Rethinking Agriculture: Johannes Herpell explains his research

14.04.2021

In his PhD thesis, Johannes Herpell aims to strengthen plants with the help of bacteria instead of pesticides. In the PhD-video he gives insights into his research.

Johannes Herpell is a member of the Vienna Doctoral School of Ecology and Evolution. Together with colleagues, he investigates bacteria that live on leaves and roots of plants. They isolate the bacteria and investigate where they occur in nature and what exactly they do. "We try to understand the molecular processes that lead to the promotion of plant growth by these bacteria and we try to implement our research in agricultural systems. I think you could say we try to develop a sustainable solution to plant fertilisation and stress resistance", explains Johannes Herpell.