Additional activities for the European partnership on accelerating farming systems transition - agroecology living labs and research infrastructures

Research Institute of Horticulture, Department of Microbiology and Rhizosphere  conducts research on the role of roots and the rhizosphere in the growth and yield performance of plants. The work includes development of sustainable methods of cultivation and fertilization of fruit plants for the production of high quality fruit, increasing the natural fertility of the soil and the activity in the rhizosphere of fruit plants. The Laboratory conducts experiments inrhizoboxes under greenhouse conditions (IO Greenhouse Complex) and in the open field: (IO Experimental Orchards). An important part of the research is selection and identification of fungi and bacteria producing siderophores and dissolving phosphorus compounds, analyzed with the BIOLOG system, and their antagonism towards soil pathogens; carriers for microorganisms; conducting molecular analyses by distinguishing isolates of rhizosphere bacteria with the rep- PCR technique; detection and distinguishing of species of mycorrhizal fungi using the techniques of nested PCR and RFLP, and identification based on sequence analysis of DNA fragments. The Rhizosphere Laboratory is equipped with specialist research equipment: BioFlo 415 Bioreactor, Biolog system, OMNILOG system, laminar flow chambers, autoclaves, equipment for soil respiration, freezer (-80°C), Eclipse 80i epifluorescent microscope, minirhizotron camera, robot for DNA isolation, equipment for electrophoresis, thermoblock, thermocycler for PCR reactions in real time, root scanner.