Maya Bar

Senior Academic

The Bar Lab

Development-Defense Dynamics and Plant Pathogen Interactions

In the Bar lab at Ben-Gurion University, we study aspects of plant biology that influence plant immunity, including development-defense trade-offs, plant communication, and plant-microorganism interactions.​

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We are a dynamic group, passionate about discovering new findings and sharing knowledge. We are seeking candidates at all levels. If you would like to join us, please send a CV to

barm@bgu.ac.il

We want you!

We are actively seeking at all levels: Undergrads, MSc and PhD students.
Get in touch
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Get in touch
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Lab Projects

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Recently, we have discovered that plants communicate their developmental status and species identity to neighboring plants. We have received funding from the ERC to investigate the rules and mechanisms of this communicaiton.
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We have found that the plant hormone cytokinin has roles in fungal biology, and are currently investigating these roles in both plant pathogenic and beneficial fungi.
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How do plants balance the need to develop and grow with pathogenic stressors in their environment? We are investigating the effect of immunity priming and the roles of translational regulation in this trade-off.
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Why are there so many different leaf shapes in nature? In collaboration with the Kleiman lab, we investigate structural effects that influence both phyllosphere microbiome content and sensitivity to foliar pathogens.
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We aim to both identify new biocontrol agents and improve the performance of existing ones. New beneficial microorganisms will be isolated from disease resistant plants, and the efficacy of existing agents will be improved by engineering plants to respond to biocontrol more strongly and reproducibly. One way we will do this is by knocking out plant receptors that attenuate the plants' acquired resistance response.
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What traits/genes in beneficial plant fungi make them able to control disease and/or promote plant growth? Focusing on Trichoderma as a model, we explore genetic and metabolic fungal determinants that benefit the host in fungus-host interactions.