Laurène Mailhan in the Alnarp park.
Laurène Mailhan. Photo: Alva Mårtensson.

Laurène seeks the genetic key to organic wheat free from common bunt

News published:  13/08/2026

Laurène Mailhan investigates genetic resistance against common bunt in organic wheat. She and seven other doctoral students contribute to knowledge development in the field of food through the LTV faculty's investment in the SLU and Sparbanken Skåne Centre for Sustainable Primary Production.

The fungal disease common bunt is an issue on organic wheat fields. When infected, the seeds turn dark and smell of rotting fish. Without fungicides, resistant wheat cultivars are the main defence – yet in Sweden, only one such cultivar is known: Stava.

At the Department of Plant Breeding at SLU, doctoral student Laurène Mailhan is working to understand the genetics behind the cultivar's resistance. The aim is to pave the way for more resistant cultivars in the future.

– There are different races of common bunt in Sweden, and Stava is resistant to all of them. In my project, we are trying to understand the resistance mechanisms. There are some suspicions about which genes in Stava influence resistance, but the research is not entirely conclusive, she says.

The project is important because the cultivation of organic wheat has grown in Sweden over the past twenty years – and with it, the incidence of common bunt.

– We need to understand what is happening with this disease, how we can fight against it in organic agriculture, and how it can be prevented in the long term. I hope we produce results that will be useful to farmers.

A doctoral student portrait of Laurène Mailhan is now published on the centre's website.

Read the text here: Organic wheat threatened by common bunt – solutions sought in genetic resistance.

Centre for Sustainable Primary Production

The SLU and Sparbanken Skåne Centre for Sustainable Primary Production was established in Alnarp in 2025. The centre is a co-funding arrangement between the LTV faculty and Sparbanken Skåne through its owner foundation Finn.

Through the faculty's investment, funding is provided for, among other things, eight doctoral positions whose research will contribute to knowledge development in sustainable primary production in the field of food.

All doctoral students will be introduced during the year. Read all portraits here: Doctoral students.

Wheat.

The SLU and Sparbanken Skåne Centre for Sustainable Primary Production

Through excellent research and education, the centre will collaborate with industry and public actors to develop, disseminate and make use of knowledge and new solutions for a transition that balances economic, ecological and social sustainability. Primary production refers to the first stage of the food chain, which often takes place at farm level in agricultural and horticultural enterprises. It includes, for example, the production of fruit and vegetables, cereals, rapeseed, legumes, and meat, eggs and dairy.

Eight doctoral students

  • Adrien Vial: Can the integration of ecological theory with quantitative genetics transform disease resistance breeding?
    Primary supervisor: Aakash Chawade, Department of Plant Breeding.
  • Ananta Aacharya: Crop cultivation in combination with solar panels on arable land – How does it contribute to the future need for food and energy in a profitable way?
    Primary supervisor: Daniel Nilsson, Department of Biosystems and Technology.
  • Andrew Gallagher: Transformative governance for a sustainable food system. Primary supervisor: Fredrik Fernqvist, Department of People and Society.
  • Laurène Mailhan: From Stench to Scent – Genetic strategies towards bunt-free organic wheat. 
    Primary supervisor: Therése Bengtsson, Department of Plant Breeding.
  • Linda Groot Nibbelink: The potential of Nordic heirloom vegetables for improved national food security and ability to cope with future climate changes.
    Primary supervisor: Lars Mogren, Department of Biosystems and Technology.
  • Luboš Říha: Towards a sustainable future with reduced input through enhanced starch yield and tailored starch qualities.
    Primary supervisor: Mariette Andersson, Department of Plant Breeding.
  • Mina Nešić: Exploring seed quality traits and their genetic regulation in Swedish protein crops for enhanced diversity and nutritional stability.
    Primary supervisor: Cecilia Hammenhag, Department of Plant Breeding.
  • Yizhi Zhang: Climate impact mitigation and resource use efficiency of rooftop greenhouses for urban food production.
    Primary supervisor: Thomas Prade, Department of Biosystems and Technology.

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