Biological Chemistry

Dr Toby JA Bruce BSc MSc PhD

Career summary

Toby obtained a BSc in Biology at University College London and an MSc in Applied Entomology from Imperial College London before embarking on his PhD at the University of Greenwich on "The Olfactory Basis for Attraction of the Bollworm Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to Host-Plant Flowers". He started at Rothamsted in 2000 and was promoted to band 5 in 2007.

Current research

Toby's aim is to improve crop protection by using chemical ecology to develop innovative approaches to pest management. Chemical Ecology is the study of mechanisms of chemical communication between organisms. His research focuses in particular on the chemical ecology of host location in insects and on alarm and sex pheromone signals. He developed the theory of how insects use ratios of ubiquitous volatiles rather than compounds taxonomically characteristic of their host (Bruce et al, 2005). As well as advancing these fundamental aspects, he has devised strategies for utilising semiochemicals for insect pest management at the field level ranging from plant activators that switch on plant defence to pheromone monitoring systems. As a direct result of his research and development work, pheromone traps are commercially available to wheat growers in the UK. As volatile semiochemicals are difficult to formulate Toby has developed approaches utilising essential oils to protect the unstable compounds such as aphid alarm pheromone, (E)-ß-farnesene and GM plants that emit this aphid repellent semiochemical. He has a new project developing wheat plants expressing aphid alarm pheromone. He is also involved in a collaborative project with icipe in Kenya on an innovative system of pest management known as "Push-Pull" which uses locally available companion plants.

Recent Talks

European Chemoreception Research Organisation, “Insect perception of blends of host plant volatiles” 7 September 2011

AAB Advances in Biocontrol meeting, “Use of semiochemicals to enhance the performance of insect biocontrol agents” 17 November 2010

Crop World, “Responding to the threat to food security caused by crop pests in the new millennium.” 5 November 2010

Royal Entomological Society, Aphid Special Interest Group, "Transgenic plants emitting aphid alarm pheromone and their potential use in crop protection" 16th November 2009.

HGCA / RRA Joint Workshop “Controlling Insect Pests”, “Monitoring and management of Orange Wheat Blossom Midge” 21st April 2009.

View Presentation on the Push-Pull system of pest management