Agriculture and the Environment: Fully Funded PhD: The visual ecology of the cabbage stem flea beetle pest and its natural enemies for improved biomonitoring and sustainable control (RS719)

Funding provider(s): BBSRC

Subject area(s): Agriculture and the Environment, Animal Behaviour and In Vivo Studies

Project start date(s): 1 October 2025 (Enrolment open from mid-September)

Supervisors:

• Supervisor 1 (Rothamsted): Dr Patricia Ortega-Ramos                                                                                                   
• Supervisor 2 (Lead supervisor - associate partner): Dr William Allen                                                                                           
• Other in Supervisory Team: Dr Samantha Cook (second supervisor, Rothamsted), Prof Tariq Butt (second supervisor - associate partner)

Aligned programme of study: Integrated PhD programme (BBSRC DTP)

Mode of study: Full or Part-time study is possible.

Project description:

Since the ban on neonicotinoid insecticides and development of resistance to pyrethroid insecticides, the cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB)Psylliodes chrysocephala has had a devastating impact on economically important oilseed rape crops in the UK (https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12922). Efforts are underway to develop more sustainable and environmentally sensitive control via Integrated Pest Management (IPM)(https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12918). These require accurate monitoring of the abundance of CSFB and its natural enemy, the parasitic wasp Microtonus brassicae (Mb) to ensure that insecticides do not target areas of high parasitoid abundance.

Current monitoring via yellow water traps is inefficient for CSFB, and ineffective for Mb, limiting assessments for its biocontrol potential and prospects for spatial targeting of insecticides. The project will develop innovative traps that specifically target each species. This will offer more accurate monitoring and avoid unnecessary capture of the parasitoids and other beneficials. The student will utilise innovative visual modelling approaches to measures trap appearance from the perspective of target species to identify attractive trap designs from first principles, rather than trial-and-error.

The project builds onresearch in the supervisors’ labs pioneering the use of visual modelling approaches for monitoring and control of horticultural and urban pests, applying and extending the design process to arable crop pests, and utilising LEDs to increase trap conspicuousness. As the visual systems of the two target species have not yet been characterised, genomic approaches, scanning electron microscopy, electroretinography and behavioural tests will establish spectral sensitivity and spatial acuity of CSFB and Mb. The student will then use the insights on the visual biology of the pest and its natural enemy to develop prototype selective traps and test these in lab and field experiments.

Experiments will also investigate the mechanisms of action of distractive pest management strategies such as mulching and companion planting, which confuse the pestduring host plant location, to better understand the relative roles of visual and olfactory signals to optimise these crop protection strategies. Work will contribute to the global challenge of secure food production and reducing insecticide use.

Students with interests in agroecology, entomology, animal vision or behaviour, who are pursuing careers in industry or academia requiring strong quantitative skills and an interdisciplinary perspective, are encouraged to apply. The student will gain firsthand experience in the IPM industry with Razbio Ltd as industrial CASE partner.

Please see SWBio Eligibility Requirements for the most up to date information.

English Language: IELTS 6.5 Overall (with no individual component below 6.5) or Swansea University recognised equivalent. Full details of our English Language policy, including certificate time validity, can be found here.

If you have any questions regarding your academic or fee eligibility based on the above, please email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk with the web-link to the scholarship(s) you are interested in.

Please note that the programme requires some applicants to hold ATAS clearance; further details on ATAS scheme eligibility are available on the UK Government website. 

ATAS clearance IS NOT required to be held as part of the scholarship application process. Successful award winners (as appropriate) are provided with details as to how to apply for ATAS clearance in tandem with a scholarship course offer. 

This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition fees and an annual stipend at the UKRI rate (currently £19,237 for 2024/25).

Additional funding for other expenses (e.g. conferences & fieldwork) of £16,000