This thesis presents laboratory investigations on the competitive interactions which take place within and between bethylid parasitoids. Part one investigates the compatibility of three bethylids (Cephalonomia hyalinipennis, Cephalononlia stephanoderis and Prorops nasuta) for bi…
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Barley net blotch (BNB) caused by Pyrenophora teres, and Septoria tritici blotch (STB) caused by Mycosphaerella graminicola, are destructive cereal diseases worldwide on barley and wheat respectively. Due to the lack of highly resistant cultivars, both diseases are widely contro…
The flora of Crete in its multifarious micro-landscapes offers the possibility of selecting native species with high ornamental value for use in urban landscapes and commercial horticulture. To assess this potential eight species were selected: Staehelina petiolata, Ptilostemon …
Predicted climate change and increasing global populations suggest that water will become an increasingly scarce and valuable commodity. Breeding plants which produce equivalent yields with reduced water input is therefore vital to sustain and increase crop production in the fut…
Biofortified orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) is being promoted to tackle vitamin A deficiency, a serious public health problem affecting children and pregnant/lactating women in sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of the study was to quantify and understand the factors influencing car…
Cut flower production in Colombia has grown dramatically over the past forty years; meanwhile in the last decade consumption in the UK has almost doubled. Gender plays a central role in the industry since women provide the main labour force for production and are the main buyers…
For many plants day length is critical for the control of flowering time, as the ability to respond to environmental signals is fundamental for the induction of flowering in optimal conditions. Arabidopsis is a facultative long day plant and as such flowers under both long and s…
Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) is one of the most economically and environmentally important grass species for the temperate zone. It maintains effective self-incompatibility (SI), which promotes outbreeding as well as limits the efficient production of inbred lines and …
This study considered a novel approach to selecting isolates of Hyphomycete fungi as mycoinsecticides for biological control of aphids in arable crops in the UK. The approach was designed to select isolates which were compatible with both the biotic and abiotic environment. Aphi…
In this thesis I examine how the scientific advisory system in England and Wales has responded to concerns about the risks of pesticide residues in food and demands for wider engagement in the formulation of advice. Specifically, I explore how the Advisory Committee on Pesticide…
Meiotic recombination in eukaryotes requires two orthologues of the E. coli RecA proteins, Rad51 and Dmc1. Both genes play an important role in the binding of single strand DNA, homology search, strand invasion and strand exchange resulting in Holliday junctions which are resolv…
Folate malnutrition is a major problem in many countries around the world especially in Asia and Africa. Stable foods such as rice contain very low amounts of folate. White rice which is the most popular form for human consumption contains less than 80 µg folate per 100 g. Given…
The phase change from vegetative to reproductive growth in Agaricus bisporus is a complex process involving changes in morphology at least in part regulated genetically and influenced by various environmental signals. This work was aimed at understanding how the morphology chang…
The onion thrips, Thrips tabaci (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) is a polyphagous pest of Allium crops in the UK and considerable effort and expenditure is employed in its control. Despite this, overall understanding of the biology and behaviour of T. tabaci is poor and this project ad…
With global food insecurity on the rise and increased pressures on habitat conservation it is vital to pursue increased efficiencies in plant breeding. New understanding of genetics in the last five decades has provided significant advances in yield gains in most cultivated crop…
Tsetse (Glossina spp.) transmit species of Trypanosoma which cause trypanosomiases in livestock and humans. To improve the cost-effectiveness of baits used to control tsetse, studies were made of the host-oriented behaviour of the following Palpalis-group species: Glossina tachi…
The rhizosphere has a rich fungal microbiome, including parasites, commensals and mutualists. An important group in the rhizosphere are assumed to be the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which live in symbiosis with around 80% of plant species. AMF have been shown to increase…
In commercial barley cultivars meiotic crossover (CO) distribution is skewed to the distal regions of the paired chromosomes. This restricts recombination to these regions thereby reducing the potential genetic variation that can be exploited in plant breeding programs. The aim …
Nitrogen availability is central to global food security. Understanding how plants respond to nitrogen could help develop crops with improved nitrogen use. This study aims to investigate how lateral root (LR) and nodule development are balanced in response to low (0.1 mM) and hi…