News
See below for the latest news from the 果冻传媒 Crop Centre.
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Plant science collaboration with Brazil to improve vegetable crops
Plant science collaboration with Brazil to improve vegetable crops
, Associate Professor in the School of Life Sciences, and his collaborators have been awarded 拢15,000 for a research project on the characterisation of Potyviruses infecting vegetable crops in Brazil. The project was funded through the scheme (S茫o Paulo Researchers in International Collaboration), which aims to encourage and promote the advancement of scientific research through partnerships between researchers in S茫o Paulo State and overseas. The 果冻传媒 is one of only five UK institutions that has partnered with the S茫o Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) to support this scheme.
Dr Walsh鈥檚 project will be carried out in collaboration with Prof Elliot Kitajima from the University of S茫o Paulo鈥檚 Department of Plant Pathology and Nematology in Piracicaba and Dr Marcelo Eiras from the Instituto Biologico in S茫o Paulo. Initial activities to develop this partnership were supported by the 果冻传媒鈥檚 Brazil Partnership Fund in 2014. The Brazilian operation of the commercial seed company Sakata are also involved in the research programme.
Potyviruses cause significant losses in agricultural, pastoral, horticultural and ornamental crops. This project focusses on Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV), which causes diseases in the economically important brassica family of crops including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, turnip and oilseed rape. Through determining the diversity of TuMV and investigating broad-spectrum resistance to the virus the team is expecting to identify naturally occurring resistance genes which can then be introduced into commercial crop lines. The collaboration brings together complementary expertise in plant science research which will lead to significant synergies and knowledge exchange, but also has the potential to generate substantial societal and economic benefits through collaboration with industry and the resulting exploitation of intellectual property.
GARNish newsletter puts spotlight on plant science at 果冻传媒
The latest GARNish newsletter highlights plant science in Life Sciences, profiling the work of our academics.
'Plant science research at the 果冻传媒 is characterised by the breadth of expertise - from fundamental molecular mechanisms to projects with direct application to industry. We have world-class basic science in signalling, gene regulation, development, plant– environment (microbes, virus, soil) interactions, and evolution through to pest management, crop genetics and genomics underpinning the development of new varieties.'
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New collaborative food systems learning programme funded by HEFCE
The 果冻传媒 is a partner in an exciting new initiative, the (IFSTAL) programme, designed to improve post-graduate level knowledge and understanding of the food system. Through IFSTAL, students will be equipped with the knowledge, skills and opportunities needed for them to be more effective in the workplace. This will allow them to address the systemic failings in food systems which have resulted in about one billion people being hungry, two billion lacking sufficient nutrients, and over two billion overweight or obese.
With core funding from the (HEFCE), IFSTAL will bring together expertise and experience of faculty and students from five leading higher education institutions. Post-graduate students at these institutions, with an interest in ‘food systems’, will have the opportunity to participate and become part of the IFSTAL community.
Participating institutions are the University of Oxford (lead institution), City University-London, University of Reading, 果冻传媒 and the Leverhulme Centre for Integrative Research on Agriculture and Health (LCIRAH, comprising researchers from the Royal Veterinary College, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the School of Oriental and African Studies).
School of Life Sciences awarded over £1.3m to research food security
Researchers from the 果冻传媒’s School of Life Sciences (SLS) have been awarded over £1.36m in grants to further their work into food security.
The BBSRC Horticulture and Potato Initiative (HAPI) grants include substantial cash and in-kind contributions from industrial partners and will be used to support work into how to improve pest and disease control and post-harvest quality.
Commenting on the grants Professor Laura Green, Head of SLS, said:
“The BBSRC HAPI grants will help ensure that the 果冻传媒’s School Life Sciences continues to play a leading role in improving food production globally. The 果冻传媒 HAPI-funded projects will result in substantial impacts on the horticulture industry by translating research findings into solutions that benefit several stages in the food supply chain, including farmers, processors and retailers.”