RESEARCH PROFILE

Water is the most important factor limiting crop production on a global scale. Water resources are increasingly under pressure due to global climate change, competition from diverse users and the desire to protect the environment. Our research is driven by the need to generate crop varieties with improved water-use efficiency suited to production with reduced water inputs.

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a phytohormone that mediates plant response to abiotic stress, including water deficit stress. In collaboration with Dr Ian Taylor (University of Nottingham) I have previously shown that the key rate-limiting step in ABA synthesis is 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED) and that over-expression of NCED in plants using constitutive promoters causes increased ABA accumulation and a range of physiological changes including improved water-use efficiency. Our current research interests are in tissue-specific overproduction of ABA, and global regulation of ABA biosynthesis.

In addition, another major focus of my research is in the genetic control of traits related to water use efficiency and drought resistance. I use genetic systems in model crops that represent both Brassicaceae and Solanaceae, including Arabidopsis, vegetable brassicas, tomato and potato. Traits of interest include leaf level water use efficiency, biomass response to irrigation, and rooting depth.

BACKGROUND

EDUCATION PROFILE

Courses Taught

• BSc: Environmental Biology [details]
• BSc Biological Sciences: Plant Molecular Development Module [details]
  Lectures on plant adaptation to envirionment and plant water relations
• MSc Plant Bioscience for Crop Production [details]
  Lectures on irrigation, crop water use and plant water relations

Learning, Teaching & Development Activity

• Phase 2 teaching
• Phase 2 teaching
• Postgraduate teaching (inc modules & project/research)

CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS

• WU0128 Crop improvement or resource use efficiency, with Dr Miriam L Gifford, Warwick HRI, Dr Andrew J Thompson - Warwick HRI Dr John P Hammond - Warwick HRI, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Project Start Date: 01/10/2009 Project End Date: 30/09/2012
• Waterbee Consortium Amendment, OSV - Organizzazione Sviluppo Vendite, Project Start Date: 01/10/2009 Project End Date: 30/09/2011
• Generic approaches to increasing water-use efficiency (WUE) in crops by enhancing abscisic acid biosynthesis. CSA7464/WU0106, Defra, Project Start Date: 02/07/2007 Project End Date: 30/06/2011
• Generic Approaches to increasing Water use Efficiency in Crops: Supplement, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Project Start Date: 02/07/2007 Project End Date: 30/06/2011
• Follow on funding: The development of a novel class of chemicals as potential new herbicides, with Prof Timothy D Bugg - Chemistry, BBSRC, Project Start Date: 01/07/2009 Project End Date: 30/06/2010
• WU0116 Identification of Genes Inderlying a QTL that Influence Both Water Use Efficiency and Biomass, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Project Start Date: 01/04/2008 Project End Date: 31/03/2010
• Genetic analysis of root traits relevant to water-use in horticultural crops, DEFRA Core Grant, Project Start Date: 01/04/2005 Project End Date: 31/03/2010
  
  

  Further Research Projects

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

• Sergeant, M.J., Li, J-J, Fox, C., Brookbank, N., Rea, D., Bugg, T.D.H. and Thompson, A.J. (2009) 'SELECTIVE INHIBITION OF CAROTENOID CLEAVAGE DIOXYGENASES: PHENOTYPIC EFFECTS ON SHOOT BRANCHING ' Journal Of Biological Chemistry 284 5257 - 5264 (0021-9258) [article]
• Jones, M.O., Manning, K., Andrews, J., Wright, C., Taylor, I.B. and Thompson, A.J. (2008) 'The promoter from SlREO, a highly-expressed, root-specific Solanum lycopersicum gene, directs expression to cortex of mature roots' Functional Plant Biology 35 (12), 1224 - 1233 (1445-4408) [article]
• Tung, S.A., Smeeton, R., White, C.A., Black, C.R., Taylor, I.B., Hilton, H.W., Thompson, A.J. (2008) 'Over-expression of LeNCED1 in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) with the rbcS3C promoter allows recovery of lines that accumulate very high levels of abscisic acid and exhibit severe phenotypes.' Plant Cell And Environment 31 968 - 981 (0140-7791) [article]
• Smith, T.R., Clark, A.J., Napier, R., Taylor, P.C., Thompson, A.J. and Marsh, A. (2007) 'Function and stability of abscisic acid hydrazone conjugates by LC-MS2 of ex vivo samples' Bioconjugate Chemistry 18 1355 - 1359 (1043-1802) [article]
• Thompson, A.J., Andrews, J., Mulholland, B.J., McKee, J.M.T., Hilton, H.W., Horridge, J.D., Farquhar, G.D. & Taylor, I.B. (2007) 'Over-production of abscisic acid in tomato increases water-use efficiency and root hydraulic conductivity and influences leaf expansion' Plant Physiology 143 (4), 1905 - 1917 (0032-0889) [article]

Further Publications

RECENT RESEARCH DEGREES SUPERVISED

• Genetic Control of Water-Use Efficiency in Arabidopsis
• Tissue-specific regulation of abscisic acid biosynthesis
• Effect of overproduction of abscisic acid on plant productivity and water use
• Optimising water-use efficiency via transgene transposition