Dr Laura Vickers

Biography

I teach crop production, plant physiology and biosciences to undergraduates; entomology, horticulture and plant physiology to postgraduates. I am the course manager for the Agricultural Sciences and Production Systems MSc and the BASIS partnership manager.  

My research areas of expertise are in organismal adaptability to environmental stress, in particular water stress working with Professor Peter Kettlewell in the area of antitranspirants. I also conduct research in entomology, particularly aphids, and urban farming. I am a advisory board member of the UK Urban AgriTech, as well as working within the Policy and Advocacy group. My other interests are in fresh produce production, postharvest quality, in addition to plants as green infrastructure. 

Teaching Duties

Course Manager for the Agricultural Sciences and Production Systems MSc/PgD/PgC

Module Leader:

• Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (level 4)

Other Teaching:

• Research Methods (level 5)
• Crop Production Sciences (level 5)
• Environment and Geography Field Course (level 6)
• Insect Physiology (level 7 - MSc level)
• Sustainable Farming Systems (level 7)
• Professional Placement Project (level 7)
• Case Study (level 7)

Research Duties

Director of Studies:

Commonwealth funded PhD studentship at Harper Adams University (Bonaventure Ufitinema) 2024 - ongoing - Minimising agriculture's contribution to grrenhouse gas emissions via effective post-harvest practices and composting the leftovers by Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens L.)

PhD self funded (previous funding Digital Farm and Vertical Future) awarded by Harper Adams University (Katia Kouloumprouka Zacharaki) 2019 - ongoing - Behaviour of strawberry plants in indoor/vertical production with artificial lighting

PhD Co-supervisor:  

PhD studentship at Harper Adams University (Claire Griffiths) 2023 - ongoing - Cultivating interest; The ability of community-based urban agriculture to provde key Ecosystem Service

PhD studentship at The University of Vallalodid (Ouiam Fatiha Boukharta) 2022 - submitted - Best practises in Urban Agriculture

MIBTP PhD studentship at Harper Adams University (Misbah Sehar) 2021 - 2024- The role of pollen starch accumulation in responses of wheat to water stress and antitranspirants 

PhD studentship at Harper Adams University (Jie Xiang) 2018 - 2022 - Understanding mitigation of drought damage to rapeseed (Brassica Napus L.) from sprays of film antitranspirants

Commonwealth funded PhD studentship at Harper Adams University (Wiza Mphande) 2017 - 2021 - The role of Antitranspirants and drought signalling in reproductive developments in Spring Wheat 

iCASE PhD studentship at the University of Birmingham (David Booth) 2016 - 2020 - Investigation into the agronomic and biological factors affecting postharvest bruising in Pastinaca sativa (Parsnip) 

Research interests

• Plant adaption to drought stress and drought mitigation
• Urban agriculture 
• Organismal adaptability to the environment in particular insect plasticity to indoor production systems
• Maximising yield, marketability and storage in fresh produce crops
• Value of plants with regards to green infrastructure and Health and Wellbeing.

Webinar Contributions

• Rewatch my contribution to Barclays Eagle Labs webinar series on "Urban Agriculture and Communities" on 25th November 2020 [YouTube].
• Rewatch my contribution to the Future Farm Technology Expo webinar, 3rd September 2020 on how technology can build trust for vertical farming - also featuring Jack Farmer of LettUsGrow and David Farquhar of IGS Limited.
• Rewatch my contribution to the FarmTech Society Present series, 19th August 2020 entitled "Farming in the Future: Educating the Next Generation to Make CEA Scalable"

Publications

Xiang, J., Hare, M. C., Vickers, L. H., & Kettlewell, P. S. (2024). A Comparative Study on Rapeseed Sprayed with Film Antitranspirant Under Two Contrasting Rates of Soil Water Depletion. Agronomy, 14(12), 2944. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14122944

Mphande W., Farrell A.D., Vickers L.H., Grove I.G., Kettlewell P.S. (2024) Yield improvement with antitranspirant application in droughted wheat associated with both reduced transpiration and reduced abscisic acid. The Journal of Agricultural Science, 162 (1) :33-45. doi:10.1017/S0021859624000157

Boukharta, O. F., Huang, I. Y, Vickers, L., Navas-Gracia, L. M. and Chico-Santamarta, L. (2024) Benefits of non-commercial Urban Agricultural Practices – A systematic map. Agronomy, 14, 234. doi:10.3390/agronomy14020234

Zacharaki, K, Monaghan, J., Bromley, J. and Vickers, L. (2024) Opportunities and challenges for strawberry cultivation in urban food production systems. Plants, People, Planet. 10.1002/ppp3.10475

Xiang, J., Vickers, L. H., Hare, M. C., and Kettlewell, P. S. (2023) Increasing the concentration of film antitranspirant increases yields of rapeseed under terminal drought by improving plant water status Agricultural Water Management, 284.

Xiang, J., Vickers, L. H., Hare, M. C., and Kettlewell, P. S. (2022) Evaluation of the concentration-response relationship between film antitranspirant and yield of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) under drought Agricultural Water Management, 270.

Mphande, W., Farrell, A. D., Grove, I. G., Vickers, L.H. and Kettlewell, P. S. (2021) Metabolic and film antitranspirants both reduce drought damage to wheat yield despite having contrasting effects on leaf ABA Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science

Xiang, J., Hare, M., Vickers, L. and Kettlewell, P. (2021) Estimation of film antitranspirant spray coverage on rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) leaves using titanium dioxide. Crop Protection 105531

Mphande, W., Farrell, A. D., Grove, I.G., Vickers, L.H. and Kettlewell, P.S. (2020) Yield improvement by antitranspirant application in droughted wheat is associated with reduced endogenous abscisic acid concentration Agricultural Water Management, 244.

Beacham, A. M.; Vickers, L. H and Monaghan, J. M. (2019) Vertical Farming: A Summary of Approaches to Growing Skywards Journal of Horticulture Science and Biotechnology In Press

Pritchard, J. and Vickers, L.H. (2017) Chapter 7 Aphids and Stress. Aphids as Crop Pests. Ed: Emden, H van, Harrington, R. CABI 

Hunter, P.J.; Atkinson, L.D.; Vickers, L.H.; Lignou, S.; Oruna-Concha, M.J.; Pink, D.A.C.; Hand, P.; Barker, G.; Wagstaff, C. and Monaghan, J.M. (2017). Oxidative discolouration in whole-head and cut lettuce: biochemical and environmental influences on a complex phenotype and potential breeding strategies to improve shelf-life. Euphytica, 213 (8)

Vickers, L. H. (2016) Gardening sustainably for the future. Living with Environmental Change. Policy in Practice Notes, Note 29 [Accessible here http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/partnerships/ride/lwec/ppn/ppn29/] 

Monaghan, J.M.; Vickers, L.H.; Grove, I.G. and Beacham, A.M. (2016) Deficit irrigation reduces postharvest rib pinking in wholehead Iceberg lettuce, but at the expense of head fresh weight. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 97 (5), 1524–1528

Hossain, M.R., Vickers, L., Sharma, G., Livermore, T., Pritchard, J. and Ford-Lloyd, B.V. (2016) Chapter 22 Salinity Tolerance in Plants: Insights from Transcriptomic Studies. In Managing Salt Tolerance in Plants: Molecular and Genomic Perspectives. Ed Wani, S.H. and Hossain, M.A. CRC Press

Vickers, L.H., Grove, I.G. and Monaghan, J.M. (2015) Irrigation affects postharvest discolouration and yield in iceberg lettuce. Acta Horticulturae 1091, 253-258

Vickers, L.H., Grove, I.G. and Monaghan, J.M. (2015) Soil type and irrigation affects onion yield and storability. Acta Horticulturae, 1091, 245-251

Monaghan, J.M., Daccache, A., Vickers, L.H., Hess, T.M., Weatherhead, K.E., Grove, I.G. and Knox, J. W. (2013) More ‘crop per drop’: constraints and opportunities for precision irrigation in European agriculture. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 93 (5), 977-80

Vickers, L., Moorhouse, E. and Monaghan, J. (2013) FV 413 - A review of the agronomic factors that influence postharvest pinking in lettuce. Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board

Professional Memberships

UK Urban Agri Tech - Advisory Board member