The big picture: using wildflower strips for pest control
They may be beautiful, but these strips prove pretty deadly for every farmer's mortal enemy: aphids
We bring together experts in a wide range of analytical instruments and technologies (digital microscopy, chemical analysis, next generation sequencing and metabolomics) with computational science teams (statistics, bioinformatics, ecoinformatics) and theoretical biologists.
The research we undertake is often interdisciplinary and creates (or validates) new analytical approaches, new analysis methods, new software and new resources for direct application to Rothamsted’s science portfolios and more widely to research in agricultural systems.
Our facilities and expertise contribute to all three Science Portfolios, including all of the Institute Strategic Programme Grants and National Capabilities. We provide creative thinking expertise and resources to ensure that experiments are planned, samples are analysed with state-of-the art instruments and the resulting data are managed, analysed and interpreted using the best available methods
Projects
Smart Crop Protection (SCP)
A gene to landscape approach to deliver more targeted and sustainable control of insect pests, weeds and diseases in agroecosystems.
Soil to Nutrition (S2N)
Advancing farming systems through an enhanced mechanistic understanding of nutrient use efficiency, productivity and resilience from soil to food product.
Designing Future Wheat (DFW)
Developing and screening novel wheat germplasm for the next generation of key traits which will underpin sustainable and productive agriculture
Tailoring Plant Metabolism (TPM)
Exploiting fundamental understanding of plant metabolism to expand the value chains of existing industrial crops, delivering a portfolio of high value plant products and plant germplasm
Achieving Sustainable Agricultural Systems (ASSIST)
Developing and testing innovative farming systems that increase food production & resilience to future perturbations, while reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture.
Diseasenetminer - A Novel Tool for Mining Integrated Biological Networks of Host and Pathogen Interaction
Developing interactive web applications for mining and exploring large genome-scale knowledge networks from multiple fungal pathogens, their hosts and relevant model species.
Using Next Generation Sequencing to Reveal Human Impact on Aquatic Reservoirs of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria at the Catchment Scale
Mathematical modelling of metagenomics data to increase our understanding of the factors influencing levels of antibiotic resistant bacteria in river systems
A Reference Genome Sequence For Willow
Decoding the genome sequence of Salix viminalis – a willow species of importance as a renewable bioenergy source.
Exploiting Willow Metabolites And Pathways For The Bio-Economy
Engaging plant carbon metabolism to supplement petro-chemical derived feedstocks and high value products