UK-China Joint Centre for Sustainable Intensification in Agriculture (CSIA).

Lead Research Organisation: Rothamsted Research
Department Name: UNLISTED

Abstract

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Technical Summary

The joint centre for sustainable intensification in agriculture (CSIA) is centred around a primary partnership between RRes and CAAS, with several additional Chinese partners in place to bring together a complementarity of skills and capacity in areas of research where a collaborative approach will lead to faster and better solutions for agriculture as well as increased impact and translation of the research effort. Specifically CSIA seeks to: 1.    Enact a programme of colloaborative reseach to develop soultions for the following focus areas: i. Crop efficiency, ii. Soil management, iii.   Next-generation Integrated Pest, Disease and Weed Management solutions, iv.   Modelling agricultural innovation, practice and policy. 2.    Enact a programme of capacity building in SIA through PhD student training. 3.    Facilitate increased staff exchange between the UK and China. 4. Undertake Knowldege exchange activities through: i.   CSIA Scientific meetings; ii.   CSIA Student training school; CSIA International Conferences

Planned Impact

unavailable

Publications

10 25 50
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Cai Z (2021) Striking a balance between N sources: Mitigating soil acidification and accumulation of phosphorous and heavy metals from manure. in The Science of the total environment

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Cai Z (2020) Decarboxylation of organic anions to alleviate acidification of red soils from urea application in Journal of Soils and Sediments

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Drake V (2017) Ventral-aspect radar cross sections and polarization patterns of insects at X band and their relation to size and form in International Journal of Remote Sensing

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Dällenbach LJ (2018) Higher flight activity in the offspring of migrants compared to residents in a migratory insect. in Proceedings. Biological sciences

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Gao Y (2022) Different Responses in Root Water Uptake of Summer Maize to Planting Density and Nitrogen Fertilization. in Frontiers in plant science

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Gao Y (2020) Discerning the Difference Between Lumens and Scalariform Perforation Plates in Impeding Water Flow in Single Xylem Vessels and Vessel Networks in Cotton. in Frontiers in plant science

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Harris P (2017) A farm platform approach to optimizing temperate grazing-livestock systems: metrics for trade-off assessments and future innovations

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Hu G (2016) Mass seasonal bioflows of high-flying insect migrants. in Science (New York, N.Y.)

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Hu W (2018) A pore-scale model for simulating water flow in unsaturated soil in Microfluidics and Nanofluidics

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Huang Z (2023) Root phenotyping and root water uptake calculation using soil water contents measured in a winter wheat field in Agricultural Water Management

 
Description Over 25 collaborative projects and exchanges were funded through the award, establishing new collaborations, joint research and joint outputs (including joint publications) with partners at CAAS,CAS, CAU and NAU. The award funded several scientific workshops, bringing together Principle investigators and scientists from our Chinese partners and Rothamsted Research to consider mutual agricultural challenges and seek sustainable scientific solutions. The research areas ranged from upstream fundamental plant sciences to applied crop protection strategies, developing partnerships between principle investigators and early career Researchers, and creating pump-priming data for future project opportunities.
Exploitation Route The Partnerships continue to strengthen and grow with continued interest in both China and Rothamsted. New collaborative projects are aimed at but this will be dependent on there being a suitable funding opportunity for UK-China research
Sectors Agriculture

Food and Drink
URL https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/international/china/csia
 
Description The flexibility and self-management of this award permitted the development of collaborative partnerships, based on observed regional agricultural challenges, to develop sustainable long-term solutions that can deliver global benefits. The award supported workshops, exchanges, and pump-priming research that collectively strengthened research capability between Rothamsted our Chinese partners and supported innovative solutions along the delivery pipeline. Additionally, the institutional relationships developed during this award contributed to the inclusion of Rothamsted as a partner in the first phase of the China- Genome to Phenome: Deciphering Crop Genetic Resources. An initiative that aims to intensify international scientific and technological cooperation to decipher and share information on crop genetic resources, generating new genetic resources that cooperating international parties could mutually share.
First Year Of Impact 2021
Sector Agriculture, Food and Drink
Impact Types Cultural

Policy & public services
 
Description Agritech in China Newton Network - intra-project partnerships
Amount £25,000 (GBP)
Organisation Agri-tech 
Sector Private
Country United Kingdom
Start 02/2018 
End 11/2018
 
Description DFW - Designing Future Wheat - Work package 2 (WP2) - Added value and resilience
Amount £7,068,842 (GBP)
Funding ID BBS/E/C/000I0250 
Organisation Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 03/2017 
End 03/2023
 
Description Delivering Sustainable Wheat: Delivering Resilience to Biotic Stress (Rothamsted Research)
Amount £575,550 (GBP)
Funding ID BBS/E/RH/230001B 
Organisation Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 03/2023 
End 03/2028
 
Title Tethered flight technology deployed in China 
Description A 16 channel insect tethered flight system has successfully deployed in Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences for field campaign in July 2017. 
Type Of Material Improvements to research infrastructure 
Year Produced 2018 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Tethered flight provides a valuable tool for studying the flight behaviour of insects, giving insights into flight propensity (e.g. distance, duration and velocity) and orientation under controlled laboratory settings. By experimentally manipulating a variety of environmental and physiological traits, numerous studies have used this technology to study the flight behaviour of migratory insects ranging in size from aphids to butterflies. The equipment deployment has led to a review paper on the use of tethered flight technique as a tool for studying insect-life history strategies associated with migration in insects. 
 
Title You Tube videos of how to use the high volume cyclone spore trap 
Description A series of videos were made to explain to collaborators how to use a high volume spore trap. 
Type Of Material Improvements to research infrastructure 
Year Produced 2019 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Collaborators in Brazil and China were able to view the methods and set up devices in their countries to enable sampling using a standardised methodology. 
URL https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPMAAzkgSwpay00Q6tgU2OiBmpYusWnBo
 
Title Data from: Contrasting population structure and demographic history of cereal aphids in different environmental and agricultural landscapes 
Description Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms files and phylogonetic trees of S. miscanthi samples collected in China and S. avenae from the UK used to study the population genetics analyses of these species. These are: China_samples_vcf.zip: dataset of SNPs from S. miscanthi sampled in 10 populations of China obtained using FreeBayes (in vcf format). China_samples_vcf_filtered.zip: SNPs from S. miscanthi after filtering the file China_samples_vcf.zip using vcftools (max-missing 0.75, minDP 3, mac 3, minQ 30, remove-indels, thin 2000, max-missing 0.9, thin 5000). This file was used in all population genetic analyses of the Chinese populations in the paper, transforming to the appropriate formats. China_samples_SNPs.fas: fasta file of phased SNPs used to estimate the phylogeny of S. miscanthi haplotypes using RAxML. China_RAxML_phylogeny_newick.tre: RAxML phylogenetic tree in newick format obtained with China_samples_SNPs.fas. England_samples_vcf.zip: dataset of SNPs from S. avenae sampled in 12 populations of England obtained using FreeBayes (in vcf format). England_samples_vcf_filtered.zip: SNPs from S. avenae after filtering the file England_samples_vcf.zip using vcftools (max-missing 0.5, mac 3, minQ 30, minDP 3, max-missing 0.5, exclude individuals with 50% missing data, max-missing 0.75, remove-indels, thin 2000). This file was used in all population genetic analyses of the English populations in the paper, transforming the vcf to the corresponding formats. England_samples_SNPs.fas: fasta file of phased SNPs. England_samples_SNPs_polymorphic.fas: fasta file of phased SNPs used in the phylogenetic reconstruction of S. avenae haplotypes using RAxML. This file is the same as England_samples_SNPs.fas after removing sites which were not polymorphic (e.g. a site that contains N and T in different samples is not considered polymorphic for RAxML and has to be removed) England_RAxML_phylogeny_newick.tre: RAxML phylogenetic tree in newick format obtained with England_samples_SNPs_polymorphic.fas. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2020 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL http://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.k0p2ngf5x
 
Title Farm Platform Data Portal 
Description The Farm Platform Data Portal contains core data for the Farm Platform and facilitates access to the data to both Rothamsted Research staff and the wider research community. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2017 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact This database allows open access to researchers to utilise the core data generated from the Farm Platform National Capability. The database was first released in 2016 and currently there are ~120 registered users of the data portal 
URL https://nwfp.rothamsted.ac.uk/
 
Title GWmodel R package 
Description GWmodel R package is a collection spatial statistical tools for exploring spatial heterogeneity. Continually developed since its release in 2013. 
Type Of Material Data analysis technique 
Year Produced 2017 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact "GWmodel" produced 66,200 Google hits. 
URL https://www.jstatsoft.org/article/view/v063i17
 
Description Amelioration of soil acidification from long-term chemical fertilizers combined with organic materials 
Organisation China Agricultural University (CAU)
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Project Leads: Dr Tom Misselbrook (Rothamsted); Zejiang Cai (CAAS). Project members: Dr Shilin Wen, Assoc Prof Shiwei Zhou and Prof Minggang Xu (CAAS); Dr Alison Carswell (Rothamsted); Prof Xuejun Liu, Dr Qichao Zhu and Sen Wang (CAU). Soil acidification from the long term overuse of chemical nitrogen (N) fertilizers has become a serious global issue for agricultural production that requires the adoption of more sustainable fertilization strategies. Long-term manure applications can prevent or even reverse soil acidification arising from chemical N fertilizers and enhance nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). This has been demonstrated in a 26-year long-term experiment in Qiyang, Hunan province, South China. To date, however, little is known regarding the mechanisms, especially for different types of organic material, by which soil acidification is modified. The goal of this project is to investigate the effects of manure, crop residues, and litter from grass and trees on soil acidity and their relationship with C and N transformations in soil, and to elucidate how organic materials may affect the soil acidification processes arising from chemical N application. Three long-term fertilization experiments (two 7-year and one 26-year) from Qiyang Experiment Station in China and the >100-year-old experiments at Rothamsted Research will be used to collect data from different treatments. Soil pH, exchangeable acidity, exchangeable base cations, pH buffering capacity, and soil organic matter will be measured from all treatments, soil acidification rate will be estimated and all the data will be statistically analyzed for conclusions. Rothamsted have made available for analysis their Long Term Experiment data and soil archive, from which samples have been analysed for base cation content.
Collaborator Contribution Zejian Cai (CAAS) has analysed Long Term data sets from China to assess the impact of organic manure amendment on amelioration of soil acidification caused by long term fertilizer application. Several draft publications are in progress. Donghao Xu (CAU) spent 2 months at Rothamsted working with the VSD model and data/samples from the Rothamsted Long Term Park Grass experiment, to validate and improve the model. A draft paper is in progress.
Impact Several scientific publications are anticipated from this collaboration.
Start Year 2016
 
Description Amelioration of soil acidification from long-term chemical fertilizers combined with organic materials 
Organisation Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Project Leads: Dr Tom Misselbrook (Rothamsted); Zejiang Cai (CAAS). Project members: Dr Shilin Wen, Assoc Prof Shiwei Zhou and Prof Minggang Xu (CAAS); Dr Alison Carswell (Rothamsted); Prof Xuejun Liu, Dr Qichao Zhu and Sen Wang (CAU). Soil acidification from the long term overuse of chemical nitrogen (N) fertilizers has become a serious global issue for agricultural production that requires the adoption of more sustainable fertilization strategies. Long-term manure applications can prevent or even reverse soil acidification arising from chemical N fertilizers and enhance nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). This has been demonstrated in a 26-year long-term experiment in Qiyang, Hunan province, South China. To date, however, little is known regarding the mechanisms, especially for different types of organic material, by which soil acidification is modified. The goal of this project is to investigate the effects of manure, crop residues, and litter from grass and trees on soil acidity and their relationship with C and N transformations in soil, and to elucidate how organic materials may affect the soil acidification processes arising from chemical N application. Three long-term fertilization experiments (two 7-year and one 26-year) from Qiyang Experiment Station in China and the >100-year-old experiments at Rothamsted Research will be used to collect data from different treatments. Soil pH, exchangeable acidity, exchangeable base cations, pH buffering capacity, and soil organic matter will be measured from all treatments, soil acidification rate will be estimated and all the data will be statistically analyzed for conclusions. Rothamsted have made available for analysis their Long Term Experiment data and soil archive, from which samples have been analysed for base cation content.
Collaborator Contribution Zejian Cai (CAAS) has analysed Long Term data sets from China to assess the impact of organic manure amendment on amelioration of soil acidification caused by long term fertilizer application. Several draft publications are in progress. Donghao Xu (CAU) spent 2 months at Rothamsted working with the VSD model and data/samples from the Rothamsted Long Term Park Grass experiment, to validate and improve the model. A draft paper is in progress.
Impact Several scientific publications are anticipated from this collaboration.
Start Year 2016
 
Description An integrative study of water flow, hormone transport and the associated microbial activities and nutrient cycling in soil-root-shoot system under different soil water conditions 
Organisation Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Project Lead(s): Dr. Xiaoxoian Zhang (Rothamsted), Dr. Jingsheng Sun (Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences) Project Members: Dr. Yang Gao, Dr. Yuan Liu, Dr. Hezhou Wang (Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences); Dr. Andrew Neal and Dr. Marc Redmile-Gordon (Rothamsted); Dr. Junli Liu (Durham University); Dr. Zhenjun Yang (Zhejiang University). Project start date: November 2016 Duration: (24 months) Project Summary: One challenge in constructing sustainable agriculture is to improve resource use efficiency and effectively manage the wastes produced in agricultural production. The purpose of this project and the following-on activities are to 1) systematically investigate and model water flow and hormone transport in soil-root-shoot system and their associated impact on microbial activities and nutrient cycling in soils, 2) movement and transformation of antibiotics and metabolism flow in soil. For the soil-root-shoot system, we have developed systematic models to describe the cross-talk of hormones (auxin, cytokinin, ethylene and ABA) and their spatial distributions at cellular scale in a single root. We also developed methods to determine the dynamic change of rhizosphere hydraulic property due to root growth. This project is to scale-up this single-root model for water flow and hormone synthesis and transport to a whole plant by explicitly resolving the rhizosphere, the root and shoot architectures. We will also analyse the microbial communities and develop model to describe hormone transfer between the microbes and the root. Success in these will fundamentally improve the ways we model soil-root interaction as currently, most root models are phenomenal, ignoring the role of hormones in coordinating root growth and responding to change in soil environments. In parallel with the above work, we will also investigate the movement and transformation of antibiotics and antibiotics genes in soils. In particular, we will analyse the metagenomics of soil organisms under different conditions and establish genome-scale metabolic network models to systematically analyse how metabolism transfer in soils under different environments. *The main contributions of the UK team in this project are to develop and apply models to simulate water and nutrients flow in soil-root systems across various scales, as well as synthesis and movement of hormones when plant is subjected to stresses, with a vision to use models to help improving managements and breeding.
Collaborator Contribution The lead partner in this project is a team at the Farmland Irrigation Research Institute in CAAS. Their main contributions are to experimentally measure the changes in physical and chemical properties of soil and roots when plant is subjected to stresses, providing data for construction and validation of the models.
Impact This project has resulted in one publication (Li ZY, et al, Pore-scale simulation of gas diffusion in unsaturated soil aggregates: Accuracy of the dusty-gas model and the impact of saturation, Vol.303, pages 196-203, DOI: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2017.05.008, 2017) and one under-review paper (Li ZY, Fluid pressure at the interface of different materials is not continuous: Evidences and Implications, Water Resources Research, Under Review). In addition, the technologies developed in the project will be applied in a key project - Improving the Management of Salt-affected Soils in Northwest China-funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). We are also helping synergize a potential collaborative project between the Farmland Irrigation Research Institute and International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre to respond a NSFC call. Through this project, one young Chinese scientist is currently doing collaborative research at Rothamsted.
Start Year 2016
 
Description CAAS 
Organisation Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Providing research facilities and resources, including the North Wyke Farm Platform and co-supervising PhD students. Input to joint publications.
Collaborator Contribution Supporting travel and subsistence costs of visiting researchers. Providing expertise and scientific staff time in soil quality and environment. Input to joint publications.
Impact joint publications: Liang, S., Sun, N., Zhang, X., Li, Y., Xu, M., and Wu, L. (2019). Modeling crop yield and nitrogen use efficiency in wheat and maize production systems under future climate change. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 115, 117-136. Ren, F., Sun, N., Xu, M., Zhang, X., Wu, L., and Xu, M. (2019). Changes in soil microbial biomass with manure application in cropping systems: A meta-analysis. Soil and Tillage Research 194, 104291. degree awarded
Start Year 2016
 
Description CSIA Travel Fellowship 
Organisation China Agricultural University (CAU)
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Purpose of funding: To allow Kamrun Suravi to spend three months in the laboratory of Prof. Tusheng Ren (Dept of Soil and Water, China Agriculture Uninversity) to conduct thermogravimetric (TG) measurements and to fund Dr. Whalley to visit for one week to ensure that the project is proceeding smoothly. We used this partnering activity to develop our understanding of the effects of soil organic matter on soil physical properties. In her PhD Kamrun Suravi has made extensive measurements of the physical properties of the soils from the long-term experiments at Rothamsted.
Collaborator Contribution In Professor Ren's Laboratory at CAU, Beijing we made thermogravimetry measurements on the soils of Rothamsted.
Impact In the longer term we expect that the use of thermogravimetric (TG) measurements and related approaches will gain traction in their application at interpreting the effects of soil organic carbon (SOM) on soil physical and other properties.The findings allowed us to interpret the relationship between soil organic matter status and soil physical properties. We have shown that the effect of organic matter on soil physical properties is related to the surface are of soil. Surface area increases with increasing organic matter content. A joint paper is planned. Kumrun Suravi learnt how to assembled and use thermo-TDR to measure soil density. This is now been used in the UK. This visit helped facilitate the application of Wencan Zhang for a Chinese Scholarship, to spend 12 months at Rothamsted. Her application has successfully passed the first stage.
Start Year 2016
 
Description Cell type specific proteomics to support plant improvement 
Organisation Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Hongtao Zhang and Freddie Theodoulou received funds to support a 12 month project with CAAS and CAS. The project brings together expertise in quantitative proteomics at Rothamsted, with expertise in plant development at CAAS and specialist bioinformatic tools at CAS, to address specific scientific questions of interest in plant development at the partner institutes.
Collaborator Contribution Collaborators include Chunming Liu (CAAS) and Xiujie Wang (CAS).
Impact No outputs have been achieved yet.
Start Year 2018
 
Description Cell type specific proteomics to support plant improvement 
Organisation Chinese Academy of Sciences
Country China 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution Hongtao Zhang and Freddie Theodoulou received funds to support a 12 month project with CAAS and CAS. The project brings together expertise in quantitative proteomics at Rothamsted, with expertise in plant development at CAAS and specialist bioinformatic tools at CAS, to address specific scientific questions of interest in plant development at the partner institutes.
Collaborator Contribution Collaborators include Chunming Liu (CAAS) and Xiujie Wang (CAS).
Impact No outputs have been achieved yet.
Start Year 2018
 
Description Chasing the high-fliers: Aerial sampling and flight capacity of high-flying migrant insect pests in China 
Organisation Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Project Lead(s): Dr Jason Lim (Rothamsted); Prof Dengfa Cheng (Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences). Project Members: Assoc Prof Yunhui Zhang (Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences); Mr Philip Gould and Dr Chris Jones (Rothamsted); Assoc Prof Jason Chapman (University of Exeter); Prof Hongqiang Feng (Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences); Assoc Prof Gao Hu (Nanjing Agricultural University). Project start date: October 2016 Duration: (18 months) Project Summary: This project will complement an existing Newton Fund Project which uses remote sensing and modelling approaches to assess the effectiveness of biopesticide control for Oriental migratory locusts. Rothamsted's component of the project is to investigate the role that vertical-looking entomological radar (VLR) can play in monitoring the effect of regional-scale control measures on aerial insect populations and the possibility that locusts can outbreak from their breeding areas. In autumn 2016 we shall deploy a Rothamsted VLR at the HAAS experimental farm in Zhengzhou, Henan Province in east-central China. In this new project, we shall carry out high-altitude aerial sampling to determine the exact nature of the aerial insect fauna detected by the radar. This will corroborate radar findings and inform local cropping systems of the potential threat posed by insect pests. In addition, the proposal will deploy field-prepared tethered flight mill systems to analyse the flight behaviour and migratory potential of pest moths caught at the lowest gate of the vertical looking radar (150-200 m). This will be the first time such technology has been used in situ to determine the flight capacity of insect pests. Insects caught 'en route' will be flown on the flight mills and sampled for downstream molecular analysis to determine the genetic mechanisms of migratory behaviour. By capturing insects during their migration these samples will provide the ideal migratory phenotypes to compare with more sedentary populations of the same species. UPDATE: We have been successfully carry out the extensive field campaign in China in Summer 2017. During this campaign, we an aerial netting, ecological survey and for the first time, deployed a state of the art insect tethered flight system in the field and carry out in-situ insect flight physiology studies with agricultural important crop pests. Apart from that, we also manage to train young scientists and students from three academic institutions (Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University and Beijing Institute of Technology) in procedure and methodology of carry out large scale field ecology survey alongside with insect migration radar.
Collaborator Contribution The local host, Prof. Hongqiang Feng, made a significant contribution to this award by hosting the field campaign, hosting the Rothamsted Vertical Looking Radar and Scientists from all participating academic institutions. HAAS continue to contribute in kind their expertise on local fauna and flora during the field campaign. HAAS's contribution signify the beginning of a long-term data collection and active scientific data gathering between scientists from United Kingdom and China.
Impact Result dissemination (over 60 international scientists and students attended) Invited speech to report the outcome of this CSIA project title "Ground-truthing Fieldwork & Flight Mill Studies at the HAAS Field Station, Zhengzhou" at Symposium of Leading Remote-sensing Technology for Monitoring Crop Pests on 21-22 September 2017 Publications 1) Genome-Wide Characterisation of DNA Methylation in an Invasive Lepidopteran Pest, the Cotton Bollworm Helicoverpa armigera January 2018 G3-Genes Genomes Genetics 8(3):g3.1112.2017 DOI 10.1534/g3.117.1112 2) The tethered flight technique as a tool for studying life-history strategies associated with migration in insects (in press) Ecological Entomology DOI: 10.1111/een.12521 Follow up funding Agritech in China Newton Network : - Agritech in China Newton Network - intra-project partnerships (£ 25000; 2018 - 2018). Radar and Aerial Ecology Summer School in China
Start Year 2016
 
Description Chinese National Scholarship - Mechanisms and management for improving the efficiency of phosphorus utilization in plant-soil system 
Organisation Xinjiang Agricultural University
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution We provided desk space, computer facilities and access to laboratories and field sites for carrying out field and laboratory work. We provided training and shared expertise in knowledge in the development of experiments.
Collaborator Contribution Dra Shaomin Zhang was sponsored by a Chinese Government Scholarship for a period of 1 year, during which he worked with and intergrated into our phosphorus Research Team, carrying out his own work, aligned with our current Institute Strategic Programme.
Impact Not applicable yet
Start Year 2017
 
Description Collaboration with Sichuan University in China on how root-soil interactions affect soil structure, root growth, root water uptake and the consequence 
Organisation Sichuan University of Science and Engineering
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution This is a joint project funded by the Royal Society of London (£12000) and the Natural Science Foundation of China (100000 Yuan). It is originated from our findings that soil structure and associated physical processes are important drivers of soil carbon and nitrogen cycling and that topsoil water content is not only a resource, but also functions as a cue coordinating how crop takes up water from different soil depths.
Collaborator Contribution Our Chinese collaborator is the lead in water-crop interaction, and their work on modeling water flow in soil-root-plant-atmosphere systems contributes to the success of this collaboration.
Impact There are two papers under review
Start Year 2023
 
Description Convergent evolution in grass weeds: herbicide resistance in UK and Chinese populations of Alopecurus species 
Organisation Beijing Genomics Institute
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Paul Neve, Dana MacGregor, David Comont and Richard Hull were awarded funds to undertake a 12 month project with the Beijing Genomics Institute and NAU.
Collaborator Contribution The NAU collaborator Jun Li has contributed £3,450 towards the services costs of BGI, who are performing total RNA extraction and sequencing experiments.
Impact No outputs have yet been achieved.
Start Year 2018
 
Description Convergent evolution in grass weeds: herbicide resistance in UK and Chinese populations of Alopecurus species 
Organisation Nanjing Agricultural University
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Paul Neve, Dana MacGregor, David Comont and Richard Hull were awarded funds to undertake a 12 month project with the Beijing Genomics Institute and NAU.
Collaborator Contribution The NAU collaborator Jun Li has contributed £3,450 towards the services costs of BGI, who are performing total RNA extraction and sequencing experiments.
Impact No outputs have yet been achieved.
Start Year 2018
 
Description Cropping systems and dry spectral analysis tools 
Organisation China Agricultural University (CAU)
Department Department of Soil & Water Science
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Project lead(s): Dr. Stephan Haefele (Rothamsted Research), Dr Huimin Yuan (CAU); Project members: Dr Gifty Acquah (Rothamsted Research), Shihang Duan (CAU), JiaoJiao He (CAU), Ruoran Cui (CAU); The collaboration started with the visit and participation of Dr Stephan Haefele at the international workshop "Green Development in Agriculture", April 23-27th, 2017, in Beijing, China, which was followed by a field trip to Quzhou station, Handan of Hebei Province, during April 26-27. At the workshop Dr Stephan Haefele gave an invited presentation on "New tools for sustainable agriculture research and application". After the field visit Stephan Haefele had still a small workshop with the group of Dr Huimin Yuan on the use of dry spectral methods for the analysis of soil and plant samples, and a discussion on the PhD theses of three students of Dr Huimin Yuan. In the following months, Dr Haefele provided repeatedly advice for the ongoing work of the three students. Dr Gifty Acquah visited CAU and the lab at Quzhou station from 24th November to 7th December to assist the group of Dr Huimin Yuan in the establishment and use of their new spectral equipment.
Collaborator Contribution Dr Huimin Yuan provided the funds for the visit of Dr Gifty Acquah and helped with all the travel arrangements. Dr Huimin Yuan and her students contributed to the regular discussions and exchange of progress on their projects.
Impact This is a new partnership. Details will be added as the joint research progresses.
Start Year 2018
 
Description Development and validation of a modified SCS-CN model using Chinese and UK (North Wyke Farm Platform) data 
Organisation North West Agriculture and Forestry University
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution PI: Stelian Curceac & Paul Harris. The main objective is to contribute to the development and validation of a soil erosion model that is being currently developed by the host. It has been tested using data sets obtained from China. The model can also be adapted for datasets from UK, such as the North Wyke Farm Platform (NWFP) data. Another objective is to analyse the main factors that impact soil erosion and nutrient loss (C, N and P) in the Loess Plateau using statistical methods. This work is part of, and allies itself with the CZO project that Min'an Shao and Lianhai Wu (my co-supervisor) lead. My main supervisor (Paul Harris) and the Chinese host are also Co-Is on the same project. I will learn about a different process-based model to that which I am focussing on in my PhD study (SPACSYS). This exposure will provide me with a broader view of modelling in agricultural research and will help develop the hybrid statistical models of my research (for dealing with extremes or scale) to be more generic to any process-based model. The study visit is expected to result in useful collaborative work complementing my PHD research. Experiencing and understanding research at other institutes around the world will stand me in good stead for my future academic career, post PhD.
Collaborator Contribution to be updated by PI
Impact to be completed by PI - note further outcomes e.g. funding, publications, exchanges etc. should also have their own entry under the main CSIA award
Start Year 2017
 
Description Diversity and abundance of antibiotic and metal resistance genes in agricultural soil microbiomes following long-term irrigation with reclaimed wastewater 
Organisation Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Andrew Neal and Xiaoxian Zhang were awarded funds to undertake a 4 month project with CAAS. The project aim is to begin to apply techniques of metagenome analysis developed at Rothamsted to describe the soil microbiology associated with wastewater irrigation, particularly upon genes coding for metal and antibiotic resistance. Bioinformatics and data analysis will be undertaken in the UK.
Collaborator Contribution CAAS collaborators include Yuan Liu, Liang Chen and Zhongyong Hao, who are responsible for undertaking field experiments, as well as extracting and sequencing DNA from soils.
Impact No outcomes have been achieved from this work yet.
Start Year 2018
 
Description Influence of soil type and arable management practice upon evolution of core soil microbiomes of the North China Plain 
Organisation Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Andrew Neal was awarded funds to support an 8 month project with CAAS. The project will employ high-throughput sequencing technology to generate 16S rRNA, 18S rRNA and ITS amplicon and shot-gun metagenome sequence datasets from microbial DNA extracted directly from the experimental soils and plants across five Chinese sites. He will prepare reference sequence collections and analyse datasets.
Collaborator Contribution CAAS collaborators include Bin Zhang, Zhiyong Ruan, Fenliang Fan, Tiansu Wang, Yang Gao and Guangshuai Wang. Zewei Xong at BGI Research is also contributing to the project. They are responsible for soil sampling and DNA extractions/sequencing.
Impact No outcomes have been achieved from this work yet.
Start Year 2018
 
Description Malcolm Hawkesford and Nicolas Virlet visit Nanjing Agricultural University to discuss phenotyping technologies and possibilities for collaboration. 
Organisation Nanjing Agricultural University
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution visit to NAU for discussion of phenotyping technologies and possibilities for collaboration, April 22-26, 2018
Collaborator Contribution discussions will be held for collaboration
Impact no outputs yet
Start Year 2018
 
Description Migratory patterns of cereal aphid pests and invasion risk zones in China and the UK 
Organisation Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution PI: Ramiro Morales-Hojas. Estimating the genetic structure and evolutionary history of cereal aphids is fundamental to smart crop protection (SCP). SCP approaches to prevent and manage pest threats depend increasingly on the capacity to identify zones where invasion risk is high, and thus where surveillance is needed for the near future. To model these invasions, it is essential to understand pest population genetic structure and migration patterns including routes and distances travelled that may vary across their geographic range. In the UK, cereal aphids tend to overwinter in the same neighbourhood where they are active in spring-summer. In contrast, it has been suggested that Chinese cereal aphids migrate annually from southern overwintering small pockets northward to the major temperate wheat growing regions that are currently undergoing rapid yield increases, such as Henan, Hebei and Shandong. In this proposal, we will study the population genetic structure and diversity of cereal aphids in the UK and China, and explore their potential distribution expansions. For this, we will infer the number of clones, fixation indexes, size of neighbourhoods, and effective population sizes using microsatellites and genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms. These estimates will provide information about the gene flow level among populations at a local, regional and potentially intercontinental distances, thus informing about potential differences in the migration patterns of cereal aphids in these two geographically separated regions. This information will feed into distribution models to identify regions where populations of these aphids can become established and predict the areas that will become climatically favoured. We are currently providing aphid samples from the UK which are collected using the suction-trap network run by the Insect Survey. In addition, we provide to the collaboration expertise in population genetics and phylogeography analyses.
Collaborator Contribution The partners from CAAS are providing aphid samples from China and expertise in the Chinese populations of these aphids. They are also providing expertise in species distribution modelling and in climate change effects on aphid populations.
Impact none as yet as the collaboration is very new.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Modelling management scenarios for fertiliser input to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve soil quality in Chinese upland soils 
Organisation Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Project Lead(s): Dr Lianhai Wu (Rothamsted); Prof Nan Sun (Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences); Xubo Zhang (Chinese Academy of Sciences). Project Members: Prof Yinghua Duan, Fengling Ren, Prof Minggang Xu, Prof Wenju Zhang (Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences); Dr Kate Gongadze (Rothamsted), Prof Chunsheng Hu (Chinese Academy of Sciences). Project start date: January 2017 Duration: (12 months) Project Summary: Different fertilization strategies together with climate change will alter soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling. Great uncertainty still remains in identifying soil C and N turnover and distribution in soils under different fertilization strategies and climate conditions. We will use a process-based model to quantify soil C and N cycling and crop yield under the environmental change and with different fertilisation strategies. The SPACSYS model developed by Wu is chosen for the study because it is a process-based, field scale, weather-driven and daily-time-step dynamic model that can simulate plant growth, N and C cycling in multiple fields simultaneously. The aims of the proposed research are: - to validate the SPACSYS model using the dataset collected from the long-term experiments in China under different fertilization strategies and climate; - to predict dynamics of soil C and N pools and the GHG emissions under various fertilization practices and future climate scenarios; - to provide suitable fertilization strategies to alleviate the negative impacts from climate change on soil fertility and environmental services. Data and modelling are brought together to help deliver sustainable soil fertility while minimise negative impacts on ecosystem services in various climatic zones. The study will enrich and improve the understanding in control factors and mechanisms of both nutrients and climate impact on soil carbon and nitrogen turnover under various climatic and soil conditions and different fertilisation strategies, and provide scientific guidance for increasing soil fertility and sustaining agroecosystem services.
Collaborator Contribution to be completed by PI
Impact to be completed by PI - note further outcomes e.g. funding, publications, exchanges etc. should also have their own entry under the main CSIA award
Start Year 2016
 
Description Natural genetic variation in a trehalose phosphate phosphatase wheat gene for yield 
Organisation Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution PI: Matthew Paul. There is a need to combine improvements in yield potential and yield resilience to prevent yield shortfalls in the future. Drought is the most widespread abiotic stress and has large impacts on crop yields particularly in the developing world. There are several examples now where targeting trehalose 6-phosphate (T6P) improves both yield potential and drought resilience through determining cereal grain numbers and size. Genetic modification of a trehalose phosphate phosphatase (TPP) in maize prevents grain abortion during drought at flowering, increasing final grain number and yield (Nuccio et al. 2015). Application of T6P through T6P precursors during grain filling increases grain size (Griffiths et al. 2016). The current project builds on the finding that a wheat TPP associates with grain weight which can be utilised as a marker and crossed into germplasm suitable for different environments (Zhang et al. 2017). The project seeks to characterise the TPP gene that associates with grain size in terms of expression in different tissues throughout development (China), effect on T6P levels (UK), association of expression with yield and drought tolerance and drought tolerance recovery in a diversity panel that we are currently working on at Rothamsted (UK). The characterisation will better define the role of T6P and this gene and possibly other TPP genes in wheat yield improvement. The project will act as seed funding for longer term expansion of the characterisation and selection of TPP genes in wheat for yield and resilience in different environments.
Collaborator Contribution to be completed by PI
Impact to be completed by PI - note further outcomes e.g. funding, publications, exchanges etc. should also have their own entry under the main CSIA award
Start Year 2017
 
Description Natural genetic variation in a wheat TPP gene for yield 
Organisation Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution The partnership came about through mutual interest in targeting the trehalose pathway to introduce improvements in wheat yield through grain number, grain size and optimised source-sink relationships. Based on findings from Rothamsted publications (Nuccio et al. 2015; Griffiths et al. 2016) it was proposed by Zhang et al. (2017) that trehalose phosphate phosphatase (TPP) genes could underpin grain size in Chinese wheat populations with contrasting thousand grain weight.
Collaborator Contribution In recombinant inbred lines a SNP in a wheat TPP gene promoter was found underlying a wheat QTL for grain size. Now that the wheat genome is sequenced and that we have performed phylogenetic analysis of wheat genes at Rothamsted there is a great opportunity to assess this TPP and other TPP genes for yield in populations at our disposal at Rothamsted and in China. Priority will be the TPP gene from Zhang et al. (2017), but others could be targeted as part of a larger collaboration. Additionally, our hypothesis that drought tolerance can be improved through enhanced resource allocation to grain, following the precedent of Nuccio et al. (2015) can be tested.
Impact no outputs yet
Start Year 2018
 
Description New spectral analysis tools to characterize Brazilian soils and analyse nutrient cycling in integrated crop-livestock-forest systems. 
Organisation Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation
Department Embrapa South Livestock
Country Brazil 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution Project lead(s): Dr. Stephan Haefele (Rothamsted Research), Dr Alberto Bernardi (Embrapa Southeast Livestock); Project members: Dr. Martin Blackwell (Rothamsted Research), Dr. Cathy Thomas (Rothamsted Research), Dr Patricia Oliveira (Embrapa Southeast Livestock), Dr Jose-Ricardo Pezzopane (Embrapa Southeast Livestock), Dr Ladislau Martin Neto (Embrapa Southeast Livestock); Instrumentation: Dr Deborah Milori (Embrapa Instrumentation), Dr Beata Emoke Madari (Embrapa Rice and Beans); Project start date: January 2018; Duration 13 months; Project summary: The main objectives of the proposed project were to establish joint activities between Embrapa and Rothamsted Research for new soil and plant analysis tools (dry spectral techniques XRF and MIR, LIBs and LIFs) and to use these technologies to analyse Brazilian soils and the new crop-livestock-forest (CLF) systems tested at Embrapa research stations. New technologies like dry spectral analyses and laser-based technologies offer high throughput and economic analysis, necessary for the monitoring of environmental or sustainable intensification programs at regional or national scale. The methods also offer the option to determine a whole range of soil or plant characteristics with one single analysis, allowing to include the interdependence of characteristics in the analysis. The collaboration helped standardizing methods used, to compare their specific advantages and disadvantages, and to develop joint data bases for soil and plant samples. Within the project, we used these techniques to analyse soil samples from the new CLF systems tested at the Embrapa station and a collection of Brazilian soil profiles from all over Brazil. The new CLF systems have already shown to increase the productivity and resource use efficiency of traditional extensive pastures greatly, and to sequester large amounts of carbon. In our analysis, we will further investigate macro and micro nutrient cycling within the full soil profile and establish nutrient balances. The additional set of Brazilian soils will be analysed for total macro and micro nutrient analysis, providing a calibration set and a valuable data base of dry spectral information for Brazilian soils, enabling further collaboration in research for development.
Collaborator Contribution Soil samples from the CLF trial at Embrapa Southeast Livestock (a total of 288 samples) were selected, prepared and sent to Rothamsted Research. Similarly, we did receive 818 soil profile samples from Embrapa Rice and Beans. From both institutes, we did also receive background data on the experiments, and analytical data from studies already conducted. Due to the delays in soil analysis at Rothamsted Research, the results were only available in January 2019 but we will now continue together with the colleagues from Brazil to analyse the data and prepare joint manuscripts for publication.
Impact This is a new collaboration. Details will be added as the joint research progresses.
Start Year 2018
 
Description Proteomics analysis of common wheat 
Organisation Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Hongtao Zhang and Freddie Theodoulou were awarded funds to support a 5 month project with CAAS. This project proposes to apply quantitative proteomics including TAILS to hexaploid wheat.
Collaborator Contribution CAAS collaborators include Luxiang Liu, Youzhi Ma and Jizeng Jia. Hongtao Zhang will work with them to prepare proteomics samples from some transgenic wheat lines CAAS have recently generated.
Impact No outcomes have been achieved yet from this work.
Start Year 2018
 
Description RRes/CAU Blackwell Lab: Focus on Phosphorus 
Organisation China Agricultural University (CAU)
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution PI: Martin Blackwell. In November 2018 PI Blackwell attended the China - Sino-German P workshop, 11th-17th November, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China. This was a workshop marking the initiation of a Sino-German Programme of work between China Agricultural University and Hohenheim University, Germany. PI Blackwell was invited to give a keynote address on the work on phosphorus related topics in which he is involved. Dr Huimin Yuan, a researcher at CAU Beijing will make a reciprocal visit under this award to Rothamsted Research during the end of March 2019. During this visit she will visit both the Harpenden and North Wyke sites, where she will strengthen ongoing collaborations with dry spectral/AfSIS laboratory and also co-develop papers and project proposals.
Collaborator Contribution The partners hosted PI Blackwell in China and also covered costs for travel to field sites and additional accommodation.
Impact PI Blackwell gave an Invited Keynote address at an International Workshop in Beijing in November 2018.
Start Year 2018
 
Description RRes/CAU Whalley Lab: Focus on Soil Physics 
Organisation China Agricultural University (CAU)
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution PI: Richard Whalley. The principal activity has been for Gregory to attend a Workshop on Green Development in Agriculture at CAU, Beijing (23-27/04/2018). The goal of the workshop is to bring together a diverse group of motivated speakers and stakeholders from around the world to discuss green development in agriculture, offering strategies and solutions towards sustainable intensification with the focus on sustainable crop production, coupling of animal and crop production, nutrient and water cycling and efficient use, and impacts on the environment and sustainability. The meeting is the first research development stemming from an agreement made by partners in 2011 to establish an International Food Security Alliance (IFSA). It is hoped that the workshop will build on recently-initiated and long-standing collaborations to make a substantive step towards collaborative research activity focused on an interdisciplinary area of high priority. As part of the workshop, there will be a field trip to Quzhou station (Hebei Province) (26-27/04/2018). The workshop will involve scientists from institutions from the UK (Bangor, CEH, Lancaster, RRes, SRUC, UEA), and elsewhere (Australia, France, Germany, Netherlands, USA). For RRes, it forms part of the on-going, long-standing alliance with CAU. An oral presentation is planned in which Gregory will summarise the work of the soil physics group at RRes and will explore opportunities for future collaboration, building on the existing links with the soil physics group at CAU (led by Ren).
Collaborator Contribution CAU will update the Quzhou station, which was established in 1973, and the county will become a demonstration area in green agriculture. Key areas of research which link with RRes research include the following: soil microbiology and nutrients; soil health and nutrient management; novel crop rotation; crop genetic improvement; smart crop protection; better reintegration of livestock; monitoring performance of agriculture environments; UAVs; mapping; using RRes soil analysis methods.
Impact this is a new activity, but involvement with the workshop and future work with CAU have obvious links to the current BBSRC International Partnering Award (S5564: China - A Virtual Centre for Monitoring the Rhizosphere; 2017-2020), and a proposed CSIA RRes-CAAS seed-funding project (The potential for early growth stage leaf pruning to improve water use efficiency of maize under abiotic stress).
Start Year 2017
 
Description RRes/NAU Hammond-Kosak Lab: Focus on Crop Pathology 
Organisation Nanjing Agricultural University
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution PI: Kim Hammond Kosak. to be updated by PI
Collaborator Contribution to be updated by PI
Impact to be completed by PI - note further outcomes e.g. funding, publications, exchanges etc. should also have their own entry under the main CSIA award
Start Year 2017
 
Description RRes/NAU Hawkesford Lab: Focus on Phenotyping and Crop Nutrition 
Organisation Nanjing Agricultural University
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution PI: Malcom Hawkesford. please complete
Collaborator Contribution to be completed by PI
Impact to be completed by PI - note further outcomes e.g. funding, publications, exchanges etc. should also have their own entry under the main CSIA award
Start Year 2017
 
Description Rapid detection of Fusarium airborne inoculum and fungicide resistance to improve crop production and mycotoxin management 
Organisation Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Jon West, Bart Fraaije, Nichola Hawkins and Kevin King were awarded funds to undertake a 12 month project with collaborators at CAAS. To forecast epidemics of diseases responsible for mycotoxin production in the UK and China, air samples will be collected during an 8-week period from before and during the wheat flowering period. This will be done in three geographically and climatically distinct sites across China (Henan, Anhui and Hubei, which will be arranged by the Institute of Plant Protection, CAAS) and one site in the UK (Rothamsted).
Collaborator Contribution CAAS collaborators include Yilin Zhou and Jieru Fan, who were responsibel for arranging the Chinese sampling sites. They also provided some air sampling equipment.
Impact No outputs have yet been achieved.
Start Year 2018
 
Description Remote detection of cereal aphids and Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus in wheat 
Organisation Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Gia Aradottir and Tom Ashfield were awarded funds to undertake an 8 month project with collaborators at CAAS. The laboratory results obtained by a static multi-spectral camera, demonstrate that the effect is systemic, increasing the likelihood that we can use the same approach in the field, using either a tractor or drone-mounted sensor. In this project we will use a small, portable multispectral camera to establish whether the same spectral signatures can be identified at a greater distance in glasshouse grown plants.
Collaborator Contribution CAAS collaborators include Julian Chen and Yan Liu. They will take measurements from existing field trials where aphid infestation has been observed.
Impact No outcomes have yet been achieved through this work.
Start Year 2018
 
Description Strenghtened community links between UK and China 
Organisation Delta T Devices Ltd
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution This project is highly synergistic with Designing Future Wheat Project (BBSRC) and the ASSIST project (NERC/BBSRC). We are contributiing expertise on soil physicla measurements and root growth.
Collaborator Contribution Professor Ren (CAU, Beijing) works on sensors for soil heat, water, density, and water flux, Professor Shen (CAU, Beijing) works on root responses to soil nutrient conditions Dr. Miller (JIC) works on soil nutrient sensing technology, Professor Binley (Lancaster) has been applying geophysical methods to sense the rhizosphere conditions, Dr. Whalley (RRes) works on the measurement of matric potential of soil water, measurement and monitoring of soil penetrometer resistance. Dick Jenkins (Delta-T devices) attended the start-up workshop and supplied water content sensors to the project
Impact 1. Outline proposal to GCRF hub call. 2. A poster at the "International Workshop of Soil Physics and the Nexus of Food, Energy and Water", which was held in Shenyang, China in August 2017. "Soil Thermal Conductivity and Penetrometer Resistance in Rhizosphere and Bulk Soil" 3. Ms Wencan Zang has won a Chinese Scholarship to spend 18months at Rothamsted. 4. Xin Wang, a PhD student from China Agriculture University, has been researching the effects of the rhizosphere conditions on root and shoot elongation at Rothamsted. This placement was party funded by this partnering award, China Agriculture University and project BBS/OS/NW/000004
Start Year 2017
 
Description The impact of fertilizer practices on soil carbon and nitrogen stocks in North China Plain 
Organisation Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Kate Gongadze and Lianhai Wu were awarded funds to support a 12 month project with CAAS and CAS. They are using existing data, new soil sampling and modelling to identify the changes of soil C and N stocks within the soil profile (0-1m depth) under different fertilizer application strategies, cropping systems and climates and to predict the changes in soil C and N, and their turnover rates under the designed fertilization strategies with future climate change scenarios by 2050 at regional scale in the North China Plain.
Collaborator Contribution CAAS collaborators include Nan Sun, Minggang Xu and Wenju Zhang. Xubo Zhang from CAS is also participating in this project. In this proposed research, three long-term experimental sites in the North China Plain are chosen: Zhengzhou and Changping operated by CAAS and Yucheng operated by CAS.
Impact No outputs have been achieved yet.
Start Year 2018
 
Description The potential for early growth stage leaf pruning to improve water use efficiency of maize under abiotic stress 
Organisation Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Andy Gregory and Xiaoxian Zhang were awarded funds to undertake a 12 month project with CAAS and Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences. They will monitor root and soil properties under maize following leaf pruning when subjected to drought and salinity stresses in the glasshouse (UK) and in the field (China).
Collaborator Contribution CAAS collaborators include Yang Gao, Jingsheng Sun, Guangshuai Wang and Yanhao Lian. Junjie Lei from XAAS is also involved in the project. The CAAS team and its China collaborators will focus on the root characterisation, field experiments, mapping root density, and soil water changes at different growing stages in all treatments.
Impact No outputs have yet been achieved through this project.
Start Year 2018
 
Description Towards explaining the plant traits responsible for wheat resistance to aphids 
Organisation Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Gia Aradottir, John Caulfield and Michael Birkett were awarded funds to undertake an 8 month project with CAAS. The project will improve our understanding of the secondary chemistry and genetic processes involved in wheat resistance to the bird cherry-oat aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi), a species of cereal aphids with a near global distribution, which affects yield and vectors diseases in wheat crops. They will study the secondary chemistry of resistant and susceptible accessions of Triticum monococcum, comparing these with differences in gene expression at two different growth stages.
Collaborator Contribution Yutao Xiao at CAAS is collaborating on this project and will be visiting Rothamsted. All sequencing is to be performed in China.
Impact No outcomes have been achieved yet.
Start Year 2018
 
Description Wheat molecular breeding for plant virus resistance for China and Europe 
Organisation Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Vladimir Nekrasov and Kostya Kanyuka were awarded funds to undertake a 12 month project with CAAS. The aim of the project is to exploit the CRISPR/Cas genome editing technology for the purpose of engineering resistance to WSSMV and WYMV in European and Chinese wheat varieties, respectively, through sequence manipulation of plant host factors critical for potyviral infection
Collaborator Contribution CAAS collaborators include Ming Chen and Xingguo Ye.
Impact No outputs have yet been achieved through this work.
Start Year 2018
 
Title GWmodel R package 
Description A suite of spatial statistical modelling tools See https://www.jstatsoft.org/article/view/v063i17 
Type Of Technology Software 
Year Produced 2019 
Open Source License? Yes  
Impact 66200 Google hits 
URL https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=GWmodel
 
Description 19th International Reinhardsbrunn Symposium Modern Fungicides and Antifungal Compounds Friedrichroda, Germany 7th - 11th April 2019 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact Made an invited keynote presentation entitled: Smart monitoring of airborne plant pathogens
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://plant-protection.net/de/reinhardsbrunn
 
Description 2nd Annual Congress on Plant Science and Biosecurity, 11-13 July 2019, London 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact I chaired a session and also in a separate session made an invited keynote presentation entitled: DNA-based detection of airborne plant pathogens for enhanced disease forecasting
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://machprinciple.com/conference/12883/ACPB2019--2nd-Annual-Congress-on-Plant-Science--Biosecuri...
 
Description 2nd Asian Pacific Plant Phenotyping Meeting, Nanjing 2018 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Malcolm Hawkesford to give plenary talk at the meeting
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description 3rd Annual Aerosol Science CDT Sandpit event. Tuesday 15th September 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Study participants or study members
Results and Impact Attended a workshop about the Aerosol Science CDT, which had discussion sessions online using the Remo platform. This led to being invited to join a publication and two submitted applications to act as a host for a PhD student off-site project.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
URL https://www.aerosol-cdt.ac.uk/
 
Description 8th Plant Genomics & Gene Editing Congress: Europe 2020 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact I gave a talk entitled "Genome editing as a tool for gene function studies and enhancement of disease resistance in crops" at the 8th Plant Genomics & Gene Editing Congress: Europe 2020 conference in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description APPG Science & Technology in Agriculture meeting 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Participated in the APPG Science & Technology in Agriculture meeting (online).
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
URL http://www.appg-agscience.org.uk/meetings.html
 
Description Agricultural monitoring platforms - workshop with Hulunber Grassland Station, China 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Plans for follow up workshops and site visits
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description American Phytopathological Society Workshop Presentation 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Jon West made a 15 minute presentation by Zoom (video link) as part of an online workshop on "Using spore trapping in research and disease forecasting"
Broadcast Date: November 17, 2020 - see: https://www.apsnet.org/meetings/mtngwshops/phworkshops/Pages/default.aspx
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
URL https://www.apsnet.org/meetings/mtngwshops/phworkshops/Pages/default.aspx
 
Description Cereals 2019 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact We presented current research in the InnovateUK project 'Spraysaver (105148) and our Smart Crop Protection project on methods for mobile and fixed monitoring and detection of airborne pathogens.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://www.cerealsevent.co.uk/
 
Description China - Sino-German P workshop, 11th-17th November, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact This was a workshop marking the initiation of a Sino-German Programme of work between China Agricultural University and Hohenheim University, Germany. I was invited to give a keynote address on the work on phosphorus related topics in which I am involved.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description CropTec - November 2018 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact We displayed two areas of our work in Smart Crop Protection: Insect Survey and automated spore samplers, along with other Rothamsted exhibits.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
URL https://www.croptecshow.com/
 
Description GW models, CAS, Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Beijing, China (two-day workshop with A Comber) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact GW models, CAS, Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Beijing, China (two-day workshop with A Comber)
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Genetic Technologies Workshop organised by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Participated in the Genetic Technologies Workshop (online) organised by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description Geographically Weighted PCA: Introductions and Uses. Spatial Accuracy Conference, Beijing, China (one-day workshop with A Comber) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact Geographically Weighted PCA: Introductions and Uses. Spatial Accuracy Conference, Beijing, China (one-day workshop with A Comber)
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description Insect and bird migraon: revealing the mysteries of flight 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact A public engagement event has been organised by Rothamsted Research at Harpenden campus by the Insect migration team to engage public dialogue and presents finding in insect migration and spatial ecology. Professor Judy Shamoun-Baranes form University of Amsterdam has been invited to deliver keynote speech for this event. Over 150 member of public attended the meeting. Members of the CSIA project Ka Lim (Jason) and Chris Jones presented in this seminar. An exhibition gallery has been setup to showcase the use of tethered flight and aerial netting technology during this event.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2010
URL https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/events/insect-bird-migration-revealing-mysteries-flight
 
Description International Workshop on Agriculture Green Development, 23-27/04/2018, Beijing, PR China 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Andy Gregory presented 'Interactions between agricultural management, soil carbon and soil physical quality: the Rothamsted experience', during the workshop. Outcomes include strengthening collaborations with China.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description International Workshop on Long-Term Field Experiments and Soil Carbon Sequestration, 05-10/11/2018, Zhanjiang, PR China 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Andy Gregory presented 'Long-term agricultural management and soil carbon: the Rothamsted experience', as part of Rothamsted-CAAS CSIA programme. Outcomes include two students spending a 3-month period at Rothamsted to work with Andy Gregory on soil carbon aggregate fractionation of samples from the long-term experiments.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description Invited Seminar to Beijing Institute of Technology 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact 50 engineering postgraduate student attend this seminar with a direct intention to engage engineering talent in the use of high frequency technologies to in agricultural, particularly insect movement at high altitude. Follow on this seminar, an initial collaboration has been established and Beijing Institute of Technology subsequently award a technology development grant to explore the use of remote sensing technology in this area.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Ministry of Science and Technology and , China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences visit to Rothamsted Research 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Hosted a delegation from Ministry of Science and technology, China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Discussions included Innovation and business development, Chinese Ecosystem Research Network. Plant Sciences, sustainable agricultural systems
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017,2019
 
Description Oral Presentation at International symposium on the use of remote sensing technology in Monitoring Crop pests and Diseases in China, 21-22 September 2017 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Philip Gould presented results from CSIA field campaign at International symposium on the use of remote sensing technology in Monitoring Crop pests and Diseases in China, 21-22 September 2017.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Presentation at the Institute for Plant Protection, Beijing, 2018 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact Presentation at the Institute for Plant Protection on the work carried out by Rothamsted Insect Survey National Capability. Students and researchers attended the presentation and it was followed by a discussion on the molecular ecology studies being carried out and the surveillance network of pest insects carried out by the group.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description Visit to my laboratory of a student from the Chinese collaborating research institute, January 2019 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact A student from the partner research group at the Institute for Plant Protection visited my laboratory for a week to learn new methods. This will help analysing the data generated by the project.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Visit to the CAAS, Beijing 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact High level delegation visited the CAAS to discuss current Research Strategies. Focusing on Smart Crop protection, Sustainable agricultural systems, Fundamental Plant Sciences.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017,2019
 
Description Visit to the Institute of Crop Science (ICS), CAAS (Beijing, China) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact During the visit a presentation entitled "Genome editing as a new powerful tool for wheat breeding" was given to collaborators from ICS, CAAS.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description Visit to the Nanjing Agricultural University (NAU) (Nanjing, China) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact A presentation entitled "Genome editing as a new powerful tool for plant breeding" was given to researchers from NAU.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description Visit to the partner Institute for Plant Protection, CAAS, Beijing (March 2018 and 2019) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Study participants or study members
Results and Impact Visit to my project partners at IPP-CAAS, Beijing, in March 2018 and 2019 to discuss the project and results. Plans for the future have been discussed.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018,2019