About the Project
Number of awards:
1
Start date and duration:
September 2018 for 3 years.
Overview:
Interested in the prediction and management of crop diseases? This PhD project will investigate the dynamics of diseases of vegetable brassicas and oilseed rape, and use a combination of field samples and mathematical modelling to develop new and improved methods of disease forecasting.
The project is undertaken in collaboration with Fera Science Ltd (York), which is developing a suite of real-time models to predict diseases in oilseed rape (OSR) wheat and barley for the centre of Crop Health and Protection. The project therefore provides an excellent opportunity to work on an interdisciplinary project with both academia and industry.
The overall aim is to develop integrated approaches to disease forecasting in brassicas. Currently, methods to forecast diseases common on both vegetable brassicas (VB) and OSR have been developed in isolation, but improved predictions should be possible if this fragmentation is avoided via integrated methods. It is also important to consider the spatial and temporal scales at which disease outbreaks occur, for example between neighbouring crops, and identify when disease first poses a risk, rather than attempt to cure epidemics.
Specific aims include:
Systematic literature review and meta-analysis of diseases that co-occur in OSR and VB to identify candidate diseases for more detailed further study
Identify sites where both OSR and VB co-occur, and collect and analyse spore samples, supplemented by data and samples from CHAP monitoring stations
Compare spore samples at different spatial scales, e.g. within large fields; between fields on the same farm, between farms, assess disease model performance and accuracy.
Sponsor:
Agriculture, Horticulture and Development Board (AHDB). The student will be based at Fera.
Name of supervisor(s):
Dr Roy Sanderson (https://bit.ly/2LkMaVK), School of Natural and Environmental Science (https://bit.ly/2khqiyv)
Dr Femke van den Berg, Fera Science Ltd, York
Dr Judith Turner, Fera Science Ltd, York (www.fera.co.uk).
Eligibility Criteria:
You must have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2:1 honours degree or international equivalent in biology or environmental science or a related subject. This award is available to UK/EU nationals only.
How to apply:
You must apply through the University’s online postgraduate application system. To do this please ‘Create a new account’ (https://bit.ly/2IE5JGK).
All relevant fields should be completed, but fields marked with a red asterisk must to be completed. The following information will help us to process your application. You will need to:
insert the programme code 8020F in the programme of study section
select ‘PhD Biology (full time) - Biological Sciences’ as the programme of study
insert the studentship code NES008 in the studentship/partnership reference field
attach a covering letter and CV. The covering letter must state the title of the studentship, quote reference code NES008 and state how your interests and experience relate to the project
attach degree transcripts and certificates and, if English is not your first language, a copy of your English language qualifications.
You should also send your covering letter and CV to Dr Roy Sanderson (https://bit.ly/2LkMaVK) by email to [Email Address Removed].