Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, SLU

16/10/2026

How can we protect oilseed crops with fewer chemical pesticides?

Increasing pesticide resistance, fewer available chemical control options and a changing climate are making crop protection more challenging.

At the 20th IOBC-WPRS Working Group Meeting on Integrated Control in Oilseed Crops, held at SLU in Alnarp, 104 participants from 14 countries gathered to explore new solutions, from biological control and innovative cropping systems to RNA interference and automated pest monitoring.

The conference was organised by IOBC-WPRS working group convenors Nazanin Zamani-Noor and Ivan Juran, together with Chloë Raderschall, Ola Lundin, Kibrom Abreha and Hanna Friberg at SLU and the Swedish Seed and Oilseed Growers Association.

Read more about the conference and the research discussed:
https://www.slu.se/en/news/2026/10/new-approaches-to-protecting-oilseed-crops-from-pests-and-diseases/

14/10/2026

Meet our new colleague, Monique Smith!

On 1 October, Monique joined the Department as an Associate Senior Lecturer. Her research explores the fascinating relationships between plants and microorganisms, including how microbes around plant roots can help plants cope with stress and even influence their evolution.

Originally from Australia, Monique came to Sweden in 2017 and discovered a passion for sustainable agriculture along the way.

Read more about Monique and her research: https://www.slu.se/en/news/2026/10/new-associate-senior-lecturer-explores-how-microbes-can-shape-plant-evolution/

13/10/2026

On 8–9 October, around 90 researchers and stakeholders gathered in Uppsala for the Plant Protection Symposium. The programme brought together perspectives from forestry, agriculture and horticulture, with talks, discussions and excursions covering everything from plant diseases to AI and food security.

– I think it was a fantastic programme, with something for everyone. I appreciate that it focused on practical activities rather than just visions and strategies. The excursions were excellent! I've worked at SLU for ages, but this was my first visit to SVA. There are so many connections and opportunities for collaboration, says Björn Andersson.

Read more about the symposium:
https://www.slu.se/en/news/2026/10/plant-protection-across-boundaries-new-perspectives-and-connections/

09/10/2026

🌾 A major wheat pathogen is remarkably good at adapting.

Zymoseptoria tritici, the fungus that causes Septoria tritici blotch, can adapt to both fungicides and changing temperatures. In her doctoral thesis, Eula Gems Mateo Oreiro has investigated what drives this ability and what it could mean for future disease management.

Her research shows that European populations of the fungus contain many different genetic variants linked to fungicide resistance. Temperature can also shape how the pathogen evolves, but different populations may respond in different ways.

The findings show why long-term monitoring is important. By understanding how pathogen populations change over time, we can learn more about how resistance develops and make better decisions about disease control.

Eula will defend her doctoral thesis on 30 October at SLU in Uppsala.

Read more about her research 👇
https://www.slu.se/en/news/2026/10/wheat-pathogen-adapts-to-fungicides-and-changing-temperatures/

05/10/2026

In Japan, matsutake is a highly prized delicacy. Recently, just 208 grams of the mushroom sold for SEK 70,000. But despite its value, surprisingly little is known about how this fungus actually lives.

Matsutake, known as Tricholoma matsutake or goliatmusseron in Swedish, also grows in Sweden, particularly in the north. It forms mycorrhizal relationships with pine trees and is mainly associated with older forests.

Professor Anders Dahlberg and PhD student Viktor Lund are now investigating the population biology of matsutake and other mycorrhizal fungi in sandy pine forests. How do they establish? How long do they live? And what happens to them when forests are managed or harvested?

“We don’t know what matsutake needs to establish, what conditions allow it to thrive, or how old it can become. Understanding these fungi and their habitats is essential if we want to make informed decisions about forest management and fungal diversity,” says Anders Dahlberg.

One thing is already clear: matsutake struggles to return after the forest where it grows has been felled.

The five-year project, run by SLU and Uppsala University, hopes to uncover some of the secrets of this elusive and extraordinary fungus. 🍄🌲

25/09/2026

Could native fungi help protect Bolivia’s coffee crops?

New research by Marisel Mamani shows promising potential for biological control. Of 100 native Trichoderma isolates tested, 70 showed strong activity against a coffee pathogen, and 30 reduced disease by more than 90% under experimental conditions.

“The diversity we found was greater than we expected, and we still do not know exactly what many of these fungi are. There is clearly much more to discover,” says Marisel.

Her research reveals a rich and partly unexplored diversity of Fusarium and Trichoderma in Bolivia’s coffee-growing Yungas region, including fungi that could contribute to more sustainable ways of managing coffee diseases.

Read more about Marisel’s research and her upcoming thesis defence: https://www.slu.se/en/news/2026/09/hidden-fungal-diversity-could-help-protect-bolivias-coffee/

Photos: Alessandra Ruffino and Marisel Manami.

25/09/2026

I projektet Tre gårdar undersöks hur olika sätt att bruka marken påverkar jorden, från markens egenskaper till bakterier och svampar som lever där.

Projektet leds av Archaea AB på uppdrag av Jordbruksverket och genomförs tillsammans med tre gårdar, Lovang Lantbrukskonsult AB, LA+B och SLU. Från SLU medverkar Sara Hallin, Maria Hellman och Thomas Keller, som analyserar markprover för att undersöka jordhälsan.

Tre gårdar, olika odlingssystem och massor av liv under våra fötter. Följ med ut i fält och se hur forskare och lantbrukare försöker förstå vad som händer i marken.

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

24/09/2026

A day of fungi, forests and the sea! 🍄🌲🌊

As part of this year’s Department Days, we spent a full day exploring fungal diversity together. The day started in the forest north of Uppsala, where we split into groups to search for and collect fungi. There was plenty to discover, and plenty of discussion along the way.

After the morning in the forest, we headed to Valö and Forsmark Local Heritage Centre, where lunch was prepared outdoors for us. A welcome break, and a chance to look around the historic site before continuing our journey.

In the afternoon, we travelled on to the coast and Ängskär Nature Reserve. Here, we learned more about fungal ecology and how fungi interact with the surrounding environment.

The following day, we continued the Department Days with presentations and discussions on environmental monitoring, long-term experiments and future research.

Photos by Cajsa Lithell.

03/09/2026

Vilka svampar finns egentligen i skogen – och hur påverkas de av skogsbruk?
🍄‍🟫 🍄 🌲
Nu lanserar vi Svampskog, ett nytt interaktivt webbverktyg där du kan utforska vilka mykorrhizasvampar som kan finnas i olika skogsmiljöer och hur de påverkas av olika sätt att bruka skogen.

Verktyget bygger bland annat på DNA-analyser från 2 500 svenska skogar, där över 800 arter av mykorrhizasvampar har identifierats.

"Vi hoppas att både skogsägare och andra som är intresserade av skog och svamp ska ha stor glädje av verktyget. Mykorrhizasvampars mångfald och symbios med träd är centrala för näringsomsättningen i skog och mark och nästan alla matsvampar är mykorrhizasvampar", säger professor Anders Dahlberg, projektledare för Svampskog och svampforskare vid institutionen.

👉 Utforska Svampskog: https://svampskog.se/

Foton: Michael Krikorev

31/08/2026

How do fungi deal with proteins that don’t fold properly?

Proteins need to fold correctly to work. When they don’t, cells need to identify and break down these misfolded proteins before they cause problems.

In a new study, Georgios Tzelepis, Magnus Karlsson and colleagues have identified an enzyme called that plays a key role in this quality-control process in filamentous fungi. Interestingly, these fungi seem to use a different solution than yeasts and animals.

The discovery give us new insights into how fungi cope with stress and keep their cells in balance, and may help us better understand these important organisms, both in nature and in biotechnology.

Read more: https://www.slu.se/en/news/2026/08/key-enzyme-helps-fungi-deal-with-misfolded-proteins/

Photo: Julio Gonzalez, SLU