School of Biosciences
 

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Rumiana Ray

Professor in Plant Pathology, Faculty of Science

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Biography

2021-present Professor in Plant Pathology

2016-2021 Associate Professor in Crop Pathology, University of Nottingham

2008-2016 Assistant Professor in Crop Science, University of Nottingham

2003-2008 Research Fellow Plant Pathology, Harper Adams University

Editor for Plant Pathology and Frontiers in Plant Science

Expertise Summary

  • Development of novel approaches and field technologies for pathogen/disease detection:
    • multispectral, hyperspectral and fluorescence signals to identify disease signatures and vision-based disease sensing for field use
    • molecular diagnostics for soil and plant pathogens
  • Physiological and genetic mechanisms of host-pathogen and pest-host-pathogen interactions and their consequences for crop protection
  • Chemical control: Dr Ray collaborates with agrii industry on understanding the phytoactivity and bioaction of novel crop protection molecules
  • Integrated disease management in cereals and oilseed rape

Teaching Summary

Teaching interests are within the areas of crop protection and plant pathology.

Convener:

BIOS 2014 Enterprise management challenge, level 2

BIOS 3011 Plant Disease Control, level 3

Contributor:

Plant Science Research Tutorials

Genetic Improvement of Crop Plants

Research Summary

Focussed on improving plant health, crop productivity and protection against pathogenic and pest threats to global food security. We aim to develop sustainable, integrated control strategies for… read more

Recent Publications

Current Research

Focussed on improving plant health, crop productivity and protection against pathogenic and pest threats to global food security. We aim to develop sustainable, integrated control strategies for economically damaging diseases and/or pests. Main diseases of interest include Fusarium head blight of cereals, the soil-borne/stem-base disease complexes and Septoria tritici blotch of wheat. We are interested in the biology and control of sucking pests such as aphids and their interactions with crop hosts and plant pathogens.

Areas of research:

  • novel approaches and field technologies for pathogen/disease detection in the environment
  • physiological and genetic mechanisms of dual (host-pathogen) and tripartite (pest-host-pathogen) interactions
  • phytoactivity, bioaction and effectiveness of novel crop protection active compounds

Research fellows and projects

BBSRC Dr Olubukola Ajigboye: Hijacking plant immunity: winners and losers in dual pest and pathogen attacks on a shared host

Syngenta Dr Dasuni Jayaweera: Molecular detection and quantification systems for soil pathogens

Syngenta: Physiological and genetic effects of biostimulants in crops

PhD students and projects:

BBSRC DTP Samuel Asamoah: Fusarium graminearium-aphid interactions in wheat

BBSRC DTP Isabelle Sims: Mechanisms of resistance of oilseed rape to Rhizoctonia solani AG2-1

BBSRC iCase with RAGT Patrick Seed: Mapping of Cougar resistance to Zymoseptoria tritici in wheat

Perry Foundation/RRES/UoN Dimitra Angelopolou: The role of photoprotection in wheat defence to Zymoseptoria tritici

Oman MoA Nasser Al-Abri: Biology and control of the dubas bug in date palm

Past Research

BBSRC/AHDB/Syngenta AGRI-TECH Cat5 ICAROS Integrated control of Rhizoctonia solani in OSR

BBSRC/Agrii/RAGT AGRI-TECH Cat 4 CAPTURE Developing novel sensors for disease and resilience in wheat

Syngenta: Integrated control of Fusarium head blight in wheat

BBSRC/TSB: Protecting the malting and brewing quality of UK barley cultivars through effective control strategies against Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) (SAFEMalt)

AHDB, British Wheat Breeders, BASFplc, Bayer CropScience Ltd, Syngenta Crop Protection UK Ltd: Forecasting eyespot development and yield losses in winter wheat

Future Research

PhD BBSRC/Syngenta iCase: Identification of candidate genes for resistance to aphids in wheat

School of Biosciences

University of Nottingham
Sutton Bonington Campus
Nr Loughborough
LE12 5RD, UK

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