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, e.g., wood-decaying fungi in agricultural crops, in insect gut)
Study of trophic chain and host/symbiont or host/pathogen interaction
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and ectomycorrhizal fungi
Endophytic 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).
- Production of secondary metabolites by medicinal or argricultural important plants
Purification and production of fungal bio-effectors

Current projects

-EU

MixForChange : Mixed Forest plantations for climate Change mitigation and adaptation - H2020 BIODIVERSA (2021-2023) https://mixforchange.cirad.fr/
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)
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) http://agroserv.eu/
RATION - Risk AssessmenT InnOvatioN for low-risk pesticides - Horizon-RIA (2022-2026) https://www.ration-lrp.eu/
ROOT-BENEFIT - Benefical root-associated microorganisms for sustainable agriculture (COST ACTION)

- 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)
CROSS-TALK - Interaction interrègne entre champignons mycorhiziens et rhizobactéries de biocontrôle : signification moléculaire et gain fonctionnel pour la protection des plantes - FNRS-PDR (2023-2027)
UNDER-NET - Underground Networks : Characteristing the structure and growth of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal networks - FNRS-Post-doc

- 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)