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Plant Pathology Lab
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The lab studies, at the molecular level, how plants become diseased.
AboutAbout the lab
Unraveling how infection works in order to protect plants from disease
The Plant Pathology Lab studies, at the molecular level, how plants become diseased.
Plants are infected by fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes, and other pathogens, which cause disease.
The lab investigates why plants get sick, why certain pathogens infect only specific plants, and how resistant plants defend themselves.
The lab also aims to establish technologies to control pathogen infection, parasitism, and symbiosis, and to develop new technologies that strengthen resistance to disease.
Key terms
- Plant Pathology
- The study of why plants become diseased, clarifying the relationship between pathogens and plants
- Phytoplasma
- A plant pathogenic bacterium that is difficult to culture, is carried by insects, and causes disease in many plants
- Pathogenicity
- The property of a pathogen that allows it to infect a host and cause disease, including the severity and manner in which disease appears
NewsLab news
Guidance session for Schedule B of the graduate school entrance exam held for the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Biology (10/17)
Researcher receives Excellent Presentation Award at the Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Mycoplasmology
Master's student receives Student Excellent Presentation Award from the Phytopathological Society of Japan
Student receives the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture Award
Professor Emeritus elected as a Member of the Japan Academy
ResearchResearch themes
The lab examines the genome structure and function of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and filamentous fungi, and elucidates the molecular mechanisms that operate when they parasitize or form symbiosis with plant cells. Based on these findings, it aims to clarify infection mechanisms and plant defense mechanisms in an integrated way, from the level of genes and molecules to the level of the field.
*Illustrative imageControl Strategies for Plant Viruses
Plant viruses multiply by exploiting the host's metabolism, so they cannot be prevented with pesticides. The lab aims to clarify the infection strategies and pathogenicity mechanisms shared by a wide range of virus species, and to establish better control strategies.
*Illustrative imageInfection Mechanisms of Phytoplasma
Phytoplasmas are bacteria that are transmitted by insects such as leafhoppers and through vegetative propagation, and they cause disease in more than 1,000 plant species worldwide. The lab elucidates infection mechanisms, focusing on pathogenicity and transmissibility, and works to establish new strategies to suppress them.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Plant Pathology Lab consist of faculty, researchers, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, and research students.As of 2026
- ProfessorYasuyuki YamajiPublications ↗
- Associate ProfessorKensaku MaejimaPublications ↗
VoicesStudent voices
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Leaf with ToMV” RosieScienceGal / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Control Strategies for Plant Viruses: “Cucumis sativus - Wassermelonenmosaik-Virus (watermelon mosaic virus, WMV) - Hinrichs-Berger” Dr. Jan Hinrichs-Berger, Landwirtschaftliches Technologiezentrum Augustenberg, Karlsruhe. / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Infection Mechanisms of Phytoplasma: “China Aster Phyllody Phytoplasma” Amityadav8 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (植物医科学研究室): “Tomaten 1-Stemphylium vesicarium-Monika Götz, JKI” Dr. Monika Götz, Institut für Pflanzenschutz in Gartenbau und urbanem Grün am Julius Kühn-Institut in Braunschweig. / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (矢守研究室): “Chemistry of green - Flickr - Robert Couse-Baker” Robert Couse-Baker from Sacramento, California / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (植物分子遺伝学研究室): “Moss chloroplasts 100× objective” Kelvinsong / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (植物資源ゲノミクス研究室): “Mahangu (pearl millet) field flourishing in the perfect climate in the rural north of Namibia” Shikoha Tautiko / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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