The Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology's weekly Plant Pathology 250 seminar series is presented this week by Dr. Devin Coleman-Derr from the University of California Berkeley and the USDA-ARS Albany, CA.

Seminar Title: “Crop microbiomes and envrionmental stress”

Abstract: Plant-associated microbial communities contribute to host fitness, and perturbations in the plant microbiome can have a major impact on plant health. Changes in the abiotic environment can have significant direct impact on crop fitness, but also indirect impacts mediated through the the crop microbiome. Improving our understanding of these causes of environmentally driven shifts in microbiome activity and composition, and the consequences for plant fitness, will enable improved use of microbial strategies for improving crop performance. Here we present data from several studies that aimed to better our understanding of microbiome assembly and function in the context of perturbations to the surrounding environment.     

Seminar Host: Dr. Emma Gachomo; emma.gachomo@ucr.edu