Nienke van der Wal, council member

About my research

Plants have evolved a sophisticated innate immune system to defend themselves against pathogens and pests. This defense is largely regulated via the accumulation of the phytohormones salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) which trigger strong immune responses but also lead to significant growth inhibition. This phenomenon, called the growth-immunity trade-off, ensures survival during infection but often comes at the cost of reduced yield.  Conversely, prioritising growth can actively suppress immunity, making plants more vulnerable to pathogens. While significant progress has been made in understanding plant immunity, the mechanisms that coordinate the balance between growth and immune responses during and after a pathogen attack remain poorly understood.

In my project I aim to uncover regulatory factors and protein-protein interaction networks regulating plant growth during and after an immune response and model how protein complexes and transcriptome dynamics influence growth. The project is a part of CropXR, an institute in the Netherlands dedicated to developing resilient crops through innovative breeding strategies. Together with collaborators from Delft TU, WUR, and NPEC, we combine cutting-edge technologies – such as phenomics, transcriptomics, proximity labeling proteomics, AI, and computational modeling – to generate new insights for the development of disease-resistant crops with sustained growth.