Imaging to combat crop diseases: How Euro-BioImaging transforms agricultural research

Between 20-40% of global food crop production is lost each year due to plant pests and pathogens, highlighting the urgency for scientific research in this area. Disease losses are particularly alarming considering that over 800 million individuals suffer from inadequate nutrition. With the projected increase in the global human population from 7.6 to 9.8 billion by 2050, meeting food demand will require a 38% increase in global production by 2030, as indicated by recent analysis from the International Food Policy Research Institute.

Some of the most devastating crop diseases are caused by fungal pathogens. The blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, for example, infects staple crops such as rice, wheat, and barley; causing disease outbreaks that pose a significant threat to global food security. Investigating how this fungal pathogen penetrates the plant, is essential to develop effective ways to control and mitigate the occurrence of blast disease, thereby increasing crop productivity whilst reducing the use of toxic chemicals. 

Dr. Juan Carlos De la Concepcion and his colleagues of the Vienna BioCenter and The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich are revolutionizing our understanding of fungal diseases that threaten global food productivity.

Seeing the Invisible: The transformative power of advanced Imaging

Juan Carlos De la Concepcion is a postdoctoral researcher at the The Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology who has received funding from the AgroSERV project (No. 101058020) first call for access to investigate the structural basis of crop infection by fungal pathogens using Euro-BioImaging research facilities.

Access to the EMBL Imaging Centre’s cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) services at the Euro-BioImaging EMBL Node in Heidelberg has paved new ways for his research. These techniques can offer an unprecedented view of pathogen infection processes, thus helping Juan Carlos and his team to understand the initial steps of plant invasion by these pathogens, which ultimately leads to wide-spread and devastating crop diseases.

Accessing Euro-BioImaging's EMBL facility was a game changer. It has allowed me to investigate the structural basis of the pathogen invasion in one of the most important and devastating crop diseases in a way that has never been done before.

Juan Carlos De La Concepcion

A Revolution for agriculture and the environment

The discoveries made possible by these advanced imaging technologies will have potential implications for global agriculture. By precisely understanding how pathogenic fungi infect plants, researchers can develop new disease control strategies that could drastically reduce dependence on conventional chemical fungicides.

This research aligns perfectly with the principles of agroecology, which emphasize sustainable agricultural practices, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem health. By reducing the need for chemicals and preparing a rapid response to threatening fungal pandemics, this project directly contributes to tackling one of the major the agricultural challenges faced by European and global farmers.

To share knowledge and maximize the impact of the results, Juan Carlos presented the preliminary findings at the EMBO Workshop In situ structural biology: expanding the toolbox for structural cell biology from 4 - 7 Feb 2025, which generated notable interest from the audience.

This success story perfectly illustrates how European Research Infrastructures, like Euro-BioImaging, and European funded initiatives, like AgroSERV, can fundamentally transform scientific research, catalyzing advances that benefit not only the scientific community but society as a whole. By democratizing access to cutting-edge imaging technologies, Euro-BioImaging plays a key role in building knowledge on plant health and disease, thus promoting a more sustainable and more equitable food future for all.

Article written by Ayoub El Ghadraoui