PhD Student Vacancy: EastBio – Meloidogyne naasi, a “naasty” problem for Scotland’s cereal sector

Job title:

PhD Student Vacancy: EastBio – Meloidogyne naasi, a “naasty” problem for Scotland’s cereal sector

Company

The James Hutton Institute

Job description

Root knot nematodes (Meloidogyne sp.) are globally the most damaging plant-parasitic nematodes causing devastating loss of yield by parasitising the roots of their host plant. Meloidogyne naasi, the cereal root-knot nematode, has recently been re-recorded as present in the UK and parasitises grasses including oats, wheat and barley. Anecdotally, M. naasi has been associated with barley in Scotland. Meloidogyne naasi infect barley roots, forming galls impeding water and nutrient uptake, significantly reducing yields by 50-75%. A recent Plant Health Centre report noted that where cereals are grown repeatedly, M. naasi has the potential to build up to damaging levels and coupled with the effects of climate change lead to crops more routinely subject to water stress further accelerating yield loss.Meloidogyne naasi does not have a long-term survival stage, therefore, populations can be controlled by removing the availability of a host. However, M. naasi can infect other cereals/grasses, typical of a regenerative agriculture rotation, allowing M. naasi populations to be maintained year-round. With continued regulatory removal of nematicides, only one granular nematicide (Nemathorin) remains which has a scheduled market removal by 2028, leaving the cereal sector exposed.To futureproof the Scottish cereal sector, this project will take a two-strand approach. Natural host resistance against M. naasi remains a viable option for control, however, to date, no sources of resistance have been identified or deployed in elite Barley cultivars. This project will use the James Hutton Institute’s extensive barley germplasm collection to identify and characterise resistance against M. naasi for future breeding targets. Additionally, the current scale of M. naasi infections across Scotland will be identified through high throughput sequencing of geolocated archived soil samples to map baseline data and identify at risk areas.The EastBio partnership offers fully-funded competition based studentships. Funding covers Home (UK fees), a stipend at UKRI norm level (£19,327 for 2024/2025) and project costs. Application guidance can be found on the Eastbio website; . Information on UKRI-BBSRC can be found on the UKRI websiteWe will not consider the use of 3rd party recruitment agencies for the sourcing of candidates for this position.The James Hutton Institute is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.The James Hutton Institute is a: Stonewall Diversity Champion; Athena SWAN Bronze Status Holder; Disability Confident Committed Employer and a Living Wage Employer.The James Hutton Institute is Happy to Talk Flexible Working.

Expected salary

£19237 per year

Location

Dundee

Job date

Wed, 11 Dec 2024 07:29:12 GMT

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