​Plant disease epidemics, including those caused by viruses, pose significant threats to local and global food security and aggravate the problem of malnutrition. With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, most people were reminded of the threats to human health and well-being that can result from a highly infectious human disease. However, preparation for future pandemics should not focus only on human infections but also on those affecting the crops that millions of people depend on. Thus, we should be equally aware of the threats from plant viruses too.

The PlaViDi research group is dedicated to identifying and characterizing plant viruses, with a focus on horticultural crops such as tomato, pepper, potato, lettuce, okra, cucurbits and some fruit trees. The group employs a variety of tool and methods for virus detection, diagnosis and discovery, including molecular assays, serology, HTS, and bioassay-based methods. The group is also studying the key factors in the epidemiology of plant viral diseases and exploring different prospective control measures necessary to achieve the successful management of plant viruses.​

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