New research into how strawberry plants respond to biostimulant treatment at a genetic level has earned an agronomist a prestigious award, presented at a ceremony at the Houses of Parliament.
Reed de Rouen, currently a trainee horticultural agronomist at crop production specialists Hutchinsons, carried out the research as part of his university thesis, investigating a new elicitor product from Alltech to understand how strawberry plants (Fragaria × ananassa) responded to treatment, and which genes were expressed as part of their defence response.
Reed’s thesis, titled “Gene Regulation of Pathogenesis-Related Genes in Cultivated Strawberry Plants (Fragaria × ananassa) in Response to Biostimulant Application,” went on to win a Royal Society of Biology top project award.
The ceremony celebrated students who had won top project awards from Royal Society of Biology accredited institutions across the UK and abroad. Every UK and international university accredited by the Society is invited to nominate one paper for consideration, and Reed accepted the award for his work at Canterbury Christ Church University, from which he graduated with a first class honours degree in Plant Science.
The research aimed to build a clearer picture of which plant defence mechanisms were activated, and how this might help suppress pathogen infection.
Reed found that several genes associated with plant defence were activated following treatment with the product. “Notably, one gene appeared to express a splice variant in the treated samples, suggesting the product caused the plant to express that gene in a different form. Because the function of this spliced gene is not yet fully understood, the discovery attracted particular interest from lecturers at the university,“ he explained.
Reed’s project supervisor, Dr Alec Forsyth FRSB, has taken a keen interest in the finding and hopes to continue researching the gene to better understand its function.
“I was thrilled when I heard the news that I had won the award – after four hard years of study, it was so nice to get the recognition for the work on my final project. I’d like to thank Hutchinsons for their continued support
“I’d also like to thank Alltech, who opened up an interest I didn’t realise I had – the use of biostimulants and elicitors to aid crop protection. These kinds of products are becoming increasingly important in horticulture and agriculture, given the loss of much of the conventional chemistry traditionally used to control pests and pathogens. Working on one of Alltech’s products, and learning how elicitors can change plant behaviour at a genetic level to combat pest and pathogen attack, inspired me to understand more,“ said Reed.
“Finally, I’d like to say a big thank you to my lecturer and mentor, Alec Forsyth, who gave me the support and guidance I needed to win this award.”
