Our research
The Wolfson Advanced Glasshouses is a unique facility at the University of Birmingham. A laboratory area seamlessly links to a glasshouse zone with individual controlled environment compartments to provide a fully contained facility capable of housing both herbaceous plants and trees. One key feature is the provision of CO2 fumigation of plants so that researchers can study how plants respond to higher levels of the gas associated with climate change - and help us to understand how to respond to and mitigate the effects. Another important area of work will be the study of plant pathogens, both indigenous and on the horizon that threaten our forests and crops. We aim to study the pathogens, and how the plants respond, to learn how they cause disease - and thus provide the opportunity to find ways of stopping infection and disease spread.
Current research
Climate change research
Working closely with the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BIFoR), the facility allows the study of the reaction of trees to pathogens and pests in as close to real world scenario as possible. This will enhance the research already being conducted at BIFoR where the introduction of pathogens presents an unacceptable environmental risk.
The physiological and molecular aspects of disease development, as well as innate tree defence mechanisms will be examined. The resilience of forest trees to pests and diseases including ‘ash dieback’ and ‘sudden oak death’ current prognoses are that interactions with rapid climate change will put forests under ever increasing pressure from much faster evolving pathogens with far reaching and negative impacts globally.
Understanding how plants perceive temperature, and how they use this information to instruct development is key to understanding how climate change will affect crop germination, growth, reproductive success and ultimately yield. For example, Dr Sanchez-Moran is investigating how meiotic recombination giving rise to genetic variation, is impacted by heat, and how temperature control of this process may lead to enhanced variability and improved traits. Similarly, Professor Daniel Gibbs is investigating the intricate timing of reproductive changes in plants after prolonged cold winters, aiming to synchronize blooming with the most favourable seasons. His research extends to understanding plant reactions to flood conditions, even at the epigenetic level. Currently, the focus is on transferring the flood tolerance mechanisms identified in Arabidopsis to barley. This research holds the potential for significant advancements in creating flood-resistant varieties of this vital crop.
Food security research
Food security faces three main risks from climate change: the production of greenhouse gases from intensive farming, the increased occurrence of extreme weather events that can devastate crops, and ongoing threats such as shifts in CO2 levels, temperature, and the spread of pathogens, which impact crop yield and quality. To adapt, understanding how plants respond to environmental shifts is crucial, necessitating experiments that alter the genetic makeup of plants or pathogens. Gene editing presents a promising solution, allowing the improvement of key agricultural traits without the need to introduce foreign DNA.