Requisitos de admissão: Mestrado em Agronomia e Conservação, preferencialmente com formação anterior (1º Ciclo) também em Ciências Agronómicas e/ou Florestais. O candidato deverá possuir experiência comprovada em sistemas de interação entre nemátodes e parasitas de plantas e respectiva interação com o hospedeiro. Atendendo à temática do projecto, será dada preferência a candidatos com experiencia laboratorial em diferentes técnicas de cultura e manutenção de nematodes, cultura de tecidos, e de biologia molecular.

Plano de trabalhos: O plano de trabalhos insere-se nos objectivos e nas tarefas do projecto, em especial, e a saber:

Actividade 3: The objective of this task will be to assess the seasonal variation on the constitutive composition of the host tissues, and its potential interaction with the seasonal patterns and epidemiology of the PWD. Sampling of PWN from wilted trees. Trees with early signs of wilt will be marked, and regular sampling of its tissue will enfold on the next weeks to assess PWN population dynamics.

Actividade: 5 - Bioassays with B. xylophilus. To confirm that a particular phytochemical compound gives the pine host resistance to the PWN, the different chemical components should be isolated and then tested in bioassays with different PWN isolates. For this PWN will be inoculated in culture medium where fungus had been grown. Different concentrations of each compound to be tested will be added to replicates, and population parameters will be compared with the ones of controls. Identification of specific biocompounds against the PWN.