Sena Parlak

PhD Candidate

Mutualistic fungi of the order of Sebacinales colonize various host plants, including Arabidopsis thaliana and economically important crops like barley. Fungal colonization leads to improved plant growth, development, and can increase grain yield. Additionally, the fungi afford protection against an aggressive soil-borne plant pathogen Bipolaris sorokiniana (Bs). Bs also infects and causes disease symptoms in roots of the model organism A. thaliana, enabling us to develop a set-up to dissect host genetic factors involved in disease severity and plant growth. My research focuses on understanding to which extent host genetic factors impact the beneficial effects that are exerted by mutualistic fungi and dissect their mechanistical function.