Attract, Then Kill: Fungus Makes Insect Pest Control More Ecological – Summa Cum Laude for Doctoral Project of HSBI Researcher

Bielefeld (fhb). Fungi are fascinating and mysterious creatures. Neither plant nor animal, but closely interlinked with both flora and fauna. Mycologists – as those who do research on fungi are called – keep making new discoveries somewhere around the globe. “Fundamental research on fungi is highly interesting,” says Dr. Linda Muskat, a biologist at the Bielefeld Institute for Applied Materials Research (BIfAM) at Hochschule Bielefeld (HSBI, formerly known as FH Bielefeld). “But what’s most interesting to me is how to actually make use of them.” For example, some fungi can be applied in the production of packaging materials or furniture. Others can produce life-saving drug ingredients, among other things. “There’s no limit to creativity and there’s ample opportunity,” Muskat continues.

A doctoral project with distinction and four poster awards at specialist conferences

Muskat uses a fungus that has not even been scientifically described in order to fight insects that can transmit bacterial plant diseases such as apple proliferation, which is transmitted by Psyllids and can spread to entire apple orchards with devastating effects. And that is what her doctoral project, which she recently defended with distinction, is all about. “Summa cum laude” – no better result is possible. Her research results had already caused a stir among experts in advance: Linda Muskat published five manuscripts, applied for two patents, presented her project at various international conferences and won four poster awards – prizes that juries at conferences award to outstanding presentations.

The passion for fungi and plants is a kind of tradition in the Muskat family. “My grandfather held a doctorate in biology and specialised in mycology,” says Muskat who comes from Rüdesheim, which is situated directly on the Rhine. “And my parents, too, have ‘green professions,’ with my father being a winegrower and later a viticulture and soil science researcher and my mother a gardener who had studied landscape architecture.” Laughing, she continues: “As a child, I was dragged through botanical gardens all the time. And of course, I also helped in our own vineyard a lot.” Her father cultivates the family vineyard organically and sells the grapes to friendly winemakers who use them to produce the classic Rheingau Riesling and a Cabernet Blanc. “Of course, discussions about the newest pest control agents during lunch are not uncommon,” Muskat explains.

HSBI had a PhD position that fitted perfectly

It was thus almost inevitable for Linda Muskat to study biology, and the University of Mainz offered the appropriate links to viticulture and microbiology. “I then wrote my bachelor and master theses on vine-pathogenic fungi,” she says. “And when I was looking for a PhD position afterwards, I discovered the advertisement of the working group Fermentation and Formulation of Biologicals and Chemicals at HSBI’s BIfAM. This working group is the world leader in its field, so the position just fitted perfectly.”

Formulation – that’s the transformation of a substance into an applicable form. In Linda Muskat’s field of expertise, the substance is a Pandora fungus. To some extent, the name says it all, as this species is known to really cause harm to certain insects and to target and kill them quickly. However, for the insects to readily absorb the fungal spores, a second substance is necessary – an attractant that apple trees themselves like to produce. “This combination of insect-pathogenic microorganisms and behaviour-manipulating messenger substances is one of the highlights of my project,” Muskat explains. “It’s what you call an ‘attract-and-kill strategy.’”

Hoping for funding by EU’s “Green Deal”

However, the lethal – and yet environmentally friendly – mixture from the Bielefeld-based laboratory needs a carrier substance so that it can unfold its full effect in the apple orchard. “In our case, this is a fat-based gel that has such special properties that we immediately applied for patenting it,” Muskat continues. The so-called oleo-gel sticks to leaves excellently and allows for a retarded and even temperature-controlled release of the attractant, which is useful because insects are usually more active when the temperatures are warmer, as Muskat describes. Moreover, the oleo-gel is biodegradable.

The fact that all this actually works was proven in a field test. “Our project partner, the Julius Kühn Institute, did a very good job there,” says Linda Muskat. Nevertheless, to make a marketable insect pest control agent out of it, another project partner is needed. “Authorisation is a huge challenge,” Muskat explains. She therefore hopes to receive support from policymakers. She goes on to say: “As part of its ‘Green Deal,’ the EU decided to reduce the use of pesticides by 50 percent until 2030. That’s why I expect that registration processes will become easier and that there will be more funding in the future.”

“The best-case scenario for a doctorate at a university of applied sciences”

Linda Muskat thinks about the practical application of her research a lot – and pulls out all the stops on her path. “She is an excellent networker,” says Prof. Dr. Anant Patel, Vice Present for Research and Development at HSBI. Patel heads the working group Fermentation and Formulation of Biologicals and Chemicals and supervised Muskat’s doctoral project together with his colleague Prof. Dr. Michael Rostás from the University of Göttingen.

“It really is the best-case scenario for a doctorate at a university of applied sciences,” Patel says happily and continues: “Not only does Dr. Muskat have a high level of scientific expertise in her field, but she also follows a systemic, broader approach that is typical of research at universities of applied sciences. Her curiosity, creativity and independence are impressive, and she has a good sense of how research works. She thus managed to raise third-party funds during her doctoral phase, which is something that not many can do.”

“I would like to decide for myself what I want to do research on”

The doctorate changed Linda Muskat on a personal level as well. “You learn a lot about yourself,” she says. “I have become much more relaxed in stressful situations, for instance. And I have learned that not everything that you plan will actually work. If an experiment fails, I am more relaxed about it – that’s just part of research.”

Being creative, thinking and creating new things – that’s what drives Linda Muskat forwards in her career. In five to ten years, she wants to be a professor. “At least, that’s my plan. I just enjoy working with students and I’d like to decide for myself what I want to do research on,” she says.

... and the fungus has to be fed on weekends as well

When there is a high workload at the laboratory, Muskat does not mind the clock or the calendar. “It doesn’t feel like work to me, I really enjoy it,” she claims. “And a fungus is like a pet – you have to take care of it on weekends as well.” Shaking the flask in which the culture is living. Taking samples and analysing them. And, of course, feeding it. “My Pandora fungus especially likes skimmed milk and egg yolk. It’s a true gourmet.” (poe)

For more photographic material, please contact presse@hsbi.de.