Developing innovative marker systems for garlic post-harvest quality assessment

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Garlic (Allium sativum) is a valued culinary ingredient and its medicinal properties also have a long history. However the product is seasonal and to ensure a constant supply, bulbs need to be sourced globally and stored for periods of up to 6 months. Loss of quality post-harvest is an important factor in reducing net crop productivity and contributes to waste production. Project Aims: 1.To develop a quality assessment tool for garlic bulbs post-harvest based on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) 2.To improve our understanding of how different storage conditions affect physiological and biochemical processes in different garlic varieties by exploiting recent developments in transcriptome sequencing The student will be based in the Molecular Biosciences (MB) and Organisms and Environment (OnE) research divisions within the School of Biosciences and fully integrated into the excellent research culture and interdisciplinary training environment provided by both groups and the School. They will also gain a first-hand understanding of the business environment through placements at Neem (based in Cardiff). The project will provide an excellent training in analytical techniques such as GC-MS and HPLC, training in molecular tools such as transcriptomic analysis, and an excellent background in plant physiology and biochemistry.