Specialist Facilities

The Plant Pathology Research Group has access to a full range of specialised facilities at Harper Adams:

Field

Field experimentation is supported by the facilities and staff at CERC. Harper Adams is one of the few organisations remaining in the UK that has the capability for field-scale plant pathology experimentation.  Harper Adams field trials currently exceed 40 ha with over 5,000 plots of various crops.  Harper Adams is able to conduct specialist field trials with inoculation of pathogens and mist irrigation to optimise conditions for infection and disease development.

Laboratory

Laboratories across the campus contain the necessary equipment typical of a crop clinic for the traditional methods of disease identification and the isolation and identification of plant pathogens.  The Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory has ELISA, electrophoresis and real-time thermal cycling (PCR) equipment to enable antibody-based and nucleic acid-based identification and quantification of plant pathogens and their metabolites as well as viability and gene expression studies.  

The Main Laboratory complex houses a range of analytical equipment including HPLC and GC for the quantification of pesticides and fungal metabolites.

Glasshouse

Harper Adams has a range of glasshouses, polytunnels and controlled environment chambers for experimental work.