Welcome!
Rosemary Collier, Warwick Crop Centre, School of Life Sciences •  Defra-funded project bringing together research focused on
key vegetable crops. Aims are:
–  To develop the genetic resources and tools to accelerate
breeding for sustainability traits in field vegetables
–  To establish an effective network with industry, for knowledge
transfer to promote market delivery of R&D
•  Addressing challenges - food security and climate change.
•  Research on genetic improvement of brassica, lettuce, onion
and carrot
•  Using genetic resource collections in the Warwick Genetic
Resources Unit (GRU).
Programme overview
•  Monday
–  Carrot and onion session (13.30-17.30)
–  Posters, networking and buffet supper
(18.00)
•  Tuesday
–  Leafy vegetable session (10.00-13.00)
–  Lunch and depart
Plant and crop research at Warwick (School of Life Sciences)
Investigation – access to science
Systems biology
Plant science
Crop genetics
Crop production
Warwick
Crop Centre
Translation – access to industry
Warwick Crop Centre
•  Within the School of Life Sciences
•  Footprint consolidated on Wellesbourne campus
•  Upgraded facilities for research on crops
•  Research, teaching and training – students and
industry
•  Leading Warwick Food Security MSc,
contributing to agronomy MSc
•  Engaging with funders and industry
Warwick Global Priorities Programme
•  Responding to global challenges through
research
•  Multi-disciplinary research – science,
medicine, social science, statistics,
engineering, business
•  Planning conference on Vegetables and food
security – July 2012
•  Collaboration with Medical School Diet and
health – planning collaborative research,
workshops, symposia and other activities
Crop research - School of Life Sciences including Warwick Crop Centre
Crops
•  Brassica,
•  Carrot, lettuce, onion
•  Minor vegetable crops
•  Ornamentals
SOIL
WATER
CLIMATE CHANGE
Genetics and genomics
Crop physiology
•  Flowering
•  Bolting
Biotic factors
•  Pest
•  Disease
•  Biological control
•  Weeds
•  Soil biota
•  Biogeochemical cycles
•  Pollinators
Environment
•  Carbon
•  Water
•  Pesticides
•  Fertilisers
•  Ecosystem services
RESEARCH
COLLABORATORS
PLANT NUTRITION
ENERGY
WASTE
PESTS, DISEASE,
WEEDS
•
•
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•
•
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ADAS
CCRI
Cranfield
East Malling Research
Fera
Harper Adams
James Hutton Institute
Rothamsted
•  STC
•  ……….
ENVIRONMENT
BIODIVERSITY
Funders/collaborators: BBSRC, Defra, HDC, TSB,
Horticulture LINK, industry
Allium research
•  Control of thrips in leek (Hort
LINK – SCEPTRE project)
•  Onion fly, bean seed fly
•  Threat of new pests
Collier, Jukes
Allium research
•  FV 392 Onions: Relationship between
disease incidence in stored bulb
onions and first year sets
•  TSB Project: Development of novel
biological seed treatment
technologies for parsnip and onion
•  Defra: Molecular genetic techniques
to identify and distinguish Fusarium
formae speciales - which may lead to
a diagnostic test for Fusarium
oxysporum fsp. cepae
Clarkson, Barbara
Carrot research
•  Control of aphids and
caterpillars on carrot (HortLINK
SCEPTRE project)
•  Carrot fly control (TSB
projects)
•  Pest forecasts (with HDC and
Syngenta)
Collier, Jukes
Carrot research
•  Defra: Plant Pathogen
Populations in Wild and
Agricultural Hosts and
interactions with Plant
Genotype. Transmission of
virus by willow-carrot aphid
(also Sclerotinia).
•  HDC: Cavity spot
•  HDC PhD: Pathogen
diversity, epidemiology and
control of Sclerotinia disease
in vegetable crops
Barbara, Clarkson
Carrot relatives
•  TSB: Development of
Novel Biological Seed
Treatment Technologies
for parsnip and onion
•  PhD: identifying resistance
in parsnip to Itersonilia
•  Undergraduate project:
yield decline in coriander
Clarkson, Bending
With particular thanks to Defra