Research summary
Plant diseases caused by microbial pathogens are threatening global crop production and impacting food quality. To come up with strategies for controlling epidemics caused by these pathogens and support sustainable agriculture, we need to better understand how plants interact with and defend themselves from microbial pathogens as well as how pathogens survive in harsh environments.
As Canada Research Chair in Plant Immunity, Dr. Xin Li is trying to answer two main questions: How do plants use immune receptors to activate protective responses to pathogens? And how does the notorious soil-borne pathogen, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, survive in soil and cause catastrophic disease in diverse hosts? By shedding light on these questions, Li and her research team hope to find new ways to improve host immunity and discover specific targets for pathogen control, among other breakthroughs, ultimately leading to new and better resources for protecting crops.