Plant Signaling in Stress and Development group (PSSD) is focused on the study of the mechanisms that regulate plant immunity in Brassica crops. We aim to identify and characterize new immunomodulators (compounds, genes, and molecular networks) that allow a better understanding of plant stress responses and help to build up more resilient crops.

Signaling compounds, for example, sugars, produced either by pathogens or by plants sensing the presence of challenging microbes, turn out to be essential modulators of plant defense. Understanding their production, perception, and mode of action in Brassica crops ( will open the avenue to disentangling novel molecular circuits involved in the modulation of plant immunity leading to a better understanding of crop resilience. Moreover, such compounds may represent examples of new bio-based products with biocontrol or biostimulant properties contributing to developing more sustainable agriculture in the context of the circular economy. Therefore, a deeper knowledge of novel crop molecules and signaling circuits activated by challenging pathogens will lead to:

• implement current agricultural practices with new bio-compounds with a protective capacity thus reducing the number of traditional harmful chemicals used daily in crop production.
• develop new genetic and biochemical tools (i.e., target genes and proteins) to improve crop resistance that might be integrated into crop breeding programs, and
• identify novel compounds with bio-control capacity and the molecular mechanisms involved in their perception and downstream signaling cascade activation in crops in the presence of biotic threats.

Group staff

Grupo de Mecanismos de señalización en estrés y desarrollo de plantas

Nombre	Puesto	Extensión	Teléfono directo	email	sede
Patricia Fernandez Calvo	Doctora – Jefa de Grupo	434743	881043251	se.cisc.gbm@ovlacfp	Santiago de Compostela
Sara Parada Alvarez	Ayudante De Investigacion I+D+I	434719	881042246	se.cisc.gbm@adarap.aras	Santiago de Compostela