OMV-I: Investigating spatio-temporal dynamics of Oat Mosaic Virus (OMV) in Irish tillage systems

Oats is an essential cereal crop for the Irish tillage sector, providing an important break in rotations while delivering an important economic return into an expanding marketplace. However, as the area planted to oats increases, that greater acreage presents a significant risk of a disease outbreak from the Oats Mosaic Virus (OMV). OMV is transmitted by the soil-borne obligate parasite Polymyxa graminis, with the ability to impact yield by up to 50%, while making the land unsuitable for future oat cultivation. In spite of its impact, there is no information on either the epidemiological or agronomic dynamics of OMV under Irish climatic conditions. It is clear that a significant knowledge gap exists and the problem is made worse by growers making decisions in the absence of objective, science-led information. The specific goal of this PhD is to address the knowledge gap and underpin the economically important oat sector. For this, the OMV-I project will

1. Develop a molecular-based diagnostic for both P. graminis and OMV to study genetic diversity and spatio-temporal distribution of vector and virus in soil
2. Deliver novel insight into the prevalence of OMV across the tillage sector, via surveys of both the organic and conventional sectors
3. Investigate the relationship between OMV load and yield penalty as a measure of characterizing varietal resistance

Requirements

1.      Educational Qualification: Applicants must have a minimum Second Class (2.1) Honours (or equivalent degree, see QQI for details) in an appropriate discipline such as Plant/Crop Biology, Biotechnology or a related Biological Science subjects. A Master’s degree or equivalent experience in related discipline would be highly desirable.

2.      Language requirement: The candidate must have excellent English communication skills (oral and written), in order to support stakeholder engagement. Applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate on the application that they meet an English language requirement with a minimum score of 6.5 IELTS (minimum of 6.0 in each component) or equivalent. For more details, click here.

3.      Other requirement: This project requires frequent field visit for crop monitoring and sample collections, followed by laboratory analysis of plant and soil samples. The successful candidate is required to hold a valid driving license before the commencement of the project. For more details about driving license requirements in Ireland, click here.

Award

This PhD Scholarship is jointly funded by Walsh Scholarship Program of Teagasc and Irish Seed Trade Association’s bursaries. The student will be registered with Maynooth University under the academic supervision of Dr David Fitzpatrick. The student is expected to visit Maynooth University to fulfil academic requirements for doctoral study, however, the successful candidate will primarily be based at Teagasc Oak Park Research Centre, Carlow under the direct supervision of Dr Atikur Rahman, in association with Dr Ewen Mullins and Dr Stephen Byrne.

The scholarship funding is up to €31,000 per annum, which includes a contribution to University fees of up to €6,000 per annum, plus a student stipend of €25,000 per annum, tenable for 4 years. (For international tuition fee, please check here). Additionally, the project is separately funded for research consumables and travel budget to participate in national and international conferences.

Application Procedure

Submit an electronic copy of a single-page cover letter and Curriculum Vitae (as a single PDF file and “Please name your file as ‘FirstName_LastName.pdf’.”) to: Dr Atikur Rahman (atikur.rahman@teagasc.ie).

You must quote the “WS application reference-2023203” in the subject field.