Award details

Environment and pathogen interactions in arable crops

Reference	BBS/E/C/00091525
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Dr Hugh McCartney
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	Rothamsted Research
Department	Rothamsted Research Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	74,259
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/04/1997
End date	01/03/2000
Duration	35 months

Abstract

Details should only be considered in the context of PU information. The overall aim of this programme is provide the fundamental understanding of the interactions between environmental factors and plant pathogens which control the development of plant disease epidemics in arable crops. This knowledge will contribute to the reduction of chemical inputs through improved husbandry practices and a better assessment of the need for fungicide application and its optimum timing. The objectives are to study the key phases in the spread of plant pathogens within arable crops and to develop generally applicable methods for measuring and modelling different aspects of epidemic development. Relationships between environmental factors, such as temperature, leaf wetness and wind, and sporulation (inoculum production), dispersal and infection processes are studied in field experiments. Field experiments also include studies on the relationship between inoculum deposition and epidemic development. Detailed studies of the effects of specific environmental factors on pathogen/host interactions are done in controlled environment conditions in the laboratory and include wind tunnel and rain tower experiments on dispersal processes. Studies are also done on the measurement and prediction of key environmental variables, such as leaf wetness, important in most phases of epidemic development. Economically import pathogen-crop interactions are used as model systems to provide basic information on the principles of plant disease epidemiology, which have applications in studies in human and animal diseases. Current pathogen-crop systems include: Sclerotinia sclerotiorum on oilseed rape and sunflower and Leptosphaeria/Phoma and Alternaria spp on oilseed rape.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Agri-food (AF)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
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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