RRes - PPM Department - Pathogen Population Biology and Disease Management Programme

Pathogen Population Biology and Disease Management

Research in this programme aims to understand at the population level the processes resulting in host specificity, pathogen variation in space and time, and the factors underlying epidemic development. Evolutionary changes in pathogen populations, such as the emergence of new pathotypes, and the development of fungicide resistance, are a key focus.

The main objective of the research is to devise sustainable management strategies for major diseases of arable crops. This includes delivery of information direct to growers and the industry to guide decisions on the best options for disease control.
Prof. John Lucas
Programme Leader and Head of Department

Stem canker (Leptosphaeria maculans) of oilseed rape

Plant Pathology is not just for Christmas!

Yellow rust disease foci within a winter wheat crop (Photo courtesy of Jon West)

The target pathogens in this programme are the fungi responsible for the most damaging diseases of cereals and oilseed crops in Europe. These include leaf blotch diseases (Mycosphaerella on wheat, Rhynchosporium on barley), eyespot of cereals (Oculimacula [Tapesia] yallundae and O. acuformis), and powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis). Research on oilseed pathology focuses on the two currently most important fungal diseases of oilseed rape, stem canker (Leptosphaeria maculans) and light leaf spot (Pyrenopeziza brassicae).

The research has close links with fundamental work on infection processes in the Wheat Pathogenesis programme, and the development of epidemic and evolutionary models in Soil Science Department (Project Leader: Frank van den Bosch).

Senior staff involved: John Lucas (Programme Leader), Bruce Fitt, Alastair McCartney, Bart Fraaije, Nash Nashaat (Coordinator, Indo-UK Collaboration on oilseeds).

Image of eyespot isolates
Pathogen variation - single ascospore progeny from Oculimacula (Tapesia), the cereal eyespot fungus

The Fungicide Resistance Research Group
Research in the Fungicide Resistance Group is detecting and characterising the mechanisms leading to fungicide resistance, as well as the way resistance develops in pathogen populations. The information gained from this work is helping to devise strategies to manage the problem of fungicide resistance in the field

Anglo-Indian collaboration
Indo-UK collaboration:
The UK Department for International Development (DFID) is funding an Indo-UK collaborative project on oilseeds, focusing on the rapeseed-mustard group, which started in December 1998. The project comprises both institutional and farmer participatory research as well as rural livelihoods development. It operates across nine states in India and is being implemented by Rothamsted Research in collaboration with three Indian institutions under the umbrella of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research
Dr. N. I. Nashaat
Project overview to March 2006
Project details

Oilseeds Pathology Group Chinese Collaboration
This page highlights recent activity between members of the PPM Oilseeds Research Group and Chinese colleagues. Collaboration is funded by the British Council (LINK grant No: PEK/0992/312), the Defra/MOST Memorandum of Understanding programme and the BBSRC ISIS exchange scheme.

Click here to join oregin
Click to join the OREGIN discussion group
OREGIN
The Defra Oilseed Rape Genetic Improvement Network (OREGIN) co-ordinates public and private sector research to achieve the aims of Defra relating to the reduction of inputs that consume non-renewable resources (particularly fossil carbon), can lead to diffuse pollution and may have adverse impact on biodiversity.

SECURE
StEm Canker of oilseed rape: molecular tools and mathematical modelling to deploy dUrable REsistance. SECURE aims to deliver a strategy for effective deployment of resistance to improve durability of new stem canker resistance genes in oilseed rape cultivars. (Funded by the European Commission under Framework Programme 5 [Contract no. QLK5-CT-2002-01813])

The research has close links with fundamental work on infection processes in the Wheat Pathogenesis programme, and the development of epidemic and evolutionary models in Soil Science Department (Project Leader: Frank van den Bosch). Senior staff involved: John Lucas (Programme Leader), Bruce Fitt, Alastair McCartney, Bart Fraaije, Nash Nashaat (Coordinator, Indo-UK Collaboration on oilseeds).	Pathogen variation - single ascospore progeny from Oculimacula (Tapesia), the cereal eyespot fungus

	The Fungicide Resistance Research Group Research in the Fungicide Resistance Group is detecting and characterising the mechanisms leading to fungicide resistance, as well as the way resistance develops in pathogen populations. The information gained from this work is helping to devise strategies to manage the problem of fungicide resistance in the field

	Indo-UK collaboration: The UK Department for International Development (DFID) is funding an Indo-UK collaborative project on oilseeds, focusing on the rapeseed-mustard group, which started in December 1998. The project comprises both institutional and farmer participatory research as well as rural livelihoods development. It operates across nine states in India and is being implemented by Rothamsted Research in collaboration with three Indian institutions under the umbrella of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research Dr. N. I. Nashaat Project overview to March 2006 Project details

	Oilseeds Pathology Group Chinese Collaboration This page highlights recent activity between members of the PPM Oilseeds Research Group and Chinese colleagues. Collaboration is funded by the British Council (LINK grant No: PEK/0992/312), the Defra/MOST Memorandum of Understanding programme and the BBSRC ISIS exchange scheme.

Click to join the OREGIN discussion group	OREGIN The Defra Oilseed Rape Genetic Improvement Network (OREGIN) co-ordinates public and private sector research to achieve the aims of Defra relating to the reduction of inputs that consume non-renewable resources (particularly fossil carbon), can lead to diffuse pollution and may have adverse impact on biodiversity.

	SECURE StEm Canker of oilseed rape: molecular tools and mathematical modelling to deploy dUrable REsistance. SECURE aims to deliver a strategy for effective deployment of resistance to improve durability of new stem canker resistance genes in oilseed rape cultivars. (Funded by the European Commission under Framework Programme 5 [Contract no. QLK5-CT-2002-01813])