New research appointments

Posted 17 January 2011

Two new members of staff have been appointed at Harper Adams to add to the research activity in sustainable agriculture thanks to more than £400,000 of funding.

Recent University College graduate, Jenny Otter, is working with Head of the Crops Department, Dr Keith Chaney, on a project to identify marketable sludge derivatives from sustainable processing of wastewater.

The £270,000 of funding will support Jenny, to research the use of organo mineral fertiliser on agricultural crops.

This is a three year project funded by the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) led by United Utilities with partners from the UK, Holland, Spain and Ireland.

Postgraduate student, Grace Smith, has been appointed to work in the Crop and Environment Research Centre (CERC).

She is working on an industry leg project supported by the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) entitled, “Strategies for quantifying and controlling free living nematode populations and consequent damage by tobacco rattle virus to improve potato yield and quality.”

Harper Adams will receive around £170,000 out of a total £2.2 million assigned to the project.

This is part of a consortium led by potato business Cygnet PB Ltd and includes Coop Farms, McCains, Du Pont, Eden Research, Plant Solutions and the Scottish Agricultural College.

Grace is also completing a PgD in Crop Protection and Agronomy at the University College.