Maria Viketoft

I am an associate professor and researcher in soil ecology and soil-plant interactions, with a special focus on nematodes. I am director of the SLU Centre for Biological Control and a member of the committee for the appointment of senior environmental assessment specialists.

My research aims to contribute knowledge to preserve and benefit from the biodiversity in the soil. The applied research is mainly about how soil animals and the important ecosystem services they perform can be supported for sustainable farming systems and how plant pests can be controlled with biological control.

My current research focus in the following areas:

• Flower strips in the agricultural landscape - their effect on beneficial and harmful organisms above and below ground, and how flower strips can be optimized for increased positive effect.
• Soil biodiversity - the impact of different management practices and climate, which soil organisms are good indicators of soil health and monitoring of soil biodiversity.
• Cereal cyst nematodes - cultivar differences in susceptibility and development of rapid bioassays.

I am director of undergraduate studies at the Department of Ecology. 

I teach about nematodes in courses on plant pests and plant protection in both Uppsala and Alnarp, as well as about soil ecology and floristics in Uppsala. 

I have experience as a course leader but am not responsible for any courses right now.

As co-supervisor for PhD students

Ongoing: Alejandro Barrios Latorre

Finished: Pernilla Borgström, Mudassir Iqbal, Kaisa Torppa, Tord Ranheim Sveen

As host for postdocs

Finished: Mehreen Sohail, Elodie Chapurlat, Neus Rodriguez-Gasol

Rodríguez-Gasol N, Viketoft M, Chapurlat E, Stenberg JA, Jonsson M, Lundin O (2026) Perennial flower strips increase pollinator and natural enemy abundance but have limited effects on pest control in adjacent crops. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 396, 110025.

Riggi LGA, Pérès G, Aponte C, Bispo A, Bragato G, Cluzeau D, D’avino L, Edlinger A, Gronchi N, Guegan G, Gschwend F, Korthals GW, Kurm V, Mittmannsgruber M, Mocali S, Romero F, Tondini E, Trasar-Cepeda C, Viketoft M, Zaller JG, Faber JH (2025) Establishing assessment criteria for soil bioindicators: insights from case studies in Europe. Ecological Indicators 178, 114063.

Ranheim Sveen T, Viketoft M, Bengtsson J, Bahram M (2024) Core taxa underpin soil microbial community turnover during secondary succession. Environmental Microbiology 26, e16561.

Barrios Latorre SA, Aronsson H, Björnsson L, Viketoft M, Prade T (2024) Exploring the benefits of intermediate crops: Is it possible to offset soil organic carbon losses caused by crop residue removal? Agricultural Systems 215, 103873.

Perez-Izquierdo L, Bengtsson J, Clemmensen KE, Granath G, Gundale MJ, Ibanez TS, Lindahl BD, Strengbom J, Taylor A, Viketoft M, Wardle DA, Nilsson M-C (2023) Fire severity as a key determinant of aboveground and belowground biological community recovery in managed even-aged boreal forests. Ecology and Evolution 13, e10086. 

Torppa KA, Forkman J, Maaroufi NI, Taylor AR, Vahter T, Vasar M, Weih M, Öpik M, Viketoft M (2023) Soil compaction effects on arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis in wheat depend on host plant variety. Plant and Soil 493, 555–571.

Boetzl FA, Douhan Sundahl A, Friberg H, Viketoft M, Bergkvist G, Lundin O (2023) Undersowing oats with clovers supports pollinators and suppresses arable weeds without reducing yields. Journal of Applied Ecology 60, 614-623. 

Viketoft M, Zygouridis NE, Emery S (2023) Helminths associated with terrestrial slugs in Swedish agricultural fields. Journal of Helminthology 97, e27.

Viketoft M, Riggi LGA, Bommarco R, Hallin S, Taylor AR (2021) Type of organic fertilizer rather than organic amendment per se increases abundance of soil biota. PeerJ 9, 1-22.

Stenberg JA, Sundh I, Becher PG, Björkman C, Dubey M, Egan PA, Friberg H, Gil JF, Funck Jensen D, Jonsson M, Karlsson M, Khalil S, Ninkovic V, Rehermann G, Vetukuri RR, Viketoft M (2021) When is it biological control? A framework of definitions, mechanisms, and classifications. Journal of Pest Science 94, 665-676.