Founded in 1960s, The Bacteriology Laboratory is a strong division with its infrastructure and knowledge base. Laboratory equipment is sufficient for detection and diagnosis of bacterial plant pathogens in any kind of plant material. Classical, biological, serological (ELISA, IFAS), and molecular (PCR) methods used in the countries developed in detection and diagnosis are used in Bornova Plant Protection Research Station. The laboratory personnel have taken training in several national and international laboratories in order to accommodate to developing technology. First record of some plant pathogenic bacteria in Türkiye was made by technical staff of the laboratory.
Laboratory staff took active participation in the projects supported by the Ministry in addition to such extraneously supported projects as Twining Projects conducted in context of law of harmonization with the European Union, and those supported by TUBITAK and World Bank. Some research subjects which have been and still being conducted in recent years are as follows:
- Distribution, type reactions, chemical and integrated control, and Forecasting and Early Warning models suitable to Erwinia amylovora.
- Biological control of the root cancer (Agrobacterium tumefaciens)
- Type reactions of Crown Gall of grape (Agrobacterium vitis)
- Effects of environmental factors on tomato sap necrosis disease, etiology, type reactions and control methods of the disease.
- Detecting status of Ralstonia solanacearum in tomato and potato in the Aegean Region.
As a consequence of the studies, important findings have been obtained and implemented in control efforts for bacterial plant diseases.
EPPO's 2009 Panel of Bacterial Diseases and 2009 Annual Meeting of Association of European Phytopathologists were held in the institution under the leadership of the Laboratory.