Working on all things Brassica, from Chinese cabbage to cauliflower, rapeseed to kohl rabi, Rachel has worked on a wide variety of industry targets including yield, oil profile for biolubricants, plant development, flowering time and disease resistance, with a wide range of academic and industry collaborators.
With a growing team of researchers and support from JIC Entomology, Rachel’s current research involves the identification of genetic resistance to Brassica pests, with a strong focus on cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB). The team uses captive CSFB, to study CFSB development and genetics, and controlled and field plant variety screens for both adult and larval CSFB damage in Brassica napus and related species such as Sinapis alba. These experiments can be used to look at plant-pest interaction and ultimately determine genes associated with feeding habit which can be used for breeding.
