NEWS RELEASE – Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board
1 April 2014
PhD event gives added AHDB support for farm innovation
Fresh from announcing a nearly 9% increase in investment in research & development and
on-farm knowledge transfer for the new 2014/15 financial year – rising to just over £24m, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) is preparing to stage a key event in its £1.5m research studentship programme.
A PhD symposium showcasing students and PhD projects from the levy board’s cereals & oilseeds (HGCA) and potatoes (Potato Council) divisions will be held at the Regional Food Academy, Harper Adams University on Tuesday 8 April. It will be the first-ever joint PhD event staged by these two AHDB crop divisions.
The PhD symposium, which is planned to become an annual event, will bring together around 20 students from a wide range of research institutes and universities. At all stages of their PhD studies, they will share their research results and build links and working partnerships with other students and the industry.
Key speakers will include Graham Finn, Policy Advisor-Agriculture for McCain Foods and a Potato Council Skills Champion, who will focus on future careers in food and the drive to achieve food security. Opening speaker Vanessa McMillan, of Rothamsted Research and a former PhD student with HGCA, will look at life beyond the PhD.
Last year, a restyled AHDB studentship programme introduced 19 new three to four-year PhD projects to grow new industry talent and deliver science with practical benefits – a call later made to the industry by Government in its recently launched Agri-Tech Strategy.
“The AHDB studentship programme is designed to reinforce the search for good science that will help feed the industry with innovation. The programme is also about training the next generation of technical experts that the industry needs to compete in a challenging future,” said Amanda Bennett, Research & KT Manager, AHDB/HGCA.
AHDB/Potato Council Head of R&D Mike Storey added: “We will continue to look to attract and develop high quality people and high quality projects, using our studentships to raise the profile of agricultural and horticultural R&D with the young scientist community. This is key to securing the levels of excellence able to drive the future of our industry as it responds to the critical need to produce more food for a growing world population while using fewer resources.”
The line-up of current PhD students set to present at the symposium includes:
Katarzyna (Kasia) Dybal – Harper Adams University (funded by Potato Council)
Kasia, a graduate of Warsaw University of Life Science, will speak on ‘The characterisation of Potato Cyst Nematode (PCN) populations in Great Britain for sustainable crop management’. Kasia is looking to use her PhD to provide a wider understanding of PCN in Great Britain to the benefit of future farming generations and potato consumers.
“Through a combination of academic study and research, I have become acutely aware of how destructive PCN can be. Development of effective and safe methods of control is crucial,” says Kasia.
“Plant pathology has always fascinated me and I’ve been interested in crop production since my childhood, harvesting potatoes with my parents on our small farm in Poland.”
Louise Gamble – James Hutton Institute (funded by HGCA)
Louise will focus on ‘Rhynchosporium commune avirulence gene discovery – a road to more durable barley resistance.’
“My project aims to significantly increase our knowledge of R. Commune genes, their role in infection development and potential for recognition of their products by the host plant barley,” says Louise.
“The use of resistant varieties remains the most ecologically friendly way of protecting barley from this disease. My research will not only contribute towards the understanding of this pathosystem but could provide a source of more durable resistance to R.Commune.”
Lara Hilley – James Hutton Institute (funded by Potato Council)
‘Application of association mapping and genomic sequencing to starch and glycemic index in potato’ is the subject of Lara’s talk. Her PhD combines Lara’s background in food, nutrition and health with her passion for cutting edge science.
“In terms of human consumption, potatoes are the third largest food crop in the world and there is an emerging opportunity for the potato industry to develop and breed varieties with increased health benefits,” says Lara.
“The publication of the potato genome sequence will enable us to identify desirable traits associated with starch and sugar content, identify candidate genes and markers for starch qualities which I hope will lead to varieties with lower GIs,” she adds.
Lara’s research interests focus heavily on using fruits and vegetables to prevent the onset of dietary diseases and in plant genetics.
Tijana Stancic – Harper Adams University (funded by HGCA)
Tijana will present on Fusarium resistance in UK oat varieties. With a significant proportion of UK oat crops exceeding European Commission indicative levels for the fusarium mycotoxins HT2 and T2, Tijana’s project aims to understand the variation in resistance of UK oat varieties to Fusarium langsethiae.
“Better understanding of why some varieties tend to have higher levels of HT2 and T2 should lead to improved recommendation of oat varieties to farmers and the inclusion of less susceptible varieties into new breeding programmes,” says Tijana.
· Photographs of the featured PhD students are available on request
Notes to editors
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) is an evidence-based levy board with a pivotal role to make the industry sectors it supports more competitive and sustainable. It undertakes research and development (R&D) and farm-level knowledge transfer (KT) and knowledge exchange (KE) activity. It also provides essential market information to improve supply chain transparency, delivers marketing promotion activities to help stimulate demand and also works to maintain and develop export markets.
Media enquiries contact Jeremy Waterfield, AHDB corporate communications,
on 0247 6478890 or 07801 418952 or