Institute of Plant Sciences

Research

Biotic Interactions - Prof. Dr. Matthias Erb

Plant interactions with the biotic and abiotic environment determines plant survival in nature and yield in agriculture. We elucidate the strategies that plants employ to resist biotic stresses, with a particular focus on the role of plant secondary metabolites in plant-herbivore, plant-microbe and multitrophic interactions. By combining different techniques and plant models in an interdisciplinary approach, we aim at generating a flow of knowledge from single genes to ecological interactions across a gradient from wild systems to agriculture.

Nature Plants

Root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita uses secondary-metabolite-mediated soil microbiome shifts to locate host plants

Plant-parasitic nematodes are among the most destructive soil-dwelling pests, posing severe threats to global agriculture. However, the interplay between plant metabolites, rhizosphere microorganisms and their potential role in guiding pathogenic nematodes to their hosts remains poorly understood. Here we explored this gap by investigating the role of benzoxazinoids (BXs), a class of defensive metabolites of maize plants, in influencing the host-seeking behaviour of root-knot nematodes (RKNs)..

Lingfei Hu, Matthias Erb

News and Events

Science

Linalool-triggered plant-soil feedback drives defense adaptation in dense maize plantings

Maize plants emit a volatile gas called linalool, which can influence the growth and development of neighboring plants. We found that at high planting densities, high linalool concentrations triggered neighboring plants to release benzoxazinoids into the soil (see the Perspective by Schandry and Becker). These compounds cause the soil microbiota to change composition, with knock-on effects for plants that are subsequently grown there. The altered microbiome enhances defense responses to herbivores

Lingfei Hu, Matthias Erb

Cell

A receptor antagonist counterbalances multiple systemin phytocytokines in tomato

Tight regulation of immune activation is crucial for plant health. How plants control the actions of their immunostimulatory phytocytokines is largely unknown. This study identifies antiSYS as a natural inhibitor of the tomato cytokine systemin. AntiSYS is a potent and specific antagonist of the systemin receptor. Tomato mutants lacking antiSYS show aberrant growth and reduced reproductive fitness. Thus, reminiscent of antagonistic interleukins controlling immune homeostasis in animals, antiSYS serves a crucial role in the regulation of phytocytokine activity in tomato plants.

Lei Wang, Matthias Erb

Publication

The lactonase BxdA mediates metabolic specialisation of maize root bacteria to benzoxazinoids

Root exudates contain specialised metabolites that influence the root microbiome of the plant. This study systematically investigated how maize root bacteria metabolize benzoxazinoids, the main bioactive compounds of maize. The authors found that some maize root bacteria can metabolise the benzoxazinoid MBOA to the red degradation product AMPO, whereas root bacteria from other plant species cannot. These maize bacteria carry a unique gene, bxdA, a lactonase, which allows them to metabolise benzoxazinoids and thus specifically adapt to the roots of maize plants.

Lisa Thoenen, Pierre Mateo, Tobias Züst, Valentin Gfeller, Christelle A. M. Robert, Matthias Erb & Klaus Schlaeppi

Nature Plants

Herbivory-induced green leaf volatiles increase plant performance through jasmonate-dependent plant–soil feedbacks

Plants influence each other chemically by releasing leaf volatiles and root exudates, but whether and how these two phenomena interact remains unknown. A new study demonstrates for the first time that volatiles trigger plant-soil feedbacks that improve agricultural yield. Detailed molecular analyses reveal that this process operates through broadly conserved defence signalling mechanisms and across different plant species. This discovery expands the repertoire of biologically relevant plant–plant interactions in space and time and holds promise for resource-efficient, sustainable agriculture.

Lingfei Hu, Jamie M. Waterman, Christelle A. M. Robert, Meng Ye, Matthias Erb

Publication

Corn reduces arsenic toxicity in soil

When crops grow in arsenic-contaminated soil, this toxic element accumulates in the food chain. A study by the University of Bern and the University of Basel has now discovered a mechanism used by corn plants to reduce arsenic uptake: the key factor is a special substance released into the soil by the roots.

Veronica Caggìa, Gabriel Deslandes, Pierre Mateo, Christelle Robert, Klaus Schlaeppi, Matthias Erb

Media release

Chemicals from maize roots influence wheat yield

Maize roots secrete certain chemicals that affect the quality of soil. In some fields, this effect increases yields of wheat planted subsequent to maize in the same soil by more than 4%. This was proven by researchers from the University of Bern. While the findings from several field experiments show that these effects are highly variable, in the long term they may yet help to make the cultivation of grains more sustainable, without the need for additional fertilizers or pesticides.

Valentin Gfeller, Matthias Erb

CHIMIA

Special Issue on Chemical Ecology

Switzerland has an active and vibrant Chemical Ecology community. A special issue in CHIMIA now puts a spotlight on this topic. The special issue consists of eight reviews that highlight the research accomplishments and future aims of several leading laboratories, with topics ranging from basic chemical ecology to application in sustainable agriculture. CHIMIA is an open access journal published by the Swiss Chemical Society (SCS).

Chemical Ecology

EU funding

Positive evaluation

Matthias Erb has received a positive evaluation from the European Research Council ERC for his application for one of the prestigious "Consolidator Grants". His project CANWAS (Canopy Waves - Volatile Information Transfer Across Multiple Plants) is developing a system to measure fragrance waves and then uses this system to study the interactions between groups of plants in the laboratory and in the field.

Media relations

Publication

Soil composition determines if plant defenses work

Plant secondary metabolites often have multiple functions, but how these functions interact to determine plant-environment interactions is not well understood. This study demonstrates that the protective effects of multifunctional maize secondary metabolites against a major pest are fully dependent on soil chemical composition. The presented findings link soil processes to leaf-defenses and illustrate the limits of using multifunctional plant secondary metabolites to combat major herbivore pests.

PNAS Logo

Nature Plants

Root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita uses secondary-metabolite-mediated soil microbiome shifts to locate host plants

Plant-parasitic nematodes are among the most destructive soil-dwelling pests, posing severe threats to global agriculture. However, the interplay between plant metabolites, rhizosphere microorganisms and their potential role in guiding pathogenic nematodes to their hosts remains poorly understood. Here we explored this gap by investigating the role of benzoxazinoids (BXs), a class of defensive metabolites of maize plants, in influencing the host-seeking behaviour of root-knot nematodes (RKNs)..

Lingfei Hu, Matthias Erb