The focus of the Nicholson lab’s research is on investigating the genetic basis of resistance to a number of pathogens of wheat and barley. The main diseases are Fusarium head blight and wheat blast which affect the heads of cereals and eyespot that attacks the stem base. While all three diseases reduce yield, Fusarium head blight is of particular concern because the fungi produce toxins that can contaminate grain and pose a health risk to human and animal consumers. These diseases each require a different approach. While wheat blast and Fusarium head blight cause similar symptoms they differ markedly with respect to resistance. The former can be tackled by identifying conventional resistance genes while the latter is much more difficult to counter as such genes do not appear to play any role in resistance to this disease. In addition to working on wheat itself, the Nicholson lab also use the model species (Brachypodium distachyon) and wheat relatives to aid our research.

LINKS

https://www.jic.ac.uk/people/paul-nicholson/