Discovery and functional analysis of Striga resistance genes in rice for targeted breeding of durable defence

Supervisors: Professor Julie D Scholes and Professor Jon Slate

Rice is one of the most important crops worldwide but grain yields are severely reduced in sub Saharan Africa by the parasitic weed Striga hermonthica. This project will exploit a range of advanced genetic resources to identify, clone and test the function of candidate Striga-resistance genes in rice.

The specific aims are to: (a) Map a Striga resistance QTL on chromosome 12 of rice to identify candidate resistance genes. (b) Clone the candidate genes and examine their function by up or down regulating gene expression in rice roots using a high throughput functional screen based on Agrobacterium rhizogenes -induced 'hairy roots'and in situ hybridization studies. Once the resistance gene(s) have been identified the student will use bioinformatic tools to identify new/rare alleles at this locus in Asian rice (O. sativa) and (African rice) O. glaberrima accessions that are currently being resequenced to identify of new sources of resistance.
The student will join a multi-disciplinary group investigating the molecular genetic basis of resistance and susceptibility in cereals to Striga and will also benefit from interactions with scientists at CGIAR centres and Universities in Africa.

To apply, please complete an online application form which can be found at www.shef.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/apply/applying