Beat Keller, can you take stock of the CerealPath project at this point?

The most important aspect is, for me, that we were able to train 15 PhD candidates all over Europe who contribute greatly to plant research. It is wonderful to see that young people, who initially knew little about the research topic at hand, have turned into experts and have achieved very much. However, I have also noticed that many of the projects are still not completed. Many of the PhD theses are currently at a stage that absolutely requires continuation and certainly an additional fourth year. But considering that the funding for this project was set to three years, I must say: We have achieved the maximum during this time frame.

There are numerous approaches to control cereal diseases. Which ones did CerealPath deal with?

In Europe today, fungal wheat diseases are mainly fought by chemical fungicides. This is eco-unfriendly and there is strong political pressure within the EU and also within Switzerland to reduce the use of fungicides. We therefore have to find other approaches in crop protection. One alternative is certainly to count on the genetic resistance of plants — in our case this means to cultivate wheat varieties for resistance to fungi and to identify and use genes such as the one Markus characterises in his PhD thesis. Additionally, we also have to look for other, novel possibilities. Another alternative could be endophytes; these are fungi that naturally occur within the wheat plant itself and do not damage the plant but protect it from other harmful fungi. Within the scope of CerealPath, we have explored, discussed and researched this entire range of current approaches.

What was your motivation to launch an EU project together with your colleagues?

I had different reasons. The most trivial one being that we all need money in order to advance our research projects. Research funds, for me, were certainly among the three main motives for participation. The second one was the desire to become part of the network within which one works during such an EU project. The knowledge transfer taking place during meetings, telephone conferences and inside the doctoral committee reunions is extremely inspiring. The third motive was that we all hope to enhance the competence in our field of expertise in Europe and that more young people are trained in the latest research developments. This is also the wish of the European seed cultivation companies. Many of them search desperately for competent plant scientists with experience in plant breeding these days.

How did you select the PhD candidates for the project?

Each of the participating universities announced a PhD position on their website for their specific research project. However, a joint selection committee was convened at the beginning and the appointment of each PhD candidate had to be approved by the committee. With this, we wanted to ensure a consistent quality. I could therefore not just simply hire Markus. I had to send his CV to the committee and wait for their approval. What was more, the PhD candidates could not come from the same country as the university conducting the research work. This is not a given for many universities in Europe. However, the requirement to look for candidates outside one’s own country has brought together a group of very interesting, multifaceted young people.

In hindsight, what would you optimise regarding such EU trainee programmes?

I notice a tendency within the EU to bog the PhD studies down with too much mandatory course work because it is said that the young people also have to acquire these and other skills. Then again, PhD candidates must above all be able to conduct independent, scientific work, which requires a lot of time. During the three years of the project, Markus was absorbed in course work and attending workshops during at least half a year, in addition to the experimental tasks. I am rather critical of this tendency towards an increase in course attendance. A second issue I would optimise is the content of the courses themselves. During these three years, I realised that the young graduates must possess very good knowledge in bioinformatics. I therefore agree with Markus when he proposes to enhance the training in bioinformatics for future programmes.

Was there a special discovery made during this project?

For me, a special discovery were the novel approaches to control harmful fungi biologically by means of endophytes. Fungi already living inside the plant and protecting it against harmful fungi are purposefully promoted. Up to now, this type of crop protection has only worked reliably under laboratory conditions. But maybe one day it will be possible in the fields, too, altough there are still many steps to take on the way to successful application.

Tell us about the importance of having access to such EU projects.

I find it very important. Like many other researchers, I do have certain reservations regarding EU programmes, as they involve much bureaucracy and controls. But my long-term experience with EU projects has shown that the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. It is not only the additional funds that are made available. It is also about the contacts, the access to knowledge and networks in which one is a part of a greater whole. This is essential for small countries such as Switzerland.

Politicians claim that rich Switzerland could come up with the funds all by itself.

This is true, but it is not enough. Of course this could be a possible emergency solution, delivering the money directly to my lab instead of receiving it from the EU. But I would not be integrated in these networks. I am participating in another EU project which we are about to complete. In this programme, over 20 research groups in Europe examine the same 500 genotypes of wheat. Each group is responsible for a segment. The collaboration generates the added value. If my group receives more money but is not a partner within the network — how should we be able to achieve something this big?

Where do you see the future of crop protection?

There is not a single miracle technology solving all the problems.We are dealing with complex ecosystems. Great potential lies within intelligent cropping strategies as propagated by organic farming. But this is not enough. In certain situations, chemical plant protection will be needed. However, genetic resistance will be of outmost importance in the future, certainly, which means to make plants more resistant to diseases by targeted use of resistance genes. The question is solely whether this sould happen by conventional approaches alone or whether gene technology methods such as genome editing or transgenes may be used. This much is certain: We need a strong reduction of chemical crop protection.