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
Project Summary
Start date:
1 April 2023
Duration:
5 Years
Project Leader:
Funders:
BBSRC
To understand the trade-offs and co-benefits of delivering healthier agroecosystems using bio-inspired innovations and decision making to improve crop/forage productivity and quality, reduce pest pressures and improve water/air quality via reduced nutrient losses.
Detail
The programme will focus on three main areas:
- Biointeractions: looking at gene function in insects and weeds and biointeractions during cropping transitions
- Soil environments: exploring rhizosphere processes and extending soil phenotypes
- Discovery landscapes: optimising agroecosystems across landscapes and improving health indicators and metrics in agroecosystems
Project Leader
Prof. Martin Broadley
Science Director Sustainable Soils and Crops
Work-Package Leaders
Dr Mike Birkett
Biological/Organic Chemist
Dr Tim Mauchline
Plant and Soil Microbiologist
Dr Alice Milne
Spatial Statistician
Team Members
Dr David Comont
Ecologist
Laura Crook
Weed Ecology Technician
Dr Dana MacGregor
Weed Molecular Biologist
Dr Hannah Blyth
Post Doctoral Researcher
Dr Stephan Haefele
Systems Agronomist
Dr Vasthi Alonso Chavez
Epidemiological Modeller
Dr Alice Milne
Spatial Statistician
Prof. Jon West
Plant Pathologist; Aerobiologist
Dr Jozsef Vuts
Chemical Ecologist
Dr Gareth Thomas
Post-Doctoral Research Scientist
Charlie Morten
Science Technician
Dr Laura Cardenas
Atmospheric Chemist
Dr Carmen Segura Quirante
POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH SCIENTIST | SOIL SCIENTIST
Prof. Andrew Neal
MICROBIOLOGIST - SOIL SYSTEMS
Kevin Coleman
SOIL CARBON MODELLER - AGROECOSYSTEMS MODELLER
Dr Jonah Prout
SOIL CARBON MODELLER/DATA SCIENTIST
Dr Edward Joy
SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW - FOOD SYSTEMS & NUTRITION
Dr Muneta Grace Kangara
SOIL SCIENTIST CLIMATE AND NUTRIENT-SMART AGRICULTURE
Richard Ostler
Agri-Informatician
Dr Joe Helps
Computational Biologist
Dr Patricia Ortega-Ramos
Insect Ecologist
Dr Dion Garrett
MOLECULAR ENTOMOLOGIST
Dr Godfrey Apangu
MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGIST
Dr David Withall
Biological and Synthesis Chemist
Ian Clark
Molecular Microbiologist - Bioinformatician
Dr Pradip Songara
Post-Doctoral Research Scientist
Dr Thomas G. Emyr Davies
Molecular Entomologist
Dr Jana Friedrich
INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGIST
Gail Canning
PLANT PATHOLOGIST
Tessa Reid
Post Doctoral Researcher
George Lund
Post-doctoral Research Scientist
Dr Vanessa Nessner Kavamura
Agricultural Microbiologist
Ian Clark
Molecular Microbiologist - Bioinformatician