Laboratory of Plant Biochemistry

Our team have been long been concerned with metabolic changes caused by stress conditions, e.g. viral infection, drought, salinity or the presence of xenobiotics. A new topic is the effect of biostimulants on plant metabolism, which can be an environmentally friendly alternative to pesticides and inorganic fertilizers. In particular, we are looking at the antioxidant system of plants, the representation of stress-related proteins and biotransformation enzymes. Biostimulants affect soil composition, and we monitor the activities of enzymes involved in organic matter degradation, i.e. cellulase, β-glucanase, chitinase, β-glucosidase, phosphatase and protease. Biostimulants can promote plant growth, increase stress tolerance.