With years of work in molecular biology and plant pathology, the science of diagnosing and controlling plant diseases.Dr. Norma Flores Esteves, researcher at the Institute of Biotechnology and Applied Ecology (Inbioteca) of the University of Veracruzana, He expresses that women have greater opportunities for scientific work, but they still face disadvantages compared to their male peers. For the burdens they have to face when they decide to have children and partners.
Doing science and dealing with issues like childcare and home is a situation that is detrimental to women., “But when you can work through those issues and you have a partner who is part of your upbringing as I was, they have more options, but cultural attitudes still affect many.”
Yet he says so in his case. His research area is molecular biology where he works with a research fellow mainly on plant pathogens, “That is, we explore viruses, bacteria and fungi that infect plants and cause disease.”
What diseases harm plants?
He explains that he is just like humans, Plants get sick, they can get infected with a virus like influenza, bacteria or other types of diseases.. “Sometimes it's affected by viruses, sometimes by bacteria or even fungi.”
The vegetation of Mexico and Veracruz has several important pathogens depending on the species.It turns out that each species suffers from different pathogens.
The goal is for farmers to use the improved compounds.
Example of this In Mexico there is a phrase among the peasants that goes, “It's already fallen on us.” Which refers to a disease caused by a microscopic fungus that infects corn crops.
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The pathogen is a fungus also called rust, he adds. This affects coffee farms, but also corn and beans.
He points out that as part of the work they do as scientists, The aim is to encourage farmers to use chemical compounds to control pests.. “The research we are doing is trying to find natural compounds that we can use to eliminate pesticides.”
He says what is being attempted is Get extracts from plants that are less aggressive to the environment and people.. “This is the goal of my work, and all those who work in this university institute are those to whom we have devoted many years of work and who we finally believe can be applied to our crops,” he concluded.
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