My research focuses on understanding the origin and diversity of the genus Crocus (Iridaceae), with particular emphasis on a triploid sterile plant, Crocus sativus (2n=3x=24) that yields Saffron, one of the most expensive spices on earth. The saffron is the stigmas of the flowers, and nearly 200,000 must be collected to give 1kg of spice,…
Author: Pat Heslop-Harrison
Professor of Molecular Cytogenetics and Cell Biology, University of Leicester. Group Leader, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Programme, grant and journal reviewer and editor.
Research: genome evolution, breeding and biodiversity in agricultural species; the impact of agriculture; evaluation of research and advanced training.
The origin of saffron: Crocus sativus
Our research projects are studying the origins and diversity in several polyploid crops: banana, wheats, Brassica, Panicum millets, Nicotiana and the saffron crocus, Crocus sativus. The spice saffron is the stigmas of the flowers, and widely appreciated in Indian and Mediterranean cooking. Saffron crocus is a sterile triploid, with 2n=3x=24 chromosomes – that is, 3…
Dr Ijaz Rasool Noorka – Collaborator from University of Sargodha, Pakistan and Visiting Research Fellow
Dr Ijaz Rasool Noorka has broad interests in the development of productive and sustainable agriculture for Pakistan and developing countries. His interests complement those of the Molecular Cytogenetics Group, and have enabled us to extend our consideration of the outcomes and impact of our work on exploitation of biodiversity by chromosome engineering. Ijaz has been…
Micronutrients in wheat grain
Following the earlier post on the fate of nutrients and micronutrients applied to crops as fertilizers, today’s paper is about micronutrients in grains, showing enhanced grain micronutrients in wheat-Aegilops longissima lines. Dr HS Dhaliwal from Himachal Pradesh, India, and colleagues including Chetan Patokar, now a research student in the Molecular Cytogenetics group here, study advanced introgression…
New views on fixed nitrogen and other nutrients in crops and the environment
Two works have been published which substantially update long-standing views about nitrogen and crops. The first, Bender et al. (2013), points out that the whole nutrient balance of maize, and applications of NPK (nitrogen, phosphate and potassium) and micronutrients may well not have kept pace with their removal from fields – because of yield and…
Zubeda Chaudhry: Collaborator from Hazara University, Pakistan and Visiting Research Fellow
Dr Zubeda Chaudhry has been a Visiting Research Fellow in the Molecular Cytogenetics Lab, University of Leicester, for a year ending in April 2013. She has been working on the characterization of WRKY transcription factors in the banana (Musa) genome during her Fellowship here, supported by a highly competitive and prestigious fellowship from the Higher Education Commission…
The Molecular Cytogenetics Research Group 2013
We were mostly together for our lab meeting in March 2013. Missing: Dr John Bailey; PhD students Farah Badakshi (polyploid species), Stuart Desjardins (Knotweed with Dr John Bailey), Worku Mhiret (linseed diversity, working in Ethiopia), Chetan Patokar (PhD student, wheat introgression); and Andy Tock (pre-PhD experience), MSc student Steven Terry (Musa disease genes). Pat Heslop-Harrison took…
Superdomestication, feed-forward breeding and climate proofing crops
Climate Proofing of Food Crops, through genetic improvement for adaptation, is an important, medium-term, objective to ensure food-security and increase production while enhancing the sustainability of agriculture. The IAEA has a Coordinated Research Project discussing this topic (archive version). In the YouTube video here, I discuss some of the challenges plant researchers are addressing, and…
Opportunities in the molecular cytogenetics group
There are many opportunities to join the molecular cytogenetics research group for various periods, to develop new projects, complement or add data to existing projects, or gain training whether as post-doctoral and sabbatical visitors or as PhDs. In ‘management speak’ we are ‘research and training suppliers’ and not ‘funders’, so almost all the people in the group…
Living in Leicester: advice for academic visitors to the Molecular Cytogenetics Laboratory
There are many hotels in easy walking distance of the University, ranging from cheaper chains such as Mercure, Ibis, or Premiere Inn, through more expensive chains such as Classic British/Belmont (previously the University preferred venue for external examiners), to Victorian boutique style such as Spindle Lodge. Others in the city centre, or along London Road…
Alien chromosome introgression transferring characters into bread wheat
In situ hybridization is now widely used to identify the nature and size of chromosome, chromosome arm and chromosome segment introgressions from alien or wild species in plant breeding lines. The molecular cytogenetics research group has several projects investigating introgression of chromosomes into wheat from rye, Thinopyrum (2x and 6x), Aegilops and other species or…
Mateus Mondin University of Sao Paulo Brazil: collaborator
We are collaborating with Professor Doctor Mateus Mondin from the University of São Paulo, ESALQ, Piracicaba, Brazil, on repetitive DNA evolution in Medicago DNA sequences, and its contribution to genome evolution and variation. The environmental, nutritional (animal, and plant through nitrogen fixation) and economic importance of this family, combined with the availability of large amounts of legume DNA…
Molecular cytogenetics group homepage at molcyt.com
Molecular cytogenetics homepage Our research on genome evolution in agricultural species provides data-driven insights and evidence-based decision-making for breeding and crop improvement and biodiversity conservation or exploitation. It supports policy and practices, with fundamental implications for genome evolution. Work is at University of Leicester and South China Botanical Garden (SCBG, SCNBG)-Chinese Academy of Sciences. We…
The genome sequence of banana
300. D’Hont A, Denoeud F, Aury JM, Baurens FC, Carreel F, Garsmeur O, Noel B, Bocs S, Droc G, Rouard M, Da Silva C, Jabbari K, Cardi C, Poulain J, Souquet M, Labadie K, Jourda C, Lengellé J, Rodier-Goud M, Alberti A, Bernard M, Correa M, Ayyampalayam S, McKain MR, Leebens-Mack J, Burgess D, Freeling…
Plant nuclear genome composition
299. Heslop-Harrison, JS (Pat); and Schmidt, T (August 2012) Plant Nuclear Genome Composition. In: eLS 2012, John Wiley & Sons Ltd: Chichester http://www.els.net/ Author-prepared preprint linked here. Subscription DOI: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9780470015902.a0002014.pub2/abstract (but this link seems not to work: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9780470015902.a0002014.pub2 Nov 2012). Intranet: http://www.le.ac.uk/biology/phh4/HHpubs/ELS_PlantGenomes_SchmidtHH.pdf due Nov 2012). The plant nuclear genome consists of DNA divided among the chromosomes within the cell nucleus. Plant…
Molecular cytogenetics, genome evolution and agricultural genomics 