Research

The laboratory of mycology, including the mycothèque (BCCM/MUCL), is conducting basic and applied research in the domain of mycology. Interdisciplinarity is cultivated through numerous international collaborations.

Research thematics

Agro-food mycology

Analysis of the role of fungi in food manufacturing processes (brewery, dairy, bakery) and in alteration of food products (fungal contamination in the production chains).

Agro-environmental mycology

Taxonomy, phylogeny and ecology of fungi from natural or anthropized environment (fungal diversity in litter and canopy of tropical forests, in agricultural crops, in insect gut)
Study of trophic chain and host/symbiont or host/pathogen interaction
Diversity of wood-decaying fungi
Role of fungi in
- Bio-stimulation of plant growth ( potato, maize, banana)
- Bio-protection of plants against biotic (ex. Phytophthora infestans, Rhizoctonia solani, Mycosphaerella fijiensis) and abiotic (salinity, drought) stresses
- bio-remédiation of polluted sites (ex. hydrocarbons, heavy metals).
Purification and production of fungal bio-effectors

Current projects

-EU

MixForChange : Mixed Forest plantations for climate Change mitigation and adaptation - H2020 BIODIVERSA (2021-2023)
MycUpscaling - Upscaling in vitro arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculum production via combinatorial lipid metabolic engineering of host plants - H2020 UE Marie Curie Fellowship (2021-2024)
ARISTO - The European Industry - Academia Network for Revising and Advancing the Assessment of the Soil Microbial TOxicity of Pesticides - H2020 UE MSCA - INT - EID (2020-2024)
MyUpscaling : Upscaling in vitro arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculum production via combinatorial lipid metabolic engineering of host plants - UE Marie Curie (2021-2024)
MIRRI21 : Implementation and sustainability of microbial resource research infrastructure for 21th century - H2020 INFRADEV (2020-2023)
AGROSERV - Integrated SERVices supporting a sustainable AGROecological transition – Horizon-INFRA-2021 (2022-2026)

- Walloon Region

MICROSOILSYSTEM - Reduction of chemical inputs by application of microbial consortia with bio-stimulant and bio-control effects adapted to soil functioning in conventional and conservation agriculture - Operational Directorate for Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment (DGO3) (2018-2024)
BIOFUNGI - Bio-contrôle des ravageurs phytopathogènes par des souches et/ou biomolécules fongiques à propriétés entomopathogènes encapsulées dans des micro/nanobilles - SPW-DGO6 (2019-2023)
ATTRACT AND KILL - Alternative à l'enrobage de semences : Développement d'une stratégie attract-and-kill pour le contrôle des insectes nuisibles en culture de betteraves - SPW - DGO3 (2021-2024)

- Brussels Region

CIDESOL : Citoyens pour la Dépollution des sols (2020-2023)

- Fonds de la Recherche Fondamentale Collective

The mycorhizobiome : a market place for signals and nutrients exchanges between bacteria, mycorrhizal fungi and their associated plants - FNRS-PDR (2021-2023)

- Institutional sources

DIVERCE - Does intraspecific variability modulate the impact of environmental change on biodiversity and ecosystem function? – Projet ARC (2018-2023)

- Other sources

BUSCAR - The Bolivian Humid tropical zone for the implementation of a sustainable cassava value chain, within the framework of family farming, as a socio-ecological resilience strategy (PRD) (2019-2024)
Mycologie et développement dans la région des Grands lacs: approche raisonnée et filières de production ex-situ de champignons comestibles, une alternative économique additionnelle à l’exploitation d’aires protégées – Projet de recherche pour le développement (PRD) (2018-2023)
Paving the way towards biotechnology and Bioeconomy in Ecuador: Oil polluted ecosystems as a model of microbial diversity and reservoir for bioremediation processes and bioeconomy – Projet de recherche pour le développement (PRD) (2019-2024)
Vers une agriculture plus performante et durable au Burundi : application de microorganismes pour améliorer la santé et la croissance des plantes – Projet de recherche pour le développement (PRD) (2019-2024)
VIAE - Improving livelihoods in Vietnam through agro-ecological innovations for sustainable banana Fusarium disease management in family farming (PRD) (2022-2027)