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Previous projects

Perry Foundation Studentship: Managing fungicide timing and induced resistance to decrease severity of stem canker epidemics on oilseed rape in the UK

Objectives:

1. To predict risk of severe phoma stem canker.
Rothamsted data for 6 seasons on L. maculans ascospore release, temperature, rainfall and development of stem canker epidemics will be compared with results of controlled environment (CE) experiments on ascospore maturation. These data will be used to predict the date of ascospore release from rainfall/temperature data to modify/improve models (PASSWORD project) to guide timing of autumn fungicide application to prevent development of severe stem canker epidemics.

2. To develop alternative methods to control stem canker using biological and chemical defence activators to induce resistance to L. maculans.
Research suggests that L. biglobosa and ASM may induce resistance to L. maculans and decrease severity of phoma leaf spotting and phoma stem canker. Further CE experiments will be done using ASM seed and foliar spray pre-treatments and pre-treatment with L. biglobosa ascospores to test if resistance is induced to L. maculans.

3. To examine distribution of the pathogen (L. maculans) and biological control agent (L. biglobosa) in the UK and China.
Winter oilseed rape stems with phoma stem cankers were collected in summer 2000 to 2003 from farms over England. The pathogens were isolated and identified. These data will be analysed for variations in L. biglobosa and L. maculans populations between different seasons/regions. The relationships between population variation and regional/seasonal differences in weather (temperature, rainfall) and cultural practices will be established. This information will be used to judge the potential for exploitation of L. biglobosa as a biological control agent for use against L. maculans. Isolates of L. biglobosa pathogen have been collected from China (from different seasons and different provinces). A comparison between Chinese L. biglobosa and European L. biglobosa populations will be done using AFLP to understand the relationships between the two populations.

National Capabilities

Rothamsted Research receives
strategic funding from the BBSRC

• BBSRC Institutes

• Babraham Institute
• Institute for Animal Health
• Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences
• Institute of Food Research
• John Innes Centre
• Rothamsted Research
• The Genome Analysis Centre
• The Roslin Institute