Plant science

Global population growth, environmental changes and use of fertile agricultural lands for different purposes such as industrial centres and housing areas have been putting heavy pressure on food supplies. Therefore, the translation of research on crop improvement to food security has become imperative.

One way to secure food is to protect crops against pests and diseases. Providing growers with early warning systems, forecasting for epidemic outbreaks and diagnosing diseases for appropriate control measures have been in practice for sometime. Understanding the interactions between pathogens and their hosts using the latest technologies is necessary to overcome future challenges in the field. 

The research interests of the Plant Science group reflect the spectrum of endeavour on host-microbe interactions. This ranges from fundamental to translational research. This includes study on pathogen-originated elicitors and effectors involved in avoiding or triggering plant immune system; investigating components of the plant immune systems including receptors and the defence network; and the application of molecular techniques to uses for the grower, such as marker assisted breeding.