Source:  NCSU COLLEGE OF AG & LIFE SCIENCES, 6/29/20


A GRIP4PSI Project to Increase Disease and Drought Resistance
Microscopic fungi can be found almost everywhere, from the surface of your skin and the soil beneath your feet to inside the leaves of corn and soybean plants. Many of these fungi are harmless, and some are helpful, producing needed vitamins or fending off harmful fungi.

An interdisciplinary team of researchers at NC State is setting out on an ambitious three-year project to identify the beneficial fungi found in five key crops: corn, soy, wheat, hemp and switchgrass.

The team is led by Christine Hawkes, a professor in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology. Once the beneficial fungi are identified, the team will work to determine how the fungal species help plants fend off diseases and tolerate drought stress.

The team will also work on tools to detect the types of fungus present in a field and methods to improve the fungal community present – like eating yogurt to improve your gut health.

“Our overarching goal is to improve plant health management and increase crop sustainability through the use of beneficial fungi in plant leaves,” said Hawkes, who is also a member of the Microbiomes and Complex Microbial Communities Cluster, a Chancellor’s Faculty Excellence Program cluster of excellence. “We hope to mitigate unnecessary crop yield losses to stresses like drought and disease, which will help us safely increase our food supply and better feed the world.”

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