Future apple growers may have more tools to tackle Apple Replant Disease (ARD) following a new grant of £482,000 to East Malling Research (EMR).
EMR will use the funding to work with industry partners to provide detailed information about the disease, which will be used to develop new management strategies and advise future breeding programmes.
“ARD is a complex disease syndrome and, until recent advances in DNA sequencing technology, it been practically impossible to develop effective control measures against it,” said EMR’s leader of genetics and crop improvement, Professor Xiangming Xu.
“With this new funding we will gain a greater understanding of the relationship between the causal agents, the rootstocks and the soil microbial populations. This new understanding will enable us to develop and implement effective control strategies for tomorrow’s fruit growers.”
Apple Replant Disease (ARD) threatens newly-planted apple trees, which fail to thrive in areas where apples have previously grown.
The grant is part of a £4m budget being spent by BBSRC and NERC to fund six projects to benefit key crops, in the second round of funding from the Horticulture and Potato Initiative (HAPI).
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