Marília Horta Jung 🇵🇹🇪🇺🇨🇿🇺🇦

Check out our review/perspective piece on phylogenetic diversification analysis, intended for the 75th anniversary of
@systbiol.bsky.social. I had the privilege of working with great coauthors, @fhenaodiaz.bsky.social, @tvasconcelos.bsky.social and @roszenil.bsky.social!
doi.org/10.1093/sysb...

Cell-surface pattern recognition receptors: Emerging players in plant–oomycete interactions Plants rely on a two-tiered innate immune system to detect and fend off microorganism infections. This system comprises cell-surface pattern recogniti…

Cell-surface pattern recognition receptors: Emerging players in plant–oomycete interactions

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

#Oomycetes
#MPMI

New study challenges the idea of humans as innately nature-loving Nature is a source of well-being and recovery for many people. However, research shows that there is also a growing number of individuals who experience negative emotions, such as fear, discomfort, or...

"A lack of contact with nature and limited knowledge about nature can reinforce each other in a negative spiral."

#Biophobia - people can fear what they don't know or understand.

Education in and about nature is vital

phys.org/news/2025-12...

🌱New genomic techniques #NGTs

@envi.europarl.europa.eu team led by Jessica Polfjärd makes deal with @eu2025dk.bsky.social to pave the way for climate- & pest-resistant plants that give higher yields and require fewer fertilisers and pesticides.

Press release⤵️
www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/pres...

ERC-Plus: jackpot science or missed chance to fix academia? My reflections on ERC-Plus, Europe’s newest ultra-competitive research grant and what it tells us about the academic culture we’re…

I just published: ERC-Plus: jackpot science or missed chance to fix academia?

My reflections on ERC-Plus, Europe’s newest ultra-competitive research grant and what it tells us about the academic culture we’re building.

medium.com/p/erc-plus-j...

CC-NLRs exhibit diverse conformations in the resting state. Figure depicts different NLR resting and activated states. While ZAR1 exists as a monomer bound to its guardees in its resting state, several forms have been observed for the NRC2 helper, including dimers, tetramers, and filaments. While filament-like structures were observed via confocal microscopy for NRC2 upon overexpression in planta, these structures were not detected for its paralog NRC4, suggesting a potentially different resting state configuration for NRC4. Our work suggests that the Pik CC-NLR pair forms a hetero-complex bound to the plasma membrane in its resting state. How effector binding to the integrated domain (ID) of the Pik-1 sensor leads to the activation of the complex remains to be determined.

Excited to share our latest work on plant immune receptor biochemistry! @kamounlab.bsky.social @hsuanpai.bsky.social @mpcontreras.bsky.social Jose Salguero Linares @danielluedke.bsky.social @adnroide.bsky.social @jiorgoskourelis.bsky.social

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Spatial Flavonoid Accumulation in Soybean Pericycle Restricts Phytophthora sojae Invasion https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.11.30.691358v1

🔉 The NPPO of Czechia have uploaded some great communication examples to the EPPO Platform on Communication Material!

👉 Be inspired by how they are raising awareness of plant pests and diseases using fridge magnets, leaflets and 2-in-1 bottle openers!

🔗 See their posts here: media.eppo.int

The Morton Arboretum

Tree Pathology research assistant just opened at @mortonarboretum.bsky.social ! Details below... please share with anyone who might be interested. It's a great place to work, and an exciting new research program!

careers.hireology.com/themortonarb...

Sarah Wurzel nous parle d’oomycetes en Antarctique: « Uncovering Diversity in the Antarctic- an international collaboration on an
unreported marine oomycete infecting green algae in Antarctica »

Significant new paper out from the Syngenta team. Guiding blight management. #Euroblight #Phytophthora

New Mechanisms of Resistance to CAA and OSBPI Fungicides in Phytophthora infestans - Torriani - Plant Pathology - Wiley Online Library bsppjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Discouraging applications is not how you fund the most exciting science. Same for, ““We’re looking for people who can demonstrate that they have achieved great things,” said Leptin. “You will have to have done something very important.”” Sounds like they already know exactly who will win these.

Illustration showing a person examining a plant with text about the scarcity of plant taxonomists worldwide.

Plant taxonomy is disappearing - and so is our ability to protect species 🍂

Nearly half of countries have fewer than 10 plant taxonomists. Kew is working to close the gap, but we need more experts fast.

Read the study’s key findings and what we're doing about it 👇
https://ow.ly/XhJo50XyGAa

ASVNet: Inferring microbes from 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing data https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.21.689717v1

Phytophthora root rot induces compositional and functional changes in avocado rhizosphere bacterial communities Understanding how plant pathogens modulate the rhizosphere microbiota is essential to integrated disease management. Here, we assessed the compositional and functional shifts in the avocado rhizospher...

¡New #preprint from the Lab!

"Phytophthora root rot induces compositional and functional changes in avocado rhizosphere bacterial communities"
🥑🦠🧬

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Oomycete plant pathogens: biology, pathogenesis and emerging control strategies Nature Reviews Microbiology, Published online: 28 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41579-025-01248-wOomycete plant pathogens are a serious global threat to crop production and food security. This Review outlines oomycete biology, diversity and lifestyle, discusses the disease cycle in plants, highlights pathogenicity mechanisms and the impact of oomycete plant pathogens, and considers emerging strategies for disease management.

ICYMI: New online! Oomycete plant pathogens: biology, pathogenesis and emerging control strategies

Co-option of transcription factors drives evolution of quantitative disease resistance against a necrotrophic pathogen Quantitative disease resistance in a wild tomato genotype evolved through species-specific regulatory network rewiring, with an ancient transcription facto

Did you ever wonder how #Solanum plants evolved quantitative disease resistance/ #QDR?
I am really excited to share our recently published manuscript, where we tried to contribute to addressing this question!

🌱https://tinyurl.com/2vz23ck6

Phytophthora ramorum is an invasive generalist plant pathogen introduced to North America and Europe in the mid-1990s and is now established in forests and the nursery industry. It causes sudden oak death in the western US and sudden larch death in Western Europe, leading to extensive forest decline and mortality. While well studied in California and Oregon, no quantitative assessment exists for its potential economic impact on European forestry. We assessed the potential direct economic impact of P. ramorum on larch and beech in Europe under a “no-control” scenario. Climatically optimal areas for disease expression were derived using the CLIMEX niche model with refined parameter values, updated climate data, and P. ramorum occurrence records from symptomatic forest trees. These areas were overlaid with host distribution data to identify assets at risk. We then applied a radial range expansion model and a partial budgeting method to quantify annualized average damage costs. Our results indicate that 10 % of the study area is climatically optimal for disease expression. Within that area, 4 223 km² of larch and 2 577 km² of beech are at risk. Under worst-case spread and mortality assumptions, annual direct damage costs could exceed €117 million for larch and €130 million for beech. Countries such as the UK, Italy, Austria, and Germany face the highest risks, while potential impacts in Southern Europe are negligible. This study provides an updated risk assessment of the current post-invasion state of P. ramorum in Europe, facilitating informed decision-making and the development of appropriate management strategies.

Work of Stelios Kartakis on the framework of @purpest-eu.bsky.social project:

"Modeling disease expression of #Phytophthora ramorum to estimate potential #EconomicImpacts in #EuropeanForests"

doi.org/10.1016/j.fo...

#ForestPathogen
#PlantBiosecurity
#InvasivePlantPathogen
#Oomycete

Pest survey card on Phytophthora ramorum (non‐EU isolates) This document provides the conclusions of the pest survey card that was prepared in the context of the EFSA mandate on plant pest surveillance (M‐2020‐0114) at the request of the European Commission. ...

Pest survey card on #Phytophthora ramorum (non‐EU isolates) | EFSA
www.efsa.europa.eu/en/supportin...

@efsa.europa.eu

#PlantHealth
#PlantBiosecurity
#InvasivePlantPathogens
#Oomycete

Pests do not need passports.

They travel in luggage, and online orders from unverified sources with plants, seed or soil.

See how EFSA helps keep them out – and what you can do to help: www.efsa.europa.eu/en/plh4l/tra...

#PlantHealth4Life

@efsa-plants.bsky.social

YouTube video by PurPest EU PurPest at WTO - Science for safe trade

📰 @cerealpath.bsky.social recently participated in the WTO Committee Thematic Session on Science-Based Import Controls to Facilitate Safe Trade to talk about VOC-based early detection technologies. Read the news at www.purpest.eu/news/wto-sps...
▶️ Watch the video www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ljsv...

🔬 The University of Neuchâtel has started a new measurement campaign to test the improved Sensor System Prototype developed by Chromatotec.

Another step forward in developing innovative tools to detect plant stress and pest attacks!

👉 Read more: www.purpest.eu/news/ssp-eva...

Multiple factors associated with forest decline in the context of control measures for the pinewood nematode Forest decline is a complex process rarely attributable to a single cause. Nevertheless, when widespread tree mortality occurs, management responses often focus on one primary agent. Our recent study ...

🌲 New 'Behind the Paper' post: go.nature.com/4qdUiLb 🌲

🔍 Forest decline is rarely caused by a single factor, and our latest study reveals why adopting a holistic perspective is key to managing pine wilt disease effectively. 🪱

👉 doi.org/10.1007/s106...

#PineWiltDisease #PinewoodNematode

🚨 First detection of the pinewood nematode in France

👉 Learn more about how @purpest-eu.bsky.social aims to streamline detection through technological innovations: www.purpest.eu

Professeure ou professeur en biologie moléculaire végétale Offre d'emploi : Professeure ou professeur en biologie moléculaire végétale, Sherbrooke, Campus principal, Université de Sherbrooke

The department of biologie #usherbrooke is hiring. Faculty position open in the area of #Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology.

www.usherbrooke.ca/emplois/offr...

#Oomycete
#Oomycetes

It's really not a surprise. I've spent the last 5 years explaining to researchers why samples collected over 2 consecutive EU projects and extracted using wildly different protocols are in no way comparable.

Too many labs think omics-related research is "just sequencing innit".

MHRA-led study reveals major inconsistencies in global microbiome research International collaboration establishes new quality standards to improve reliability of gut health studies – improving accuracy to provide better diagnosis and treatment.

Wow

'MHRA-led study reveals major inconsistencies in global microbiome research'

www.gov.uk/government/n...

'Species identification varied from 63% to 100% accuracy across different methods, meaning that some laboratories failed to detect a third of the bacterial species present in the sample'

What is the most profitable industry in the world, this side of the law? Not oil, not IT, not pharma.

It's *scientific publishing*.

We call this the Drain of Scientific Publishing.

Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Background: doi.org/10.1162/qss_...

Thread @markhanson.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy 👇

Want to learn more about the distribution of the kelp forest of the Nordic regions? #PhycologyFriday
niva.brage.unit.no/niva-xmlui/h...