynska in March 2023 posts

First network meeting
Group photo outside the meeting venue on the first day

IVES’ Dr Sharon Zytynska was one of the organisers of a recent symposium held in Spain that brought together 25 researchers of seven nationalities to discuss the future of using microbes to improve crop health.

"The first meeting of our BBSRC-funded collaboration network 'Towards identifying common patterns of microbe-induced plant resistance against insect-pests' was held March 6 - 10 at the Estacíon Experimente del Zadin, Granada, Spain.

It was jointly organised with collaborators in Spain (Dr Ainhoa Martínez-Medina, Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Salamanca and Dr María José Pozo, Estacíon Experimente del Zadin) and brought together researchers from the network for an exciting few days of talks and discussions."

Our research

All three of our groups investigate how to use beneficial soil microbes (bacteria and fungi) to boost plant defences against insect pests. This can help improve crop yields while reducing synthetic inputs such as fertilizer or pesticides. Our groups study different crop systems;  in Liverpool, we focus on beneficial soil bacteria for reducing aphid infestation on cereal barley crops, while our Spanish colleagues are focusing on beneficial fungal species for enhancing plant defences against caterpillars and leaf miners on tomato, sunflower, and olive trees. Each group has generated different ‘omics’ datasets and using these we aim to work together to test the hypothesis that plants share common mechanistic patterns of microbial-induced insect pest resistance (MiR), across multiple crops, microbes, and insect pests.

Research symposium

We spent three days sharing knowledge, experiences, and discussing potential new research directions. On the first afternoon, each group leader presented an overview of their projects, followed by interdisciplinary and intercultural networking. We spent the second morning hearing individual short research talks by technicians, Master's students, PhD students, and postdocs. Then a 'speed science' event stimulated conversations to identify potential collaboration and skills exchange ideas. These were further developed the next day with several skills exchanges presented for the next stage of the project. Besides the scientific discussions, we enjoyed exploring the city of Granada together, the late-night sightseeing of the impressive Alhambra palace, as well as the Spanish tapas culture.

network discussions

Listening to short talks by Postdocs, PhD and Masters students, and research technicians

Personal reflections

As soon as we arrived my concerns that we'd have to work hard to facilitate the cross-group (inter-cultural) discussion were eased, as everyone from the very beginning was very open to discussion, friendly, and motivated to talk about the research. I enjoyed the broad discussions, especially understanding how differently the two systems are that we work on despite asking the same scientific questions. This is what these grants are for, and I look forward to the upcoming skills exchanges between different members of our groups.

Here are some reflections from other members of the Liverpool team:

Dr Crispus Mbaluto (Postdoctoral Researcher, Liverpool)
“The symposium structure allowed all participants to give short presentations about themselves and their work. This gave everyone the chance to know each other, explore and share ideas on highly relevant aspects in their current and future research interests."

Edward Cairns (PhD Student, Liverpool)
 "I enjoyed my first symposium immensely. There were so many chances to engage with the other research groups, and explore a lab environment so distinct from our own. It was fascinating to see what research they were carrying out in a system both similar, and wildly different from our own. Coming away from this experience, I am confident there is so much more area to be covered in future collaborations, and I look forward to what we can achieve together."

Sophie Blenkinsopp (Research Technician, Liverpool)
"Being able to listen to the talks of so many specialists in our area was a real learning experience, it provided a wider perspective on the topic of insect-plant-microbe interactions. This environment was ideal for me to develop my skills in networking and collaboration, which will be invaluable in the rest of my career."

Megan Parker (PhD student, Liverpool)
“I really enjoyed listening and discussing research and finding similarities between the different systems we all work on. A particular highlight was visiting the labs and looking at the AM fungi under a microscope - ‘The Last of Us’ vibes!”

Dr Daniel Leybourne (Research Fellow, Liverpool)
“My research primarily focusses on characterising how insect diversity influences insect success. Despite this, there was significant overlap in research interests with the three research groups - especially with regards to understanding how interactions between top-down (insect symbionts) and bottom-up (beneficial plant microbes) microorganisms might influence the success of herbivorous insects. The short talks, where members of each research team gave an overview of their specialised area, were one of the highlights of the research seminar, closely followed by the rapid networking activity – where it became clear there are many areas for future collaboration and a shared passion for the research topic. I look forward to seeing how the research exchanges progress, and welcoming researchers from Salamanca and Granada to Liverpool over the coming months. From a non-research perspective, the post-tapas 2.30am impromptu walking tour of the Alhambra Palace grounds was a highlight.”

network group dinner

Group photo after dinner at El Aqua restaurant


Related news article from our Spanish colleagues (in Spanish)