Research interests
Jane Thomas has headed NIAB’s Pathology Group since 2002. Her interests are disease resistance characterisation, integrated disease management strategies, and understanding plant pathogen populations and their interaction with host resistance. She also works with pathogen diagnostics and has special interests in seed-borne diseases, and coordinates pathology services to breeders and agrochemical companies.
Research projects
Pulse Crop Genetic Improvement Network (Defra): Duration: April 2018-March 2023; Partners: JIC (lead), Reading University, IBERS, PGRO Funding: Defra
Detoxed grass pea: sustainable sustenance for stressful environments (NIAB Co-I): Duration January 2015-March 2018; Partners: JIC (lead), BCKV University; Funding: BBSRC-DBT
Using field pathogenomics to study wheat yellow rust dispersal and population dynamics at a national and international scale (NIAB Co-I): Duration April 2015- March 2018; Partners: JIC (lead); Funding: BBSRC, AHDB
Reduced Stomatal Density Wheat: New Prospects for Drought and Pathogen Resistance: Duration September 2015-January 2019; Partners: Sheffield University (lead); Funding BBSRC-NERC SARIC initiative;
Climate Ready Beans (NIAB co-I): Duration: May 2018- May 2022; Partners: CIAT Columbia; Funding: BBSRC-GCRF
EMPHASIS - Effective Management of Pests and Harmful Alien Species: Integrated Solutions: Duration February 2015-February 2019; Partners: University of Torino (lead); Funding: EU H2020
Evaluation of resistance levels to Verticillium wilt in UK oilseed rape varieties, and relevance to productivity: Duration June 2016-November 2018; Partners ADAS; Funding AHDB
SCEPTRE Plus – Soil-borne diseases of bay leaf salads: Duration May 2019-Jan 2020; Funding: AHDB
Publications
Recent publications
Thomas J E and Ritchie F. Evaluation of resistance levels to Verticillium wilt in UK oilseed rape varieties and relevance to productivity. (2018). Aspects of Applied Biology 141, 67-73
Moreau C , Knox M , Turner L, Rayner T, Thomas J, Philpott H, Belcher S, Fox K, Ellis N and Domoney C Recombinant inbred lines derived from cultivars of pea for understanding the genetic basis of variation in breeders' traits (2018). Plant Genetic Resources 16, 424-436.
Lewis CM ... Fenwick P M, Thomas J, Wulff B B H, and Saunders D G O Potential for re-emergence of wheat stem rust in the United Kingdom, Nature Communications Biology 2018 1, p 13
Hubbard A, Lewis CM, Yoshida K, Ramirez-Gonzalez RH, de Vallavieille-Pope C, Thomas J, Kamoun S, Bayles R, Uauy C and. Saunders DGO , 2015 Genome Biology 16, Article No. 23. Field pathogenomics reveals the emergence of a diverse wheat yellow rust population
Webb A, Cottage A, Wood T, Khamassi K, Hobbs D, Gostkiewicz K, White M, Khazaei H, Ali M, Street D, Duc G, Stoddard FL, Maalouf F, Ogbonnaya FC, Link W, Thomas J, O'Sullivan DM (2016), A SNP-based consensus genetic map for synteny-based trait targeting in faba bean (Vicia faba L.). Plant Biotechnol J. 14, 177-85