Patricia Sanches

Dr. Patricia Sanches is a Lecturer in the Department of Environmental Systems Science at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. Her research focuses on ecological interactions, particularly plant responses to herbivory, microbial symbiosis effects, and pest management strategies. She investigates how plants utilize defensive volatiles and chemical signals to combat herbivores and pathogens, with applications in sustainable agriculture and biodiversity conservation.

Her work bridges entomology, microbiology, and plant physiology, addressing topics such as aphid-plant symbiosis, parasitoid attraction mechanisms, and fungal-viral synergies in plant stress responses. Recent studies include the modulation of virus effects on aphid-plant interactions and the role of jasmonic acid in sugarcane pest resistance.

Dr. Sanches collaborates on projects involving beneficial rhizobacteria for root pest resistance and large-scale rearing of fruit fly species for biological control. Her research highlights the complexity of trophic interactions and the potential for ecological solutions in crop protection.