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Dr D Thorogood
No more applications being accepted
Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)
About the Project
Supporting infrastructure for integrated plant science research
IBERS is engaged in plant breeding through long term partnerships with our industrial partners, Senova Ltd and Germinal Holdings Ltd supported by public sector funding from DEFRA, BBSRC and the Technology Strategy Board http://goo.gl/3c5KV. IBERS is uniquely placed to translate fundamental plant science research, supported by powerful genomics and phenomics platforms, into practical breeding applications.
Objectives and rationale
Vegetative growth and floral development in temperate grasses is influenced by environmental cues, primarily photoperiod and temperature. We propose a detailed physiological study of leaf growth and inflorescence development in a ryegrass mapping family. It has long been known that there is genetic variation for seasonal distribution of growth in ryegrass, which has been exploited by breeders to increase the length of the growing season and optimise the seasonal distribution of forage yield, yet its precise genetic control is unknown. In particular, we wish to investigate the genetic basis of early spring growth that coincides with floral initiation (Ann. Bot. 46:435-444). Our preliminary QTL analyses revealed a leaf extension rate QTL that coincides with a region of the genome that contains two photoperiod response homologues of the Arabidopsis Flowering Time (FT) and Constans (Co) genes (New Phytologist 178:559-571). Co is a transcription factor that is the initial trigger for initiation of the floral response. It is expressed in leaves and we have unique evidence that it appears to be involved in triggering leaf growth that immediately precedes the floral initiation process. The only previous example of the involvement of a Co-like gene in processes other than floral induction is from potato where it controls the photoperiod dependent process of tuber development (Plant Journal 70:678-690).
The expression of quantitative trait loci (QTL) for vegetative growth and floral development throughout the life cycle of the plants will be followed to then associate candidate genes with these QTL through comparative genetics with model grass species and reference Lolium sequence data.
A similar mapping approach in oats will be adopted to study the vegetative and floral development characteristics of a winter oat mapping family in relation to final seed yield potential.
Where candidate genes are identified, e.g. the Co gene in ryegrass, there will be opportunities to investigate direct association of sequence variations with observed leaf extension and floral development phenotypes.
Materials
The winter oat mapping family consists of 230 recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross of two cultivars (Buffalo and Tardis) with contrasting growth and flowering time characteristics. The linkage map currently comprising over 600 SSR and DArT markers is soon to be mapped with the newly developed oat 6K Illumina chip.
The ryegrass mapping family, consisting of 85 individuals, derived from a pair-cross between two genotypes with contrasting growth characteristics and has been mapped with more than 1,200 SNP markers generated by Illumina’s Golden Gate® assay.
Supervisors: Danny Thorogood ([Email Address Removed]), Sandy Cowan, Catherine Howarth
Candidates should have (or expect to achieve) a First Class or Upper second class honours degree and/or a masters degree
(or equivalent) in a relevant subject."
We encourage prospective candidates to contact the lead supervisor Dr Danny Thorogood [Email Address Removed]; 01970 823176;
http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/ibers/staff/staff_profiles/dnt/
http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/ibers/opportunities-@-ibers/
IBERS is engaged in plant breeding through long term partnerships with our industrial partners, Senova Ltd and Germinal Holdings Ltd supported by public sector funding from DEFRA, BBSRC and the Technology Strategy Board http://goo.gl/3c5KV. IBERS is uniquely placed to translate fundamental plant science research, supported by powerful genomics and phenomics platforms, into practical breeding applications.
Objectives and rationale
Vegetative growth and floral development in temperate grasses is influenced by environmental cues, primarily photoperiod and temperature. We propose a detailed physiological study of leaf growth and inflorescence development in a ryegrass mapping family. It has long been known that there is genetic variation for seasonal distribution of growth in ryegrass, which has been exploited by breeders to increase the length of the growing season and optimise the seasonal distribution of forage yield, yet its precise genetic control is unknown. In particular, we wish to investigate the genetic basis of early spring growth that coincides with floral initiation (Ann. Bot. 46:435-444). Our preliminary QTL analyses revealed a leaf extension rate QTL that coincides with a region of the genome that contains two photoperiod response homologues of the Arabidopsis Flowering Time (FT) and Constans (Co) genes (New Phytologist 178:559-571). Co is a transcription factor that is the initial trigger for initiation of the floral response. It is expressed in leaves and we have unique evidence that it appears to be involved in triggering leaf growth that immediately precedes the floral initiation process. The only previous example of the involvement of a Co-like gene in processes other than floral induction is from potato where it controls the photoperiod dependent process of tuber development (Plant Journal 70:678-690).
The expression of quantitative trait loci (QTL) for vegetative growth and floral development throughout the life cycle of the plants will be followed to then associate candidate genes with these QTL through comparative genetics with model grass species and reference Lolium sequence data.
A similar mapping approach in oats will be adopted to study the vegetative and floral development characteristics of a winter oat mapping family in relation to final seed yield potential.
Where candidate genes are identified, e.g. the Co gene in ryegrass, there will be opportunities to investigate direct association of sequence variations with observed leaf extension and floral development phenotypes.
Materials
The winter oat mapping family consists of 230 recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross of two cultivars (Buffalo and Tardis) with contrasting growth and flowering time characteristics. The linkage map currently comprising over 600 SSR and DArT markers is soon to be mapped with the newly developed oat 6K Illumina chip.
The ryegrass mapping family, consisting of 85 individuals, derived from a pair-cross between two genotypes with contrasting growth characteristics and has been mapped with more than 1,200 SNP markers generated by Illumina’s Golden Gate® assay.
Supervisors: Danny Thorogood ([Email Address Removed]), Sandy Cowan, Catherine Howarth
Candidates should have (or expect to achieve) a First Class or Upper second class honours degree and/or a masters degree
(or equivalent) in a relevant subject."
We encourage prospective candidates to contact the lead supervisor Dr Danny Thorogood [Email Address Removed]; 01970 823176;
http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/ibers/staff/staff_profiles/dnt/
http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/ibers/opportunities-@-ibers/
Funding Notes
This project is one available as part of the IBERS PhD Studentships initiative. This is an open competition.
Subsistenace rates will be in accordance with current Research Council rates.
Applications through PG Admissions - http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/postgrad/howtoapply/ - please ensure that you enter the lead supervisors name under 'name of proposed research supervisor'.
Subsistenace rates will be in accordance with current Research Council rates.
Applications through PG Admissions - http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/postgrad/howtoapply/ - please ensure that you enter the lead supervisors name under 'name of proposed research supervisor'.
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