Novel routes to clubroot resistance in Brassica crops
Supervisors: Dr Stephen Rolfe (Animal and Plant Sciences) and Professor Julie Gray (Molecular Biology & Biotechnology)
Plant pathogens are a major limitation to crop productivity and identifying novel forms of resistance or tolerance to infection is therefore essential for food security. Brassicas are important crop plants for both food and non-food uses with oil seed rape being the 3rd most important source of vegetable oil in the world. Clubroot (Plasmodiophora brassicae) infects Brassicas and leads to significant yield losses and in severe cases, total crop loss. Up to 10% of cultivated land worldwide is infected with clubroot, and it is particularly problematic in the UK.
Infected plants develop characteristic galls as a consequence of the pathogen hijacking the developmental pathways of its host1. The galls are a strong sink for carbohydrate, effectively starving infected plants of photosynthetic resources. Plants show an initial stimulation of shoot growth following infection, as a consequence of alterations in plant growth regulators. Later, cellular organisation is disrupted affecting water relationships, leading to wilting and host death. The student will use novel imaging techniques (chlorophyll fluorescence and thermal imaging) to quantify the developmental and physiological responses of Brassicas to infection with clubroot. They will screen a panel of 84 Brassica accessions representing seven different crop types to provide a spectrum of phenotypic responses to infection. This will be linked to underlying genetic traits using the new approach of 'associative transcriptomics' recently developed by Ian Bancroft and colleagues2. The student will identify Brassica varieties and genes associated with tolerance to clubroot infection and characterise these further using molecular genetc and physiological analyses.
The student, who ideally will have a background in biology, biochemistry or molecular biology and an interest in plant science will register for a PhD in the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences and enrol in the Shine Centre for Doctoral Training.
1 Malinowski, R., et al., Gall formation in clubroot-infected Arabadopsis results from an increase in existing meristematic activities of the host but is not essential for the completion of the pathogen life cycle. The Plant Journal. 71(2): 226-238
2 Harper et al (2012) Associative transcriptomics of traits in the polypoid crop species Brassica napus. Nature Biotechnology 30: 798-804
To apply, please complete an online application form which can be found at www.shef.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/apply/applying
The call for applications to this post will remain open until the position is filled.