Award details

Understanding pesticide resistance and developing sustainable crop protection strategies

Reference	BBS/E/C/00005193
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Linda Field
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	Rothamsted Research
Department	Rothamsted Research Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	1,632,582
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/04/2012
End date	31/03/2017
Duration	59 months

Abstract

The sustainability of pest, pathogen and weed control is frequently compromised by two processes: (i) the appearance of new pest and pathogen species, and (ii) the emergence of new genotypes of indigenous organisms. The best documented evolutionary trait threatening crop protection is resistance to pesticides, which has frequently led to the loss of valuable chemicals and uncontrollable pest and disease outbreaks. Pioneering work at Rothamsted has revealed the primary mechanisms of resistance, arising from modifications or over-expression of proteins targeted by pesticides, or by enhanced detoxification or excretion of pesticides before they reach their target. Our work has also identified many interacting genetic, toxicological, behavioural and ecological parameters determining the selection and spread of resistance genes as well as modelling the invasion and spread of resistance under different treatment regimes. The ultimate goals of this work package are to (i) build on internationally-acclaimed work to characterise the causes and selection of new resistance traits, and (ii) translate this knowledge into strategies for deploying pesticides and other crop protection tactics. Ultimately this research will, in conjunction with agrochemical companies and the farming industries, lead to more sustainable use of pesticides and the design of more effective and/or selective compounds. This will be achieved through the following objectives: 1. Detection/monitoring of resistance to existing and new pesticides and genetic and toxicological characterisation of resistance traits. 2: Identification of mutations giving rise to enhanced detoxification or target site insensitivity. 3: Elucidation of molecular interactions between pesticides and their detoxifying enzymes and target site proteins.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Not funded via Committee
Research Topics	Crop Science, Plant Science
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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