0000-0001-6959-4239 About
My research provides new understanding in fundamental plant science that finds application in sustainable crops production. My current priority is to improve understanding of plant responses to solar ultraviolet radiation (UV: 320-400nm). This research was originally stimulated by concerns over stratospheric ozone depletion which, without effective controls on ozone depleting substances, would have massively increased the intensity of short wavelength solar UV (UV-B radiation) reaching the biosphere. However, I realised that plant responses to UV-B could be exploited in sustainable crop production, improving crop quality and contributing to pest and disease control. I have worked closely with industry to deliver new commercial approaches, for example new types of cladding plastics for protected crop production (working with Arid Agritech (http://www.aridagritec.com/ ) and bpi-Visqueen (http://www.bpivisqueenhort.com/ ). I continue to investigate how better understanding of responses to solar UV can lead to new approaches and technologies for sustainable horticulture. Ozone depletion remains a significant environmental issue, despite the undoubted success of the Montreal Protocol, and I am co-chair (2010-) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) panel on the interactive effects of ozone depletion and climate change on health and the environment, which continues to provide up-to-date assessment of this topic for governments and policy makers (http://ozone.unep.org/).
As well as my UV research, I have a long-standing interest in the ecology of interactions between plants and their natural enemies, invertebrate herbivores or pathogenic microbes, in non-crop systems (e.g. Senecio vulgaris and its rust Puccinia lagenophorae; Rumex spp. and their Uromyces rumicis and herbivores (especially the beetle Gastrophysa viridula)). Those fundamental studies have led to a patented (WO 2008007100) new approach to crop control by treating seeds with jasmonates (a natural plant signalling compounds) to produce long-standing protection against pests (see http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/people/robertmr/impact.html and http://www.pbltechnology.com/cms.php?pageid=296 )
Employment
Employment history is unavailable.
Education
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University of Reading BSc Ist class Horticultural Botany1976 - 1980
Projects & Funding
Projects & funding information is unavailable.
Publications (116)
- The Montreal Protocol protects the terrestrial carbon sink Save
- Reduction of photosynthetic sensitivity in response to abiotic stress in tomato is mediated by a new generation plant activator Save
- Ecological responses to UV radiation: interactions between the biological effects of UV on plants and on associated organisms Save
- Plant pest and disease diagnosis using electronic nose and support vector machine approach Save
- The UV-B photoreceptor UVR8 promotes photosynthetic efficiency in Arabidopsis thaliana exposed to elevated levels of UV-B Save
- Treating seeds with activators of plant defence generates long-lasting priming of resistance to pests and pathogens Save
- Effects of solar UV radiation and climate change on biogeochemical cycling: interactions and feedbacks Save
- Increased exposure to UV-B radiation during early development leads to enhanced photoprotection and improved long-term performance in Lactuca sativa Save
- The sunny side of greenhouse gas emissions - quantifying the contribution of aerobic methane production to global methane budgets Save
- A comparative study on the aqueous photodegradation of two organophosphorus pesticides under simulated and natural sunlight Save