Bachelor Projects

Bachelor projects allow an undergraduate student enrolled in a BSc program to work within the framework of an on-going research project and gain experience with typical plant pathology research methodologies (i.e. inoculation procedures, disease scoring) while learning about current research areas in plant pathology (polymerase chain reaction, DNA fingerprinting, DNA sequencing).

At the end of the Bachelor project, the student will write a report in the style of a scientific paper that summarizes their accomplishments. The Bachelor project can be used as a starting point for a diploma project.

Students from D-AGRL, D-BIOL, and D-UWIS can receive credit for Bachelor projects in Plant Pathology. Listed on the right are examples of Bachelor projects that have been completed by former students as well as new offers for projects. A list of currently available topics offered by our group for Bachelor Projects is presented as follows. If you are interested on obtaining aditional information, please contact the responsible for each project.

Available Projects

Annual Crops (Dr. Ueli Merz)

Bachelor topics

- Gallen und Pusteln: Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten
  (Galls and pustules: differences and similarities)

- Quantifizierung von Pathogen-DNA in Wirtswurzel mit RT-PCR
  (Quantification of pathogen DNA in host roots using RT-PCR)

- Einzel-Zoosporenkultur
  (Single zoospore culture)

For more information contact Dr. Ueli Merz

Biological Control (Dr. Monika Maurhofer)

Subjects for BSc and MSc projects in the group of Monika Maurhofer (for DAGRL- and DBIOL-students)

Topic 1

Impact of transgenic wheat on plant beneficial soilbacteria: Does the introduction of disease resistance genes in wheat affect the interaction of the plant with plant growth promoting pseudomonads living on their roots?

Specific research questions:

• Can transgenic wheat lines profit from biocontrol pseudomonads (in terms of disease suppression) the same way as non-transgenic lines?
• Do transgenic wheat lines accumulate diferent genotypes of disease suppressing and phosphate solubilizing pseudomonads than non-transgenic parental plants?
• Do the introduced disease resistance genes have an impact on the expression of important biocontrol genes in fluorescent pseudomonads?

Topic 2

Insecticidal activity in root colonizing fluorescent pseudomonads: What is the cological role of a recently discovered insect toxin named FitD in rhizosphere pseudomonads, which are so far known for their activity against soilborne fungal diseases?

Specific research questions:

• Can plants treated with insect toxin-producing pseudomonads be protected against insect pests?
• Under what circumstances can a root colonizing pseudomonad colonize and damage an insect?
• Construction of a truncated insect toxin: Characterization of the active domains of the newly described FitD toxin in the plant-beneficial pseudomonad CHA0.
• Evaluation of the occurrence and molecular diversity of Fit toxins among natural pseudomonad populations associated with roots of field-grown crops.

For more information contact Dr. Monika Maurhofer

Population Genetics (Prof. Bruce A. McDonald)

more information later

Perennial Crops (Prof. Cesare Gessler)

more information later