We are an internationally recognised centre for translational research in sustainable agriculture, horticulture and food security.
The School of Life Sciences was ranked 2nd in the UK for Agriculture, Food and Veterinary research in the Government's 2014 “Research Excellence”
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations have declared 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) and have called for organisations to raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and boost economic development.
Much of the research in the School of Life Sciences is aimed at improving crop productivity and combating pests and diseases while conserving the environment in order to feed an increasing population.
Each month, for the remainder of the year, the Crop Centre will be presenting a new article to highlight some of this work that relates to IYPH 2020.
Cordycepin, a metabolite of Cordyceps militaris, reduces immune-related gene expression in insects
Victoria C Woolley, Graham R Teakle, Gillian Prince, Cornelia Moor, David Chandler
Hypocrealean entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) are natural regulators of insect populations in terrestrial environments. Their obligately-killing life-cycle means that there is likely to be strong selection pressure for traits that allow them to evade the effects of the host immune system. In this study, we quantified the effects of cordycepin on insect susceptibility to EPF infection and on insect immune gene expression. The results suggest that cordycepin has potential to act as a suppressor of the immune response during fungal infection of insect hosts.
Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. October 2020AHDB Horticulture Pest Bulletin, AHDB Horticulture Pest Blog
Horticulture Innovation Partnership
Warwick's UK Vegetable Genebank celebrates its 40th Anniversary
The UK Vegetable Genebank was opened on 8th October 1980. Forty years on, a programme of events took place between 5th-9th October, as an online celebration of the genebank, its collections and how their seed has been used in plant breeding and research. View the resources from the event
Core Research
Education and Training
Working with Industry
