Education

PhD (Plant Genetics), 1998, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
BSc, Honours (Biology), 1992, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Current research interests

The effects of bioactive compounds and of fungicides on plants and plant pathogens, molecular plant, animal and microbial genetics, plant systematics and population genetics, the development of genetic markers, genome organization and evolution, transcriptomics and metabolomics

Researcher profile

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2527-6551

Teaching (lectures) – currently

Course No.

Course name

BIOA 2008

Plant Diversity

BIOA 2000

Cell Biology

CHMA 3009

Environmental Chemistry

ENVA 3004

Principles of pest management

Teaching (lectures) - past

Course No.

Course name

RESM 4014

Honours Thesis I

MCRA 2000

Microbiology

BIOA 2005

Principles of Plant Pathology

HORT 2010

Controlled environment agriculture I

RESM 4006

Environmental Project Seminar I

CHMA 3006

Mammalian Biochemistry

Teaching (labs)

Course No.

Course name

BIOA 2008

Plant Diversity

BIOA 3002

Weed Science

BIOA 0103

Weed Science

ENVA 3004

Principles of pest management

Adjunct

2018 - 2022: Adjunct, Faculty of Graduate Studies, Dalhousie University, NS, Canada

Supervision

  • Kuldeep Anjana. Thesis Title: Plant diseases in Dalhousie University Agricultural Campus’s Community and Demonstration Gardens. (BSc (Honours); registered August 2022; completed).
  • Vijaya Raje Singh. Thesis Title: Effect of soilless substrate formulations on the growth of lettuce cultivars in a hydroponic system. (BSc (Honours); registered August 2022; completed).

Service

  • Curator of the A.E. Roland Herbarium
  • Management of growth chambers

Publications (last 5 years)

·         Rathor P, Borza T, Bahmani, R., Stone S, Tonon T, Yurgel S, Potin P, Prithiviraj B (2023) Expression of a heat shock protein 70 from the brown alga Ectocarpus sp. imparts salinity stress tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. Journal of Applied Phycology 35, 803–819. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-022-02897-7

·         Patel JS, Selvaraj V, More P, Bahmani R, Borza T, Prithiviraj B (2023). A plant biostimulant from Ascophyllum nodosum potentiates plant growth promotion and stress protection activity of Pseudomonas protegens CHA0. Plants, 12, 1208. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12061208

·         Sutton KM, Eaton CW, Borza T, Burkey TE, Mote BE, Loy JD, Ciobanu DC (2022) Genetic diversity and detection of atypical porcine pestivirus infections. Journal of Animal Science, 100(1), 1–7.  https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab360

·         Shukla PS, Borza T, Critchley AT, Prithiviraj B (2021) Seaweed-based elicitors for sustainable protection against plant pathogens. Marine Drugs 19(2), 59.

·         Rathor P, Borza T, Stone S, Tonon T, Yurgel S, Potin P, Prithiviraj B (2021) A novel protein from Ectocarpus sp. improves salinity and high temperature stress tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(4), 1971.

·         Han X, Xi Y, Zhang Z, Mohammadi MA, Joshi J, Borza T, Wang-Pruski G. (2021) Effects of phosphite as a plant biostimulator on metabolism and stress response for better plant performance in Solanum tuberosum. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 210, 111873.

·         Rathor P, Borza T, Liu Y, Qin Y, Stone S, Zhang J, Hui J.P.M, Berrue F, Groisillier A, Tonon T, Yurgel S, Potin P, Prithiviraj B (2020) Low mannitol concentrations in Arabidopsis thaliana expressing Ectocarpus genes improve salt tolerance. Plants 9, 1508.

·         Coffin R, Borza T, Alam MZ, Liu Y, Desai F, Xi Y, Zhang Z, Beaton B, Goyer C, Coffin J, Wang-Pruski G (2020) Assessing the suppressive effects of biopesticides and phosphite on common scab development in potatoes. Biocontrol Science and Technology 30(10), 1133-1149.

·         Xi Y, Han X, Zhang Z, Joshi J, Borza T, Mohammadi MA, Zhang B, Yuan H, Wang-Pruski G (2020) Exogenous phosphite application alleviates the adverse effects of heat stress and improves thermotolerance of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) seedlings. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 190, 110048.

·         Borza T, Peters RD, Gao X, Wang-Pruski G (2019) Effects of phosphite on the in vitro growth of Verticillium nonalfalfae and Verticillium dahliae and on their in vivo ability to infect potato plants. European Journal of Plant Pathology, 155 (4), 1333–1344.

·         Sutton KM, Lahmers KK, Harris SP, Wijesena HR, Mote BE, Kachman SD, Borza T, Ciobanu DC (2019) Detection of atypical porcine pestivirus genome in newborn piglets affected by congenital tremor and high pre-weaning mortality. Journal of Animal Science, 97 (10), 4093-4100.

·         Borza T, Govindarajan A, Stephen J, Best K, Pruski K, Wang-Pruski G (2019) Verticillium dahliae and Verticillium nonalfalfae occurrence and abundance in several agricultural fields from Nova Scotia, Canada, assessed by real-time quantitative PCR. European Journal of Plant Pathology, 154 (4), 1171-1177.

·         Wu L, Gao X, Xia F, Joshi J, Borza T, Wang-Pruski G (2019) Biostimulant and fungicidal effects of phosphite assessed by GC-TOF-MS analysis of potato leaf metabolome. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology, 106, 49-56.