PhD Studentship: Chemical Imaging of Agrochemical Active Ingredient Uptake using Cryo-Electron and Ion Beam Microscopy

Funding

A highly competitive EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership Studentship offering the award of fees, together with a tax-free maintenance grant £19,237 per year for 3.5 years.  This funding is supported by a 50% contribution from the Syngenta and there will be substantial opportunities to interact with the company. Training and support will also be provided.

Lead Supervisor’s full name and email address

Professor Rik Drummond-Brydson – [email protected]

Co-supervisor name(s)

Professor Andy Brown – [email protected]

Project summary 

The optimised and efficient delivery of Agrochemicals and plant nutrients is key to delivering the second United Nations' development goal: to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. Different plant species and varieties have varying levels of uptake depending on a combination of factors which influence their leaf physiology including wettability, cuticular wax composition, wax crystal morphology, cuticle porosity and cuticle thickness. This studentship which is collaboration with Syngenta aims to evaluate the potential of Cryo-Electron and Focused Ion Beam Microscopy in the characterisation of sectioned leaf surfaces and their corresponding chemical and elemental composition. The project will collect a wide range of information across species of interest, varieties and growing conditions which will feed models to better support predictive tools for leaf surface uptake. The project will include the use of a very high-resolution Cryo-3D Volume Electron Microscope with additional in-situ attachments for chemical analysis (Imaging Mass Spectrometry, ToF-SIMS) and compositional analysis (Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy). This project will investigate the effect of varied-level Active Ingredients (AIs) applications on the leaf surface and the potential uptake impact through the cuticle layers. The main aspiration of the project is to provide ultra-structural 3D information at the sub-cellular level with direct 3D chemical and compositional mapping and give a further dimension to the absorption mechanism through the leaf cuticular barrier into the underlying tissue. This would essentially support the understanding of some AIs activity and ultimately define critical factors that would affect leaf uptake and their role in the formulation design i.e., the selection of adjuvants or other formulation optimisation.

Entry requirements plus any necessary or desired background

First or Upper Second Class UK Bachelor (Honours) degree or equivalent

Subject Area

Chemical Engineering, Agricultral Sciences, Agricultural Chemistry, Analyical Chemistry, Materials Science, Botany/Plant Science