I work on meiosis, a specialized cell division that occurs during eukaryote sexual reproduction and results in gametes. I am interested in mechanistic understanding of how parental traits are reassorted in offspring during meiosis in a process termed recombination, or crossover. This is crucial for both fertility in all eukaryotes and crop breeding, as the latter relies on crossover to select novel combinations of agronomically beneficial traits.
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Aliya is a laboratory research technician at The Crop Science Centre under the supervision of Dr Jeongmin Choi's research group. She received her BSc (Hons) in Biotechnology at The University of Edinburgh. Her previous working experience includes research institutes and industry.
I have had a long career break and I am looking forward to going back to work. I have worked in the water and tobacco industries as a technician, scientist and project manager. I studied for my MCHEM later in life.
A versatile new technique to visualise lipids in arbuscules has been outlined in a new research paper by Crop Science Centre scientists. Lipids are used by plants to nourish arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and are therefore an important part of the plant-fungi symbiotic relationship.
The lead author, Hector Sommerfield, said “Some genes have been assumed to be pivotal for symbiotic lipid biosynthesis and transfer to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Now, thanks to this technique it is possible to visualise lipids to scrutinise the function of these genes".
This technique could support research into many of the genes believed to be related to plant-fungi symbiosis. The method proved to be easy to implement in five different plant species. In fact, this technique has already enabled the first visualisation of lipids in a linage of plants with a gene changed to impair symbiotic lipid dynamics.
This method involves treating roots with a combination of a fluorescent red chitin dye and blue lipid dye, which can be seen on the accompanying image. This enables the treated roots to be viewed in a confocal microscope.
A link to the paper can be found here https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.15934
The Crop Science Centre has been awarded a donation from Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropies for a five-year programme of work tackling key challenges faced by small-holder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa.
On receiving the donation, Professor Giles Oldroyd, Director of the Crop Science Centre, said “Currently small holder farmers suffer yield challenges from pests, diseases, heat, drought, and a lack of soil nutrients. As a result, crop yields in sub-Saharan Africa are well below their potential productivity. By combining innovative plant science from the University of Cambridge with agricultural expertise from NIAB, the Crop Science Centre is uniquely placed to help close this yield gap, which is currently exacerbating hunger and poverty.”
The work funded by the donation attempts to raise potential production for small-holder farmers, by addressing the availability of nutrients for crop production, improving the efficiency of carbon capture by plants through photosynthesis, and reducing crop losses from pests, pathogens and heat stress. These approaches reflect the breadth and depth of expertise at the Crop Science Centre.
Professor Mario Caccamo, NIAB’s CEO, said “This generous donation accelerates the impacts we can have at the Crop Science Centre and helps us focus on improving the livelihoods of some of the poorest farmers on the planet. With the support provided by the Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropies we will strive to close the yield gap for small holder farmers.”
The programme of work will begin in October 2022 and will involve aligning research activities between Cambridge and partners in sub-Saharan Africa, aiming to strengthen the links between the Crop Science Centre and the researchers working in related fields in Africa
I did my Bachelor’s and Master’s studies in Biology at the University of Florence (Italy), performing an Erasmus+ traineeship at the University of Oxford, Department of Plant Sciences, in 2018 where I joined the Rhizosphere Group led by Prof. Philip Poole, where I studied the interaction between the symbiotic rhizobium microorganism Rhizobium leguminosarum and Pisum sativum plants. In early 2020 I joined the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge, as a Research Laboratory Technician within the group of Development and Reproduction led by Dr. Sebastien Andreuzza.
I finished my undergrad in China at the Nanjing Agricultural University studying Agriculture. Then I obtained my Master's degree at Wageningen University, The Netherlands, majoring in plant sciences and specialising in plant breeding and genetic resources. Because of my passion for biotic stress and genetics, I joined Sebastian's group to start my PhD in exploring more susceptibility and resistance genes underlying plant-nematode interactions.
I joined the Crop Science Center in October 2021 to pursue postgraduate degree following the completion of a Master's in Plant Pathology at Michigan State University (USA). My undergraduate work was completed at Purdue University where I studied environmental sciences. I have worked in hazardous waste remediation and sales, and founded an entrepreneurial venture to manufacture lawn and garden products called Plumstone.
I am a Biological Sciences Graduate with a strong passion about plants. I completed my undergraduate research project looking at the effects of different biotic and abiotic stresses on the ROS production in Arabidopsis thaliana. I will be now joining the Crop Breeding Technologies team of Natasha Yelina as an technician/assistant where I will be trying to work out why and how elevated temperature affects Arabidopsis fertility and reproductive success.
The Crop Science Centre is a coalition between the University of Cambridge, Department of Plant Sciences, and NIAB. This coalition focuses on translational research in crops with real-world impact. We combine the diverse skills and expertise of the University and NIAB, providing an environment for research excellence with the capability to apply discoveries to crop improvement in the field.
Our research is interdisciplinary and of global relevance. We strive to improve both staple crops such as maize, wheat and rice, but also the specific crops of relevance to small-holder farmers, particularly those in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Centre provides leadership in crop sciences, with a creative and dynamic research culture, motivated by improvement of agriculture for the betterment of society.
At the Crop Science Centre, we are generating crop plants that deliver sufficient food for everyone in a sustainable way
“Years of research has provided a deep understanding of how plants function, creating opportunities to transform the way we produce our food. I am motivated to improve the sustainability and the equity of food production worldwide”
Professor Giles Oldroyd,
CSC Director
“At the Crop Science Centre we have the scientific breadth and track record to rapidly respond to one of the grand challenges of our time: growing enough nutritious food for an increasing population while reducing inputs and green house emissions.”
Professor Mario Caccamo,
CEO and Director of NIAB
“We envisage that new CSC crop technologies will enable higher crop yields and lower environmental impact for crop-based food production – as well as contributing to improved dietary health.”
Sir David Baulcombe,
Royal Society Professor
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