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Kornelia Smalla (born 1956) is a chemist and biotechnologist at the Julius Kuehn Institute (JKI) in Braunschweig and a university lecturer in microbiology at the Technical University of Braunschweig. [1] [2]
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Kornelia Smalla (born 1956) is a chemist and biotechnologist at the Julius Kuehn Institute (JKI) in Braunschweig and a university lecturer in microbiology at the Technical University of Braunschweig. [1] [2]
After finishing school, Smalla studied chemistry at the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (1975-1980) and was awarded a chemistry diploma. She became a scientific assistant at the Institute für Biochemistry in the Medical Faculty of the same university and obtained the qualification Dr. rer nat in Biochemistry in 1985, and professorship with Venia Legendi in microbiology in 1999.
From 1984 to 1991 she led the Reference Laboratory for Hygiene Risks in Biotechnology Processes at the District Hygiene Institute in Magdeburg, and from 1991 to 2007 she was a scientific assistant at the State Institute of Biology in Agriculture and Forestry in Braunschweig. Since 2008 she has been at the successor institution, the Julius Kuehn Institute, State Research Institute for Crop Plants, at the Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics as head of the Microbial Oncology and Bacterial Phytopathogens group. [3]
Since 2006 Smalla has been a Non-Scheduled Professor of Microbiology at Braunschweig TU. She has received an Honorary Doctorate in Agricultural Science from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala. She represents her area of expertise of structural and functional diversity of microbiological colonies and their interaction in the EU Biofector Project Rhizosphere. [4]
Kornelia Smalla has worked on her speciality of microbial ecology at the Julius Kuehn Institute (JKI) and its forerunner the Biological State Institute for Agriculture and Forestry since 1991 in her research focus, microbial ecology, which includes the interaction of pathogens and their antagonists in the root area of plants and the diversity of microbial communities in the rhizosphere overall. This involves the effects which originate from the soil, plant species and variety, and agricultural use and processes, on the structural and functional diversity of microbial communities. Smalla develops and puts to use molecular detection methods. The results of her work have substantially contributed to a greater understanding of the soil microbiome.
The rhizosphere is the narrow region of soil or substrate that is directly influenced by root secretions and associated soil microorganisms known as the root microbiome. Soil pores in the rhizosphere can contain many bacteria and other microorganisms that feed on sloughed-off plant cells, termed rhizodeposition, and the proteins and sugars released by roots, termed root exudates. This symbiosis leads to more complex interactions, influencing plant growth and competition for resources. Much of the nutrient cycling and disease suppression by antibiotics required by plants occurs immediately adjacent to roots due to root exudates and metabolic products of symbiotic and pathogenic communities of microorganisms. The rhizosphere also provides space to produce allelochemicals to control neighbours and relatives.
Bacillus amyloliquefaciens is a species of bacterium in the genus Bacillus that is the source of the BamHI restriction enzyme. It also synthesizes a natural antibiotic protein barnase, a widely studied ribonuclease that forms a famously tight complex with its intracellular inhibitor barstar, and plantazolicin, an antibiotic with selective activity against Bacillus anthracis.
The laimosphere is the microbiologically enriched zone of soil that surrounds below-ground portions of plant stems; the laimosphere is analogous to the rhizosphere and spermosphere. The combining form laim- from laimos denotes a connecting organ (neck) while -sphere indicates a zone of influence. Topographically, the laimosphere includes the soil around any portion of subterranean plant organs other than roots where exuded nutrients stimulate microbial activities. Subterranean plant organs with a laimosphere include hypocotyls, epicotyls, stems, stolons, corms, bulbs, and leaves. Propagules of soil-borne plant pathogens, whose germination is stimulated by a plant exudates in the laimosphere, can initiate hypocotyl and stem rots leading to "damping-off". Pathogens commonly found to cause such diseases are species of Fusarium, Phoma, Phytophthora, Pythium, Rhizoctonia and Sclerotinia.
Rhizobacteria are root-associated bacteria that can have a detrimental, neutral or beneficial effect on plant growth. The name comes from the Greek rhiza, meaning root. The term usually refers to bacteria that form symbiotic relationships with many plants (mutualism). Rhizobacteria are often referred to as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, or PGPRs. The term PGPRs was first used by Joseph W. Kloepper in the late 1970s and has become commonly used in scientific literature.
Archaea is a domain of single-celled organisms. These microorganisms lack cell nuclei and are therefore prokaryotic. Archaea were initially classified as bacteria, receiving the name archaebacteria, but this term has fallen out of use.
Julius Kühn-Institut – Bundesforschungsinstitut für Kulturpflanzen (JKI) is the German Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants. It is a federal research institute and a higher federal authority divided into 15 specialized institutes. Its objectives, mission and research scope were determined by section 11, paragraph 57 of the 1987 Federal Law on the Protection of Cultivated Plants as subsequently amended.
A microbial consortium or microbial community, is two or more bacterial or microbial groups living symbiotically. Consortiums can be endosymbiotic or ectosymbiotic, or occasionally may be both. The protist Mixotricha paradoxa, itself an endosymbiont of the Mastotermes darwiniensis termite, is always found as a consortium of at least one endosymbiotic coccus, multiple ectosymbiotic species of flagellate or ciliate bacteria, and at least one species of helical Treponema bacteria that forms the basis of Mixotricha protists' locomotion.
A bioeffector is a viable microorganism or active natural compound which directly or indirectly affects plant performance (biofertilizer), and thus has the potential to reduce fertilizer and pesticide use in crop production.
The root microbiome is the dynamic community of microorganisms associated with plant roots. Because they are rich in a variety of carbon compounds, plant roots provide unique environments for a diverse assemblage of soil microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and archaea. The microbial communities inside the root and in the rhizosphere are distinct from each other, and from the microbial communities of bulk soil, although there is some overlap in species composition.
A microbiome is the community of microorganisms that can usually be found living together in any given habitat. It was defined more precisely in 1988 by Whipps et al. as "a characteristic microbial community occupying a reasonably well-defined habitat which has distinct physio-chemical properties. The term thus not only refers to the microorganisms involved but also encompasses their theatre of activity". In 2020, an international panel of experts published the outcome of their discussions on the definition of the microbiome. They proposed a definition of the microbiome based on a revival of the "compact, clear, and comprehensive description of the term" as originally provided by Whipps et al., but supplemented with two explanatory paragraphs. The first explanatory paragraph pronounces the dynamic character of the microbiome, and the second explanatory paragraph clearly separates the term microbiota from the term microbiome.
Falko Feldmann is a German biologist and practitioner of phytomedicine. He is coordinator of matters concerning approval and registration of active substances and agents for plant protection, including international cooperation on questions about European Plant Protection Laws. He also holds the post of director of the Deutschen Phytomedizinischen Gesellschaft e.V. and is involved in a number of organisations and committees relevant to plant protection.
Gabriele Berg is a biologist, biotechnologist and university lecturer in Environmental and Ecological Technology at the Technical University of Graz. Her research emphasis is on the development of sustainable methods of plant vitalisation with Bioeffectors and molecular analysis of microbial processes in the soil, particularly in the Rhizosphere.
Johannes Hallmann is a German agricultural scientist of phytomedicine. He is a scientific adviser at the Julius Kühn-Institut, the Federal Research Institute for Cultivated Plants, the Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics in Münster, the University Professor for Nematology and the President of the German Phytomedicine Society.
The branches of microbiology can be classified into pure and applied sciences. Microbiology can be also classified based on taxonomy, in the cases of bacteriology, mycology, protozoology, and phycology. There is considerable overlap between the specific branches of microbiology with each other and with other disciplines, and certain aspects of these branches can extend beyond the traditional scope of microbiology In general the field of microbiology can be divided in the more fundamental branch and the applied microbiology (biotechnology). In the more fundamental field the organisms are studied as the subject itself on a deeper (theoretical) level. Applied microbiology refers to the fields where the micro-organisms are applied in certain processes such as brewing or fermentation. The organisms itself are often not studied as such, but applied to sustain certain processes.
Ellen Kandeler is a German biologist and agricultural scientist specialising in soil biology at University of Hohenheim. She also heads the Soil Biology area in the EU Biofector project.
Disease suppressive soils function to prevent the establishment of pathogens in the rhizosphere of plants. These soils develop through the establishment of beneficial microbes, known as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in the rhizosphere of plant roots. These mutualistic microbes function to increase plant health by fighting against harmful soil microbes either directly or indirectly. As beneficial bacteria occupy space around plant roots they outcompete harmful pathogens by releasing pathogenic suppressive metabolites.
Kristen M. DeAngelis is a professor in the department of Microbiology at the University of Massachusetts where she studies soil microbes in relation to climate change.
The plant microbiome, also known as the phytomicrobiome, plays roles in plant health and productivity and has received significant attention in recent years. The microbiome has been defined as "a characteristic microbial community occupying a reasonably well-defined habitat which has distinct physio-chemical properties. The term thus not only refers to the microorganisms involved but also encompasses their theatre of activity".
Dr. Mohamed Hijri is a biologist who studies arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). He is a professor of biology and research at the Institut de recherche en biologie végétale at the University of Montreal.
Chris Greening is a biochemist, microbiologist, and academic. He is a Professor of Microbiology and leads the One Health Microbiology group and Global Change Research Program of the Biomedicine Discovery Institute at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He is most known for his work on the basis, role, and significance of the microbial metabolism of trace gases such as hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. He has held prestigious fellowships from the CSIRO (2014-2016), Australian Research Council (2017-2019), and National Health and Medical Research Council (2020-2024) and was awarded the Fenner Medal 2022 from the Australian Academy of Science. Greening was awarded the Prime Minister's Prize for Life Scientist of the Year in 2023.
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