Phytophthora Research Centre

The Phytophthora Research Centre (PRC) is a specialised diagnostic, experimental and research facility embedded within the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology at Mendel University in Brno. It provides state-of-the-art infrastructure and expertise for investigating diseases of woody plants—particularly pathogens of the genus Phytophthora and other oomycetes—across forest, tree, shrub and ecosystem contexts. The Centre’s laboratory is equipped for soil sample processing, pathogen isolation, and advanced molecular analyses of DNA and RNA for pathogen identification, phylogenetics, and population genetics.

PRC offers a robust platform for European research and innovation across plant health, forest disease diagnostics, invasive species management, ecosystem resilience, and forest biosecurity. Its capabilities include:

• an extensive, verified collection of live cultures of oomycete pathogens, supporting taxonomic, phylogenetic, host-pathogen and viral-pathogen research.

• Field and laboratory experience in diagnosing tree, shrub and plant diseases caused by Phytophthora and related pathogens in terrestrial ecosystems worldwide, and now extending into brackish and marine ecosystems.

• Advanced methods for isolating pathogens from plants, soil and water; molecular identification; pathogenicity/resistance testing; and integrative ecology–molecular biology workflows.

The Centre is ideally positioned to serve as a strategic partner or work package leader in Horizon Europe projects that target:

• early detection, monitoring and management of plant pathogenic outbreaks in forests and agro-forestry systems;

• the development of predictive models and decision-support tools for forest health and ecosystem vulnerability;

• bioeconomy implications of forest pathologies and resilient tree/wood supply chains;

• the integration of diagnostics, genomics, remote sensing and ecosystem modelling for large-scale forest disease surveillance and prevention.

By leveraging the Phytophthora Research Centre’s established infrastructure, international expertise, and integration within Mendel University’s broader forest & wood technology capabilities, project consortia gain access to a high-performance research node with reach across diagnostics, applied research, monitoring, and innovation in forest health and biosecurity.