Peter Bakker

Microbial ecology of disease suppression by root microbiota  

Peter retired in 2021 but is still a regular visitor of the Plant-Microbe Interactions group. His life-long research laid the foundation of the present day Plant-Microbe Interactions research programme. Through mutant analysis and complementation he investigated the mechanism(s) responsible for disease suppression by beneficial rhizobacteria. He discovered several microbial determinants that trigger ISR in Arabidopsis, rice, bean and tomato. His research line placed molecular mechanisms in a microbial ecological perspective. In the review article "The soil-borne identity and microbiome-assisted agriculture: Looking back to the future" (Molecular Plant 13: 1395-1402) he reflects on the research field.