MSc. Eng. Weronika Kursa
3rd Year PhD Student
Discipline: Agriculture and Horticulture
University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn

From 19 to 26 May 2024 I had the pleasure of doing a domestic internship at the Department of Entomology, Phytopathology and Molecular Diagnostics at the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn. My academic supervisor was Dr hab. Marta Damszel, professor at UWM. The purpose of the internship was to improve my professional skills, including acquiring theoretical knowledge and practical skills in monitoring and laboratory and field diagnostics of pathogens affecting agricultural and forest plants. During the internship, I actively participated in laboratory experiments on the effects of plant protection products on the growth of fungi such as Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Alternaria alternata, Fusarium culmorum and Verticillium longisporum, and in the preparation of inoculum for controlled plant infection (Photo 1). During research trips to the Experimental and Educational Station in Tomaszkowo and the Production and Experimental Station in Bałcyny (Photo 2), I trained in recognising typical and atypical symptoms of plant diseases (Photo 3), gained knowledge about the biology of plant pathogens and learned about hybrid methods of plant protection against pathogens. I also attended a lecture in the series “Meetings with Science” at the Centre for Popularisation of Science and Innovation at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, entitled “Protection of Biodiversity in Warmia and Mazury in the context of Challenges and Achievements in Botany of the 21st Century”, given by Prof. Dr. Jakub Sawicki from the Department of Botany at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn.

Photo 1. Using a Thoma Chamber to study the concentration of Alternaria alternata spores for controlled plant infection.

Photo 2. Experimental plots at the Production and Experimental Facility in Bałcyny.

Photo 3. Disease symptoms: Powdery mildew of cereals and grasses (A) caused by the fungus Blumeria graminis (white coating with spherical, dark brown, or almost black fruiting bodies of the fungus) and brown rust in wheat (B) caused by the fungus Puccinia recondita (rust-brown urediniospore clusters).

Photo 4.  Free time – sightseeing and scientific version.

It was a highly informative internship which not only allowed me to develop my existing skills, but also gave me a significant amount of new practical knowledge and insight into experimental design. Thanks to the experience gained, I will be able to analyse the assumptions and parameters included in my Individual Research Plan more thoroughly.