Lotte Caarls

Lotte Caarls is a Researcher in Plant Breeding at Wageningen University & Research. Her work focuses on understanding plant resistance mechanisms against various insect pests and developing breeding strategies to enhance crop resistance. She holds a doctorate (indicated by 'dr.' in her title) and is actively engaged in research on plant-insect interactions across multiple crop systems.

Dr. Caarls' research primarily centers on plant defense mechanisms against whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci), thrips, and aphids in crops including Capsicum (peppers), Brassica (cabbage family), and Chrysanthemum. Her fingerprint analysis shows strong expertise in Hypersensitive Response, Capsicum, Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, Brassica, Necrosis, and Cell Death mechanisms. She investigates genetic and physiological bases of pest resistance, with particular focus on hypersensitive responses and egg-killing cell death mechanisms in plants.

Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on practical applications of plant resistance research, spanning from fundamental mechanisms of plant immunity to applied breeding for pest resistance. Her work bridges the gap between basic plant science and practical crop improvement, with multiple studies examining how environmental factors like salt stress affect plant resistance.

Dr. Caarls actively supervises PhD students and leads multiple research projects funded through LVVN, including initiatives targeting resistance against whiteflies in pumpkin and squash, thrips resistance in chrysanthemum, and aphid resistance in Capsicum. She has secured funding for projects running from 2025 through 2029, demonstrating sustained research support.

She is active in the scientific community with numerous presentations on topics including aphid and whitefly resistance, plant resistance under salinity stress, and breeding for enhanced attraction of natural enemies by crop plants. Her work has practical applications in sustainable agriculture, aiming to reduce pesticide use through breeding for natural plant resistance.