Current research areas:

Long-term priming of plant defence responses

• Mechanisms and applications of long-term priming of plant resistance to stress, including;
• Stress-induced epigenetic regulation of immunity
• Maternal effects and trans-generational phenotypic plasticity.

Sustainable approaches to improved plant biotic and abiotic stress resistance

• Novel seed treatments which provide long-lasting increases in resistance against disease and insect pests in crop plants.
• The isolation of natural plant products from agricultural/horticultural and food wastes that have applications in improving stress resistance.

Effects of the environment on plant stress responses

• Interactions between light signalling and wound/herbivore responses in Arabidopsis.
• Ozone signalling
• Effects of climate change (elevated temperature and CO₂ levels) on plant-insect interactions.

These projects have been supported by over £2 million external funding, including grants from BBSRC, Defra, NERC and industry.