My research concerns a fungus, Zymoseptoria tritici, which attacks wheat plants, causing a disease known as Septoria tritici blotch (STB). STB costs the UK around £300 Million per year in lost wheat yields and in the cost of the fungicide used on the crops. Worse, the fungus is beginning to develop resistance to the fungicides that are available to treat it. This means that we need new methods to control the infection. To develop new ways to control Z. tritici, it is necessary to gain a full understanding of the ways in which the fungus interacts with the wheat plant, and how that interaction can be affected by environmental conditions. In previous work, I showed that some isolates of Z. tritici can grow on the leaf surface for around ten days before invading. The amount and duration of leaf surface growth varies between fungal isolates, and also when the same isolate infects different wheat varieties. If the particular wheat variety is resistant to a particular Z. tritici isolate, then that isolate will never invade the leaf. However, it appears that such 'avirulent' isolates can persist on the leaf surface instead, and even reproduce there, making new spores for dispersal to more susceptible wheat plants. Most plant pathogenic fungi, by contrast, can't obtain enough nutrients on the leaf surface to survive for more than 24 hours. I therefore want to determine, firstly, how important this leaf surface growth phase is for Z. tritici, and whether it is related to how effective the fungus is at causing disease. I also want to find out whether some isolates are more likely than others to spend a prolonged period of time on the leaf surface, and whether such differences in behaviour can be attributed to differences in the genomes of the fungal isolates. Secondly, I aim to determine what nutrients the fungus is using when it is on the leaf surface. For example, the fungus might be relying on internal lipid stores, or taking advantage of nutrients that are exuded from the leaf, or of agricultural inputs like fertilisers. Alternatively, it might be able to secrete enzymes which digest structural components of the leaf such as waxes, to obtain nutrients from those. The fungus might also be able to take advantage of the activities of other microbes on the leaf surface which secrete such enzymes, or which cause nutrients to leak from the leaf by damaging the leaf surface. Thirdly, therefore, I intend to sample wheat leaves in the field and use metagenomics to study which microbes are present on the leaf surface. I will then compare these microbial communities, taking note of how severely affected the wheat in each field was by Z. tritici, to look for correlations between the presence of particular microbes and the promotion of fungal infection. Having obtained these data about leaf surface growth in Z. tritici, I intend to use them to build a detailed picture of what the fungus needs to survive throughout this first period of infection, before it enters the leaf; or to persist and reproduce on the leaf surface if the wheat is resistant and it cannot enter. This will allow me to identify any vulnerabilities the fungus has that we might be able to exploit in order to control the disease. For instance, if leaf surface growth is boosted by the presence of fertiliser, then it may be possible to increase the usefulness of fungicides by inter-relating the timings of fertiliser and fungicide application. Alternatively, if the fungus relies on a particular metabolic pathway to obtain nutrients, then that pathway could be targeted for new forms of chemical or other control. Or, if the fungus gains a large advantage sharing the leaf surface with a particular bacterium, then controlling that bacterium, perhaps via bio-control with a competing bacterium that is not able to promote fungal growth, might indirectly control the fungus.

This project aims to build on a previous one-year study undertaken by Alzeim in collaboration with IGER, where the feasibility of Narcissus cultivation was considered under selected environmental regimes and at different harvest dates (Morris et al 05). At that time, the economic returns were forecast to be only moderate, since pharmaceuticals containing galanthamine were protected by patents and API levels were quite low allied to high extraction and transport costs. Formulations containing the API are now generic and the research detailed in this proposal will build on sequential harvesting of different Narcissus tissues, containing significantly higher galanthamine levels, already piloted at Alzeim. The findings and research that will be addressed within this project will seek to further drive down costs by applying the latest biorefinery principles, coupled to entirely novel harvest and extraction regimes, which are then allied to developments in agronomy, choice of plant genetic resources and savings through reduced transport of feedstocks. Sales of the biorefinery 'side-streams' should result in spin-off benefits to the local economy through supply of products to support the tourism industry (perfume, paper, wax). Although focused on the objective of maximising the alkaloid content of daffodils, the research will also provide information that can be directly utilised by flower growers and indirectly by other producers seeking to use plants as sources of secondary metabolites. Specifically, the research will demonstrate the response required from growers to climate change. The innovative qualitative models produced by the research should capture all pre-existing knowledge and provide coherent tests of the results of the various trials. In addition, they should provide the foundation for models for analogous systems. The qualitative models should enable prospective growers to determine the expected returns on their investments.

Agriculture is facing the crucial challenge of adapting crop productivity to changes in the climate. More variable weather patterns require the development of crops that are able to perform more robustly under a wider range of environmental conditions. At the same time, climate change also provides new opportunities for increasing the length of the UK vegetable growing season and increasing food security by reducing imports of fresh produce during the winter, but this requires breeding new varieties that are able to produce robustly at different times of year. The BRAVO consortium aims to meet these challenges through close interactions between academia and industry. To achieve this goal, we have brought together world-leading experts in both Arabidopsis and Brassica plant reproduction from research institutes and universities within the UK. As the result of a series of meetings between consortium members and stakeholders from the oilseed rape and vegetable Brassica industries, optimisation of flowering and coordination of developmental transitions in the production of high-quality seeds were identified as important common targets. These transitions that occur during plant reproduction such as to flowering, fertilisation, inflorescence growth, seed production, dispersal, and subsequent seed performance are now known to be managed by environmentally responsive gene networks built on a foundation of common components first described for their ability to control flowering time. The goal of BRAVO is to provide a mechanistic understanding of the role of flowering time gene networks in the control of Brassica reproductive developmental transitions from vegetative growth through to seed production and seed vigour. Because these networks control environmental responsiveness, this knowledge can be exploited to increase robustness in the performance of oilseed and vegetable Brassicas. A key challenge is how to optimise individual traits when the same flowering time gene network has been optimised by evolution over millions of years for multiple functions, each of which is important for crop performance. In this proposal, we will combine genomics and phenomics technologies with approaches in developmental genetics and mathematical modelling to link genotype to phenotype for master regulators of key transitions during Brassica reproductive development. Through exploitation of available genetic resources, we will reveal the architecture of flowering time gene networks in Brassicas and how they have been modified in the past by plant breeders to cause trait variation, life history variation and climate adaptation. This will allow us to develop a predictive framework for designing strategies to vary specific crop characteristics without harming others, and to generate and test novel genetic variation with potential uses in future trait enhancement. In parallel we will establish and exploit resources such as a gene expression atlas and targeted gene disruption which will allow the Brassica research and breeding communities to expand knowledge on important biological processes and use the outputs form BRAVO collectively to improve Brassica crop performance. Long-term improved and sustainable Brassica crop performance can only be achieved through fundamental understanding of biological processes. The composition of the BRAVO consortium allows the combination of excellence in Brassica research with knowledge transfer from the closely related Arabidopsis model species. The project builds on and expands academia-industry interactions through industrial membership on the project's Supervisory Board, industry engagement and practical involvement in case studies, frequent consortium meetings and annual stakeholder events. We believe this project provides a unique opportunity to align industry priorities with excellent fundamental research programmes in order to help secure the future yield of Brassica crops in the UK and worldwide.

Bio-lubricants have both environmental and technical advantages over their counterparts derived from mineral oils. In addition to being renewable, they are biodegradable, have lower volatile emissions and low environmental toxicity. They provide superior anti-wear protection and exhibit reduced combustibility. In addition, bio-lubricants have lower coefficients of friction, which results in reduced energy costs for equipment in which bio-lubricants as used. Although vegetable oils are used in blending some less stressed lubricants, their thermal stability is inadequate for the majority of applications as a consequence of the presence of excessive polyunsaturation of their constituent fatty acids. In view of the poor stability of conventional refined rapeseed oil, lubricant blenders currently favour the use of synthetic esters with a high renewables content of the production of the more stressed lubricant types; this more expensive base oil currently inhibits uptake of bio-lubricants by end users. Rapeseed oil has many physical and chemical properties that are advantageous for base oil for the lubricants industry. However, the total content of polyunsaturated fatty acids remains too high and the resulting instability is the principal barrier to its widespread use. The target set by the industry is reduction to less than 5% total PUFAs, whilst retaining the other desirable physical and chemical properties of rapeseed oil. To be economically competitive, some yield penalty in the crop and increased processing costs can be tolerated, as its principal competitor in the market place, low PUFA sunflower oil, is presently priced at up to $120/tonne more on the commodity markets. Nevertheless, the approaches we propose should result in little, if any, yield loss from fully developed varieties. The purpose of the project is to underpin the development of oilseed rape varieties for the production of oil for use in the lubricants industry. A key knowledge gap is an understanding of how to substantially reduce the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids in rapeseed oil without reducing the oil yield of the crop. We will address this knowledge gap and enable establishment of a closed supply chain. This involves: (a) The genetic improvement of oilseed rape by mutagenesis of specific genes in order to produce, from a high-yielding winter crop, oil very low in polyunsaturated fatty acids. (b) Assessment of the physical properties of the oil produced in order to validate its utility. (c) Provision of characterised oilseed rape lines to the breeding industry for the development of cultivars. (d) Catalysing assembly of a supply chain. The strategy is non-GM, so we anticipate no barriers to the widespread utilization of the resultant varieties in the UK.

Bio-lubricants have both environmental and technical advantages over their counterparts derived from mineral oils. In addition to being renewable, they are biodegradable, have lower volatile emissions and low environmental toxicity. They provide superior anti-wear protection and exhibit reduced combustibility. In addition, bio-lubricants have lower coefficients of friction, which results in reduced energy costs for equipment in which bio-lubricants as used. Although vegetable oils are used in blending some less stressed lubricants, their thermal stability is inadequate for the majority of applications as a consequence of the presence of excessive polyunsaturation of their constituent fatty acids. In view of the poor stability of conventional refined rapeseed oil, lubricant blenders currently favour the use of synthetic esters with a high renewables content of the production of the more stressed lubricant types; this more expensive base oil currently inhibits uptake of bio-lubricants by end users. Rapeseed oil has many physical and chemical properties that are advantageous for base oil for the lubricants industry. However, the total content of polyunsaturated fatty acids remains too high and the resulting instability is the principal barrier to its widespread use. The target set by the industry is reduction to less than 5% total PUFAs, whilst retaining the other desirable physical and chemical properties of rapeseed oil. To be economically competitive, some yield penalty in the crop and increased processing costs can be tolerated, as its principal competitor in the market place, low PUFA sunflower oil, is presently priced at up to $120/tonne more on the commodity markets. Nevertheless, the approaches we propose should result in little, if any, yield loss from fully developed varieties. The purpose of the project is to underpin the development of oilseed rape varieties for the production of oil for use in the lubricants industry. A key knowledge gap is an understanding of how to substantially reduce the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids in rapeseed oil without reducing the oil yield of the crop. We will address this knowledge gap and enable establishment of a closed supply chain. This involves: (a) The genetic improvement of oilseed rape by mutagenesis of specific genes in order to produce, from a high-yielding winter crop, oil very low in polyunsaturated fatty acids. (b) Assessment of the physical properties of the oil produced in order to validate its utility. (c) Provision of characterised oilseed rape lines to the breeding industry for the development of cultivars. (d) Catalysing assembly of a supply chain. The strategy is non-GM, so we anticipate no barriers to the widespread utilization of the resultant varieties in the UK.