EXHIBITS

EAST MALLING RESEARCH OPEN DAY 2005

Exhibit 1: EMR’s Plant Clinic services
Christine Lewis and Dr Angela Berrie
EMR’s Plant Clinic services are available to all sectors of the horticulture industry including commercial growers, consultants, technical representatives, supermarket technologists, distributors, importers, retailers and members of the public.  This exhibit will outline some of the tests carried out by the Clinic.

Exhibit 2: Achieving zero pesticide residues in fruit
Dr Angela Berrie
Most apples in the UK are produced so that pesticide residues, if present in the harvested crop, are well below the Maximum Reside Limit (MRL) permitted. However to consumers the facts of MRLs are irrelevant and the presence of any pesticide residues is unacceptable.  This exhibit will report the results of the development of a crop production system that will satisfy this consumer need, but that is also profitable and sustainable for the grower.

Exhibit 3: East Malling Research Association (EMRA)
EMRA is the knowledge transfer organisation for East Malling Research.  The exhibit will outline the benefits and current costs of membership including examples of recent reports and newsletters.

Exhibit 4: EMR historical photograph exhibition
 

Exhibit 5: Fruit quality mapping in apple: breeding tool for the future
Felicidad Fernandez
Most traits involved in fruit quality are controlled by groups of genes each accounting for a small proportion of the total effect. Evaluating these traits is a difficult and lenghty process especially in crops with a long juvenile period, e.g. apple. To reduce the number of seedlings raised and speed up selection, breeding programmes are developing molecular markers. The stand aims to illustrate how molecular marker maps are developed and how they can be used for early identification of quality traits.

Exhibit 6: Aspects of Rosaceous genomics research at EMR
Dr Dan Sargent
The Defra-funded 'Rosaceous Genomics' project is focussing on the development of genetic resources for the improvement of economically-important Rosaceous species using molecular (DNA) approaches, utilising the wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca) as a model organism.  To this end, a molecular map of diploid Fragaria has been constructed using microsatellite markers and using this as a framework, genes of known function for traits of economic importance have been located in strawberry, cherry and apple.  The position of these genes has enabled a comparison of the organisation of the chromosomes of these three crops.  This is providing functional and structural information that will be useful in the EMR programmes of genetic improvement of strawberry, cherry and apple.

Exhibit 7: Forestry and landscape research: Forest biodiversity
Dr Bruce Sutherland
Little is known about the diversity of our native broadleaved trees and shrubs, and their ability to cope with environmental changes. We are assessing adaptive (nursery trials) and genetic (DNA markers) variation in ash, cherry, rowan and chestnut to understand how individuals and populations relate to each other so to recommend appropriate seed sources and develop conservation guidelines.

Exhibit 8: Applications of PCR in plant pathology
Dr Graeme Down
The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), originally developed in the mid 1980’s now provides a cornerstone for molecular biology. At EMR, it is central to the improvement of plant pathogen diagnostics. This exhibit highlights four variations on the technique that are being utilised in research projects at EMR, investigating fungal and viral plant pathogens.

Exhibit 9: Ground beetles
Dr Colin Campbell and Dr Jean Fitzgerald
Large numbers of a diverse range of ground beetle species (carabids) forage for food among the ground flora in field and orchards crops. Their range of diets is similarly diverse. A few species are specialists, some for example feeding only on seeds, others on Collembola, but the great majority are either omnivores or generalist predators. Although most activity occurs at or on the soil surface, some species actively climb crop plants in search of prey such as aphids or caterpillars. However, as most carabids are nocturnal, their role in pest control has until now been largely overlooked. The ultimate aim of our research is to plug the gaps in our knowledge so that we can maximise the contribution of carabids for pest management in perennial horticultural crops.

Exhibit 10: Hop breeding at EMR
Dr Peter Darby
The hop breeding exhibit provides details about the science which has led to the development of new hop variety ‘Boadicea’. This is the first hop variety in the world to carry natural resistance to the most common and destructive hop pest, the damson-hop aphid. Posters also describe two new ornamental hop varieties suitable for the home garden or dedicated home-brewer.

Exhibits 11 and 12:
Dr Jean Fitzgerald, Dr Nick Harvey, Dr Chantelle Jay, Dr Celia James
The use of molecular techniques in entomology; feeding studies
To develop optimised biocontrol strategies in fruit production it is important to know which predatory insect and mite species feed on key pests. We then know which species we need to enhance or release in the crop to reduce pest numbers. Laboratory feeding studies enable us to determine what species a predator will consume if it has no choice of alternative prey, but it is difficult to simulate choice experiments with the range of possible prey present in the field. We have developed a PCR based molecular technique that enables us to collect predators from the field and determine what they have recently consumed.

The use of molecular techniques in entomology; enhancing control of rosy apple aphid
The rosy apple aphid is the most serious aphid pest in European apple orchards. It is a host alternating species that overwinters on apple, flies off to plantain in summer and back to apple in autumn. To understand this aphid’s movements, we have developed DNA techniques (microsatellite markers) to determine its genetic variability and relatedness at both geographical and within-orchard levels. We are also using genetic techniques (genomics) to uncover genes important during critical parts of the aphid’s life-cycle and during aphid/apple interactions, as a means to seek new control strategies. 

Reducing damage caused by rosy apple aphid – practical approaches
Several strands of research are producing results that should enable us to enhance control of this pest. These include investigations into how aphids choose their host plants, and whether they show a preference for specific apple cultivars. This has relevance in fruit breeding programmes. We are investigating methods for monitoring the return of the pest to apple in autumn using traps baited with the aphid sex pheromone to enable us to time autumn applications of insecticide, or to provide an early warning of population levels in the following spring. We are also investigating a range of methods to increase numbers of predators and parasitoids in orchards.

Exhibit 13: Semiochemical driven autodissemination of pathogens to control moth pests of apple
Jerry V Cross and Dr Jean Fitzgerald
New ‘autodissemination’ methods for controlling codling moth and summer fruit tortrix moth in apple orchards are being developed by EMR in collaboration with Warwick HRI, Rothamsted Research, NRI and University of Lleida. The autodissemination method entails luring the adult moths with semiochemicals (sex pheromones and/or host volatiles) to devices where the adults contaminate themselves with baculoviruses or fungal entomopathogens. Once adults are contaminated, baculoviruses are spread between individuals during mating and to eggs and their surroundings during oviposition. Alternatively, the fungal pathogens grow through the cuticle of the moth causing death. Field experiments have demonstrated the method has some promise. Work in two projects is funded by Defra (Baculoviruses) and EU Craft (Fungal pathogens).

Exhibit 14: Everbearer strawberry tasting
Dr David Simpson and Kirsty Hammond
The EMR strawberry breeders will be providing information and displaying fruit from the latest everbearing selections and varieties. Visitors will be invited to sample the berries and give their opinion on fruit quality.

Exhibit 15: Top fruit selections in the pipeline
Ken Tobutt, Ceri Govan, Dr Kate Evans, Jane Spencer
EMR has breeding programmes in apple, pear, plum and cherry and also trials cultivars from overseas. The exhibit is set up in a plot of advanced apple selections (funded by the Apple and Pear Breeding Club) and visitors can walk the rows and try a range of fruit. On the tables, there will be fruit of some of the selections and also of EMR’s new pears, Anniversary and Celebration. In addition, some late ripening plums and cherries may be included (from the HDC-funded trials and Defra-funded breeding programmes respectively) and possibly some hazelnuts.

Exhibit 16: Forestry and landscape research: Conserving and utilizing the best UK trees
Karen Russell
Broadleaved trees are a key element of our landscape.  Unlike conventional crops, very little selection and breeding to improve their performance and health has been undertaken. We are conserving a range of species – ash, cherry, oak, walnut, chestnut and sycamore – collected across the UK by identifying and propagating the best trees and establishing collections. These  collections are being used to produce better trees through conventional breeding and genetic studies.

Exhibit 17: Strawberry mildew research
Dr Xiangming Xu and Joyce Robinson
Powdery mildew is a serious problem in strawberries, particularly of late-season and everbearing types. It is difficult to control with the fungicides available, especially in everbearers because of their long cropping period. Breeding for resistance to mildew has been handicapped by the lack of information on the S. macularis X strawberry pathosystem. Defra funded a four-year research project to elucidate the types of resistance to mildew in strawberry and to determine the degree of pathogen variation so that unstable and durable resistance can be distinguished. The research work will provide essential knowledge and protocols for breeding cultivars with durable resistance to the mildew pathogen.

Exhibit 18: Reducing production times for Hardy Nursery Stock
Mike Davies and Dr Neil Hipps
This exhibit will demonstrate the conditions used to increase the growth of HNS species with the aim of removing a year from the production time for a standard plant. The results from the last year's screen of 21 different species will be presented and the first part of this year’s experiments is available for inspection. Mike Davies who is managing this work will be happy to discuss all aspects of this work including that planned in the future.

Exhibit 19: Hardy Nursery Stock Variety Development
Fiona Wilson and Abi Johnson
The aims of the Defra-funded Hardy Nursery Stock improvement programme at EMR are to develop tools and breeding lines for the horticultural industry.  The methods employed include conventional breeding and laboratory techniques such as chromosome doubling, in vitro shoot regeneration, genetic modification and using molecular markers to aid breeding.

Exhibit 20: The GroDome facility at EMR
Dr Angus Padfield, UniGro
The GroDome at East Malling Research is an innovative controlled environment facility offering cost-effective, high level containment for research.  A representative of UniGro, the building’s designers and constructors, will demonstrate the attributes and capabilities of the facility.

Exhibit 21: Partial rootzone drying for improved quality
Dr Mark Else and Phillippa Dodds
New legislations, limited resources and environmental concerns are placing increasing pressure on growers to use irrigation water more efficiently.  This exhibit will focus on our research to investigate the potential of using irrigation management techniques such as Partial Rootzone Drying (PRD) to save water, maintain yields and improve crop quality in strawberry.

Exhibit 22: East Malling Water Centre
Dr Chris Atkinson and Dr Olga Grant
The East Malling Water Centre was designed to enable projects that benefit the Hardy Nursery Stock (HNS) sector. The centre includes different types of beds – gravel, sand, and capillary matting – and different irrigation systems. Meteorological data is continuously recorded both for the open beds and on a covered bed. A variety of instruments that aid assessment of HNS water requirements are being compared. Experiments undertaken at the centre will allow establishment of protocols for best practice in the HNS industry with respect to water use.

Exhibit 23: Lipco Tunnel Recycling Sprayer
Nigel Osborne
This sprayer collects, filters and recycles much of the spray solution that would otherwise produce spray drift.   It is particularly useful at EMR for applying experimental treatments and general spraying near sensitive boundaries.

For further information please contact:
Ursula Twomey, East Malling Research
Tel: 01732 843833
Fax: 01732 849067
E-mail: ursula.twomey@emr.ac.uk
www.eastmallingresearch.com