The regulation of plant-nematode parasitism
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Plant Sciences
Abstract
Summary: The regulation of plant-nematode parasitism.
Plant-parasitic nematodes are a persistent threat to global food security. The most economically important species have the ability to transform plant cells into permanent and dedicated feeding sites. Plants and parasitic nematodes are locked in an "evolutionary arms race". At the front-line, are the parasite "effectors": molecules secreted into the host plant during infection. Plant-parasitic nematodes use hundreds of effectors to manipulate their host. Often individual effectors target a specific function in the host. The scientific community has focused on trying to understand and block these effector functions.
A vulnerability of this approach is that for thousands of years plants have been deploying resistance genes to recognise effectors, and mount an immune response. This means that the parasites are under a strong evolutionary selection pressure to counteract this, developing a number of mechanisms to evade or negate effector recognition (sequence diversity, partitioning effectors in regions of the genome that mutate rapidly, functional redundancy, etc.). Practically, this means that targeting individual effectors to control the parasite is rarely highly successful, and unlikely to be robust. What we need is a series of new targets that have not been the focus of this kind of evolutionary selection pressure.
This proposal is designed to deliver new targets by shifting the focus away from individual effectors to "high-level" functions: how is parasitism regulated? The idea is that if we can disrupt the process of parasitism regulation we can disrupt the functions of many effectors at the same time. Two recent breakthroughs in our understanding of parasitism regulation suggest that now is the right time to initiate this shift in focus.
In 2016 I identified a regulatory genetic signature of nematode effectors. This signature unifies hundreds of otherwise unrelated effectors. This implies there is some nematode regulatory machinery that recognises this signature, and in so doing orchestrates this aspect of parasitism. I predict that if we could disrupt this "master-regulator", it would in turn disrupt hundreds of associated effectors. In a recent effort I have identified a candidate for such a regulator.
The second breakthrough is the discovery that nematodes do not synthesise all effectors at the same time, suggesting that they may be delivered in waves that indicate a complex "parasitism programme" during infection. This sequential programme of effector production suggests that there will be a series of additional regulators that are activated at specific time-points. Disrupting any of these is likely to be severely detrimental to the parasite. Importantly, the plant immune system is "blind" to these master regulators. This means that they are unlikely to be protected by the same mechanisms that make targeting effectors so difficult. Together, this suggests that parasitism master regulators will be an attractive set of targets for control. In this proposal I will identify, validate, and disrupt these master-regulators.
The fact that parasitic nematodes predictably execute a "parasitism programme" also gives us some insights into how they transform plant tissues. It suggests that the regulation of feeding site formation in the host is probably a multi stage process, and has the same or a very similar number of stages. This is a new insight into how this tissue is formed and presents an opportunity to understand the fundamental biology that underpins this process. In this proposal I will develop a system to measure changes in the host gene regulation and link these changes to progression through the nematode parasitism programme, ultimately building the foundation to understand this phenomenon.
Plant-parasitic nematodes are a persistent threat to global food security. The most economically important species have the ability to transform plant cells into permanent and dedicated feeding sites. Plants and parasitic nematodes are locked in an "evolutionary arms race". At the front-line, are the parasite "effectors": molecules secreted into the host plant during infection. Plant-parasitic nematodes use hundreds of effectors to manipulate their host. Often individual effectors target a specific function in the host. The scientific community has focused on trying to understand and block these effector functions.
A vulnerability of this approach is that for thousands of years plants have been deploying resistance genes to recognise effectors, and mount an immune response. This means that the parasites are under a strong evolutionary selection pressure to counteract this, developing a number of mechanisms to evade or negate effector recognition (sequence diversity, partitioning effectors in regions of the genome that mutate rapidly, functional redundancy, etc.). Practically, this means that targeting individual effectors to control the parasite is rarely highly successful, and unlikely to be robust. What we need is a series of new targets that have not been the focus of this kind of evolutionary selection pressure.
This proposal is designed to deliver new targets by shifting the focus away from individual effectors to "high-level" functions: how is parasitism regulated? The idea is that if we can disrupt the process of parasitism regulation we can disrupt the functions of many effectors at the same time. Two recent breakthroughs in our understanding of parasitism regulation suggest that now is the right time to initiate this shift in focus.
In 2016 I identified a regulatory genetic signature of nematode effectors. This signature unifies hundreds of otherwise unrelated effectors. This implies there is some nematode regulatory machinery that recognises this signature, and in so doing orchestrates this aspect of parasitism. I predict that if we could disrupt this "master-regulator", it would in turn disrupt hundreds of associated effectors. In a recent effort I have identified a candidate for such a regulator.
The second breakthrough is the discovery that nematodes do not synthesise all effectors at the same time, suggesting that they may be delivered in waves that indicate a complex "parasitism programme" during infection. This sequential programme of effector production suggests that there will be a series of additional regulators that are activated at specific time-points. Disrupting any of these is likely to be severely detrimental to the parasite. Importantly, the plant immune system is "blind" to these master regulators. This means that they are unlikely to be protected by the same mechanisms that make targeting effectors so difficult. Together, this suggests that parasitism master regulators will be an attractive set of targets for control. In this proposal I will identify, validate, and disrupt these master-regulators.
The fact that parasitic nematodes predictably execute a "parasitism programme" also gives us some insights into how they transform plant tissues. It suggests that the regulation of feeding site formation in the host is probably a multi stage process, and has the same or a very similar number of stages. This is a new insight into how this tissue is formed and presents an opportunity to understand the fundamental biology that underpins this process. In this proposal I will develop a system to measure changes in the host gene regulation and link these changes to progression through the nematode parasitism programme, ultimately building the foundation to understand this phenomenon.
Technical Summary
The most economically important plant-parasitic nematode species have the ability to cause existing plant cells to re-differentiate into a novel tissue that acts as a feeding site. How this is regulated, in the nematode and in the host, is one of the great unanswered questions in the field. This proposal is designed to identify, characterise, and disrupt the regulators of parasitism. The main objectives are designed to address the following hypotheses:
Hypothesis 1: The spatio-temporal regulation of the nematode "Parasitism Programme" is controlled by a suite of non-coding DNA motifs and corresponding putative master-regulator transcription factors.
Using a combination of whole gland cell RNA sequencing and bioinformatic predictions, I will identify promoter elements that define various aspects of the nematode "parasitism programme". Cognate transcription factors of these promoter elements will be identified by Yeast-1-Hybrid and Co-immunoprecipitation, to provide a series of high-value targets for control.
Hypothesis 2: The regulation of feeding site development in the host is a complex, multi-stage process.
I will deploy second- and third-generation sequencing technologies to determine the temporally-resolved changes in host gene regulation that are directly linked to progression through the nematode "parasitism programme". This will provide a platform for future exploration of novel tissue re-differentiation in plants.
Hypothesis 3: Disrupting the processes of parasitism regulation in the parasite or the host will be detrimental to infection.
I will disrupt the processes of parasitism regulation in the nematode and in the host to validate the roles of regulatory proteins/processes during parasitism, and demonstrate their utility as a set of putative targets for the control of plant-parasitic nematodes.
This proposal will significantly advance our understanding of a process that is academically fascinating and has global agronomic importance.
Hypothesis 1: The spatio-temporal regulation of the nematode "Parasitism Programme" is controlled by a suite of non-coding DNA motifs and corresponding putative master-regulator transcription factors.
Using a combination of whole gland cell RNA sequencing and bioinformatic predictions, I will identify promoter elements that define various aspects of the nematode "parasitism programme". Cognate transcription factors of these promoter elements will be identified by Yeast-1-Hybrid and Co-immunoprecipitation, to provide a series of high-value targets for control.
Hypothesis 2: The regulation of feeding site development in the host is a complex, multi-stage process.
I will deploy second- and third-generation sequencing technologies to determine the temporally-resolved changes in host gene regulation that are directly linked to progression through the nematode "parasitism programme". This will provide a platform for future exploration of novel tissue re-differentiation in plants.
Hypothesis 3: Disrupting the processes of parasitism regulation in the parasite or the host will be detrimental to infection.
I will disrupt the processes of parasitism regulation in the nematode and in the host to validate the roles of regulatory proteins/processes during parasitism, and demonstrate their utility as a set of putative targets for the control of plant-parasitic nematodes.
This proposal will significantly advance our understanding of a process that is academically fascinating and has global agronomic importance.
Planned Impact
The beneficiaries of my proposal are detailed in the relevant sections of the JeS form and the pathways to impact. To summarise, my proposal has substantial potential to impact the academic, societal, and industrial sectors. A series of measures are detailed to realise that impact over the course of the fellowship, and these timescales are detailed in the diagrammatic work plan.
Academic impact:
The major academic impact of the proposal will come from delivering the outcome of the pan-kingdom linked transcriptome to end-users in an accessible format. By permanently incorporating these data into the A. thaliana community resources (e.g. ePlant), the unusual biology of the nematode feeding site will be viewed by approximately 60,000 plant scientists per month. There is probably no better way to consistently highlight plant-nematode interaction to such a broad audience, and for such a long time.
Societal impact:
Informing the public, and training the next generation of scientists, is our responsibility. During the fellowship, I will continue to train young plant scientists to address the major global issue of food security. The combination of engagement infrastructures at the University of Dundee and the James Hutton Institute will help appropriately deliver the messages of the outcomes to a broad spectrum of audiences.
Industrial impact:
Although a challenging aim, the long-term goal of the research is to develop approaches with the potential to increase agricultural stability by combatting plant-parasitic nematodes. The combination of the Drug Discovery Unit at the University of Dundee, the Commercialisation arm of the James Hutton Institute, and the promising link established with a major AgChem company, indicate a number of potential routes to realise industrial impact in the UK and globally.
Academic impact:
The major academic impact of the proposal will come from delivering the outcome of the pan-kingdom linked transcriptome to end-users in an accessible format. By permanently incorporating these data into the A. thaliana community resources (e.g. ePlant), the unusual biology of the nematode feeding site will be viewed by approximately 60,000 plant scientists per month. There is probably no better way to consistently highlight plant-nematode interaction to such a broad audience, and for such a long time.
Societal impact:
Informing the public, and training the next generation of scientists, is our responsibility. During the fellowship, I will continue to train young plant scientists to address the major global issue of food security. The combination of engagement infrastructures at the University of Dundee and the James Hutton Institute will help appropriately deliver the messages of the outcomes to a broad spectrum of audiences.
Industrial impact:
Although a challenging aim, the long-term goal of the research is to develop approaches with the potential to increase agricultural stability by combatting plant-parasitic nematodes. The combination of the Drug Discovery Unit at the University of Dundee, the Commercialisation arm of the James Hutton Institute, and the promising link established with a major AgChem company, indicate a number of potential routes to realise industrial impact in the UK and globally.
Organisations
- University of Cambridge (Fellow, Lead Research Organisation)
- James Hutton Institute (Collaboration)
- Sainsbury Laboratory (Collaboration)
- University of St Andrews (Collaboration)
- Iowa State University (Collaboration)
- University of Warwick (Collaboration)
- University of Tennessee (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE (Collaboration)
- University of California, Davis (Collaboration)
- French National Institute of Agricultural Research (Collaboration)
- North Carolina State University (Collaboration)
- University of Ghent (Collaboration)
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS (Collaboration)
- Wageningen University & Research (Collaboration)
- University of Bonn (Collaboration)
- University of Bristol (Collaboration)
People |
ORCID iD |
Sebastian Eves-Van Den Akker (Principal Investigator / Fellow) |
Publications
Siddique S
(2022)
The genome and lifestage-specific transcriptomes of a plant-parasitic nematode and its host reveal susceptibility genes involved in trans-kingdom synthesis of vitamin B5.
in Nature communications
Kranse OP
(2022)
A low-cost and open-source solution to automate imaging and analysis of cyst nematode infection assays for Arabidopsis thaliana.
in Plant methods
Leslie K
(2023)
Characterisation of arabinogalactan endo ß 1,4 galactanases from Globodera rostochiensis, Globodera pallida and Rotylenchulus reniformis
in Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology
Description | Preparation of/input to various reports on Genome editing to DEFRA consultation. |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
Description | A new dimension to nematode infection phenotyping using low-cost imaging and AI-powered trait analysis |
Amount | £11,858 (GBP) |
Funding ID | BB/S506710/1 |
Organisation | University of Cambridge |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 12/2021 |
End | 03/2022 |
Description | BBSRC DTP Cambridge |
Amount | £60,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | University of Cambridge |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2019 |
End | 10/2023 |
Description | BBSRC responsive mode standard grant |
Amount | £542,162 (GBP) |
Funding ID | BB/S006397/1 |
Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2019 |
End | 10/2022 |
Description | British Society of Plant Pathology MSc/MRes Bursary for Ko Itsuhiro |
Amount | £4,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | The British Society of Plant Pathology |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 08/2020 |
End | 08/2021 |
Description | Effector biogenesis: an unexplored, and yet critically important, part of plant-nematode interactions |
Amount | € 1,486,990 (EUR) |
Organisation | European Research Council (ERC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | Belgium |
Start | 12/2022 |
End | 12/2027 |
Description | Potato PCN Resistance: Cloning effective resistances against potato cyst nematodes |
Amount | £1,200,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | BB/X009068/1 |
Organisation | James Hutton Institute |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2023 |
End | 04/2026 |
Description | Proof-of-principle gene editing in plantparasites |
Amount | $10,000 (USD) |
Organisation | Genewiz |
Sector | Private |
Country | Germany |
Start | 04/2019 |
End | 12/2019 |
Description | Proof-of-principle gene editing in plantparasites |
Amount | $7,500 (USD) |
Organisation | Synthego Inc |
Sector | Private |
Country | United States |
Start | 03/2019 |
End | 04/2020 |
Description | Royal Society of Biology Plant-health Summer Studentship |
Amount | £2,500 (GBP) |
Organisation | Royal Society of Biology (RSB) |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 05/2021 |
End | 08/2021 |
Description | Royal Society of Biology Plant-health Summer Studentship |
Amount | £2,500 (GBP) |
Organisation | Royal Society of Biology (RSB) |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 05/2019 |
End | 08/2019 |
Description | The Rank Prize Fund |
Amount | £20,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Rank Prize Funds |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 12/2018 |
End | 12/2020 |
Description | Wellcome/Newton Institutional Strategic Support Fund |
Amount | £60,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | University of Cambridge |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2019 |
End | 04/2021 |
Title | Low-cost phenotyping |
Description | Low-cost phenotyping for plant-nematode infections. |
Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
Year Produced | 2022 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | None to date |
URL | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13007-022-00963-2 |
Title | Transient expression in plant-parasitic nematodes. |
Description | We develop a transient expression system in plant-parasitic nematodes by demonstrating the delivery and expression of exogenous mRNA encoding various reporter genes throughout the body of H. schachtii juveniles using lipofectamine-based transfection. |
Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
Year Produced | 2020 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | We anticipate these developments to be independently useful, will expedite the development of genetic modification tools for plant-parasitic nematodes, and ultimately catalyze research on a group of nematodes that threaten global food security. |
Title | The genome and lifestage-specific transcriptomes of a plant-parasitic nematode |
Description | The genome and lifestage-specific transcriptomes of a plant-parasitic nematode Heterodera schachtii |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2022 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Accelerating research. |
URL | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-33769-w |
Title | Towards genetic modification of plant-parasitic nematodes: Delivery of macromolecules to male germlines and expression of exogenous mRNA in second stage juveniles |
Description | Plant-parasitic nematodes are a current and future threat to food security, causing an estimated 100 billion USD in crop losses each year. The most problematic are the obligate sedentary endoparasites (primarily root knot nematodes and cyst nematodes). Progress in understanding their biology is held back by a lack of tools for functional genetics. Forward genetics is largely restricted to studies of natural variation in populations, and reverse genetics is entirely reliant on RNA interference. There is an expectation that the development of functional genetic tools would accelerate progress in plant-parasitic nematology, and hence the development of novel control solutions. Here, we develop some of the foundational biology required to deliver a functional genetic "tool kit" in plant-parasitic nematodes. We characterise the gonads of male Heterodera schachtii and Meloidogyne hapla in the context of spermatogenesis. We test and optimise various methods for the delivery, expression, and/or detection of exogenous nucleic acids in plant-parasitic nematodes. We demonstrate that delivery of macromolecules to cyst and root knot nematode male germlines is difficult but possible. Similarly, we demonstrate the delivery of oligonucleotides to root knot nematode gametes. Finally, we develop a transient expression system in plant-parasitic nematodes by demonstrating the delivery and expression of exogenous mRNA encoding various reporter genes throughout the body of H. schachtii juveniles using lipofectamine-based transfection. We anticipate these developments to be independently useful, and, taken together, will expedite the development of genetic modification protocols for sedentary endoparasitic nematodes, and ultimately catalyze research on a group of nematodes that threaten global food security. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2020 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | http://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.r4xgxd296 |
Description | Collaboration on nematode resistant potato - Jonathan Jones, TSL |
Organisation | The Sainsbury Laboratory |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Testing nematode resistant lines of transgenic potato. |
Collaborator Contribution | Generation of transgenic lines. |
Impact | None yet. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Heterodera schachtii genome sequencing consortium |
Organisation | Iowa State University |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Lead on consortium. Sequencing and assembly of genome. Sequencing and analysis of transcriptome |
Collaborator Contribution | Preparation of samples for transcriptome analysis (Bonn). Genome annotation (others). |
Impact | None yet |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | Heterodera schachtii genome sequencing consortium |
Organisation | University of Bonn |
Country | Germany |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Lead on consortium. Sequencing and assembly of genome. Sequencing and analysis of transcriptome |
Collaborator Contribution | Preparation of samples for transcriptome analysis (Bonn). Genome annotation (others). |
Impact | None yet |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | Heterodera schachtii genome sequencing consortium |
Organisation | University of St Andrews |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Lead on consortium. Sequencing and assembly of genome. Sequencing and analysis of transcriptome |
Collaborator Contribution | Preparation of samples for transcriptome analysis (Bonn). Genome annotation (others). |
Impact | None yet |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | Heterodera schachtii genome sequencing consortium |
Organisation | University of Tennessee |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Lead on consortium. Sequencing and assembly of genome. Sequencing and analysis of transcriptome |
Collaborator Contribution | Preparation of samples for transcriptome analysis (Bonn). Genome annotation (others). |
Impact | None yet |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | Heterodera schachtii genome sequencing consortium |
Organisation | Wageningen University & Research |
Country | Netherlands |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Lead on consortium. Sequencing and assembly of genome. Sequencing and analysis of transcriptome |
Collaborator Contribution | Preparation of samples for transcriptome analysis (Bonn). Genome annotation (others). |
Impact | None yet |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | Transformation of Plant Parasitic Nematodes Consortium |
Organisation | French National Institute of Agricultural Research |
Country | France |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Organisation of first workshop. Acquired seed corn funding. Lead of consortium. |
Collaborator Contribution | Attending workshop, developing and implementing strategies. |
Impact | None yet |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Transformation of Plant Parasitic Nematodes Consortium |
Organisation | Iowa State University |
Department | Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Organisation of first workshop. Acquired seed corn funding. Lead of consortium. |
Collaborator Contribution | Attending workshop, developing and implementing strategies. |
Impact | None yet |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Transformation of Plant Parasitic Nematodes Consortium |
Organisation | James Hutton Institute |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Organisation of first workshop. Acquired seed corn funding. Lead of consortium. |
Collaborator Contribution | Attending workshop, developing and implementing strategies. |
Impact | None yet |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Transformation of Plant Parasitic Nematodes Consortium |
Organisation | North Carolina State University |
Department | Plants for Human Health Institute |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Organisation of first workshop. Acquired seed corn funding. Lead of consortium. |
Collaborator Contribution | Attending workshop, developing and implementing strategies. |
Impact | None yet |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Transformation of Plant Parasitic Nematodes Consortium |
Organisation | University of Bristol |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Organisation of first workshop. Acquired seed corn funding. Lead of consortium. |
Collaborator Contribution | Attending workshop, developing and implementing strategies. |
Impact | None yet |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Transformation of Plant Parasitic Nematodes Consortium |
Organisation | University of California, Davis |
Department | Department of Entomology and Nematology |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Organisation of first workshop. Acquired seed corn funding. Lead of consortium. |
Collaborator Contribution | Attending workshop, developing and implementing strategies. |
Impact | None yet |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Transformation of Plant Parasitic Nematodes Consortium |
Organisation | University of Cambridge |
Department | Gurdon Institute |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Organisation of first workshop. Acquired seed corn funding. Lead of consortium. |
Collaborator Contribution | Attending workshop, developing and implementing strategies. |
Impact | None yet |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Transformation of Plant Parasitic Nematodes Consortium |
Organisation | University of Ghent |
Country | Belgium |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Organisation of first workshop. Acquired seed corn funding. Lead of consortium. |
Collaborator Contribution | Attending workshop, developing and implementing strategies. |
Impact | None yet |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Transformation of Plant Parasitic Nematodes Consortium |
Organisation | University of Illinois |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Organisation of first workshop. Acquired seed corn funding. Lead of consortium. |
Collaborator Contribution | Attending workshop, developing and implementing strategies. |
Impact | None yet |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Transformation of Plant Parasitic Nematodes Consortium |
Organisation | University of Leeds |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Organisation of first workshop. Acquired seed corn funding. Lead of consortium. |
Collaborator Contribution | Attending workshop, developing and implementing strategies. |
Impact | None yet |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Transformation of Plant Parasitic Nematodes Consortium |
Organisation | University of Warwick |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Organisation of first workshop. Acquired seed corn funding. Lead of consortium. |
Collaborator Contribution | Attending workshop, developing and implementing strategies. |
Impact | None yet |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Transformation of Plant Parasitic Nematodes Consortium |
Organisation | Wageningen University & Research |
Country | Netherlands |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Organisation of first workshop. Acquired seed corn funding. Lead of consortium. |
Collaborator Contribution | Attending workshop, developing and implementing strategies. |
Impact | None yet |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Article in The Vegetable Farmer on Potato cyst nematodes |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Article in The Vegetable Farmer on Potato cyst nematodes. The Vegetable Farmer has been the vegetable industry's leading magazine for over 30 years. The purpose was to highlight the importance of the problem, and the recent advances made by Uk groups. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | BBC Radio interview |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Spoke about the open cambridge festival "through the laboratory keyhole" event taking place, where we made films about what it is like to work in a lab and our research more generally. Purpose was to promote the event, our research, and new research centre. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p09szcgl |
Description | BBC Radio interview |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Spoke with the "NakedScientists" live on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, and later broadcast on BBC radio 5, about nematodes and other diseases as part of a program on plants and climate change. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08n78c6 |
Description | CUPGRA - accelerating potato breeding |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | CUPGRA conference |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | CUPGRA - the future of potato research at Cambridge |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | CUPGRA 31st annual cambridge potato conference 2020 talk about the future of potato research at Cambridge. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.niab.com/services/membership/cupgra |
Description | Open Cambridge: Through the Laboratory Keyhole |
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 | On Thursday 16th October our 'Through the Laboratory Keyhole' on-line event took place, as part of the Open Cambridge Festival. Viewers were treated to a privileged behind-the-scenes peek at four research projects in the Department of Plant Sciences. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.globalfood.cam.ac.uk/news/event-report-through-laboratory-keyhole |
Description | Protecting crops in a challenging future (London, UK) |
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 | In support of the international year of Plant Health - organised an online conference as part of membership of Society of Chemical Industry Horticultural Group. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Science on Sunday Seminar at the Cambridge Botanical Gardens - online |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Public engagement talk at the Cambridge University Botanical gardens "Science on Sundays" Seminar series. Was recorded and made available online due to pandemic. Intended audience is general public. Aim was to increase awareness around plant health. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.botanic.cam.ac.uk/whats-on/science-on-sundays-july20/ |
Description | UKPlantSciPresents webinar series |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk on work from the group at the UKPlantSciPresents webinar series (was Garnet). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |