Research Associate, Department of Animal & Plant Sciences

Root parasitic weeds of the genus Striga are a major constraint to cereal production in Sub-Saharan Africa and causes losses in yield that vary between 40% and 100% in susceptible maize cultivars under severe field infestation. Striga resistant crop cultivars should be central to any integrated control approach for poor subsistence farmers as host plant resistance is one of the most economically feasible and practical means to reduce yield losses to Striga. Genetic variation for resistance to Striga is available in several crops including maize, making host plant resistance a feasible control measure. Development of maize inbred lines for field resistance to S. hermonthica at IITA, Nigeria has resulted in the selection of plants that allow emergence of few parasitic plants and show low parasite induced damage symptoms and little loss in grain yield. However, the extent of parasite attachment to the roots and the mechanisms of resistance of inbred lines selected for field resistance to S. hermonthica have not been extensively studied.

The aims of the project are to characterize and identifying the mechanisms of pre and post attachment resistance and their genetic basis in maize inbred lines resistant to Striga developed at IITA, Nigeria. Applications are invited for a Research Associate to join a vibrant research group investigating the molecular genetic basis of resistance in cereals to the parasitic weed Striga. You will work with Professor Scholes (University of Sheffield) and Professor Abebe Menkir (IITA, Nigeria) to characterize the level of pre and post attachment resistance in 25 selected inbred lines against different ecotypes of Striga hermonthica and S. asiatica.

The work will involve (a) characterising pre attachment resistance by collecting and analysing root exudates for their ability to germinate parasitic weed seeds and for selected cultivars quantifying the amounts of strigolactones present using mass spectrometry (pre-attachment resistance) and (b) large- scale phenotyping of the inbred lines for post-attachment resistance to different genetic variants of S. hermonthica under controlled environment conditions. You will also determine the phenotype of resistance of selected inbred lines at a microscopic level. These activities will underpin a future molecular genetic analysis of resistance in the inbred lines.

You will hold a PhD in a relevant discipline, for example Genetics, Plant Molecular Biology or Plant-parasite interactions (or have equivalent experience) This post is fixed term up to 12 months, dependant on start date (anticipated start of 1 November 2016)