Arlind Stublla

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2022 - M.Sc. Plant Sciences, Bonn, Germany
2018 – B.Sc. Sustainable Agriculture, Kleve, Germany

My first lessons in sustainable agriculture began with my bachelor's program at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences. Although many disciplines have been taught to me about the approach of sustainable farming, one stuck with me the most: the utilization of microorganisms. During my bachelor's thesis, I analyzed the nitrogen fixation of three plants: Vicia sativa (vetch), Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean), and Lathyrus odoratus (sweet pea). 

I then pursued the Plant Sciences program at the University of Bonn, where I learned more about the in-depth functioning of the plant biochemical processes. My master's thesis focused on suberin mutants and associated waxes and their effects on the formation and maintenance of a proper water-ion barrier in Poplar (Populus x canescens) stems. During my research assistantship in the Ecophysiology research group of Prof. Dr. Lukas Schreiber at the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Botany, I performed many analyses using Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) machines. GC-MS enables clear separation of complex polymers into their residual monomers, which in turn helped us to understand the role of waxes, suberin, and lignin as plant barriers to abiotic and biotic stressors.

With my PhD project, I aim to apply my acquired knowledge to help enhance agricultural practices. By studying arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal networks and their interactions with plants within the rhizosphere, I hope to deepen our knowledge on how AM fungi influence plant health. Particularly, I will focus on how AM fungal networks affect plant defense mechanisms against insect herbivory, potentially through changes in secondary metabolite production or nutrient allocation. This will have the potential to help reduce the use of pesticides for more sustainable farming.