Novel routes to clubroot resistance in Brassica crops

Plant pathogens are a major limitation to crop productivity ad identifying novel forms of resistance or tolerance to infection is therefore essential for food security. Brassicas are important crop plants for both food and non-food uses with oil seed rape being the 3rd most important source of vegetable oil in the world. Clubroot (Plasmodiophora brassicae) infects Brassicas and leads to significant yield losses and in severe cases, total crop loss. Up to 10% of cultivated land worldwide is infected with clubroot, and it is particularly problematical in the UK.

Infected plants develop characteristic galls as a consequence of the pathogen hijacking the developmental pathways of its host. The galls are a strong sink for carbohydrate, effectively starving infected plants of photosynthetic resources. Plants show an initial stimulation of shoot growth following infection, as a consequence of alterations in plant growth regulators. Later, cellular organisation is disrupted affecting water relationships, leading to wilting and host death. The student will use novel imaging techniques (chlorophyll fluorescence and thermal imaging) to quantify the developmental and physiological responses of Brassicas to infection with clubroot. They will screen a panel of 84 Brassica accessions representing seven different crop types to provide a spectrum of phenotypic responses to infection. This will be linked to underlying genetic traits using the new approach of 'associative transcriptomics' recently developed by Ian Bancroft and colleagues. The student will identify Brassica varieties and genes associated with tolerance to clubroot infection and characterise these further using molecular genetic and physiological analyses.

The student, who ideally will have a background in biology, biochemistry or molecular biology and an interest in plant science will register for a PhD in the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield and enrol in the Shine Centre for Doctoral Training.