In many environments, plant performance is limited by a variety of abiotic and biotic stresses, such as nutrient deficiency, drought, or root and shoot pathogens. All land plants are associated with complex microbiomes, and many microorganisms that colonize plants are beneficial and improve the resistance of plants against a variety of stresses. The main research focus in the lab is to contribute to a better understanding of beneficial plant microbe interactions with the goal to develop microbial biofertilizers or bioprotectors.