Steve Hoad
0131 535 4342
Scotland’s Rural College
W Mains Rd
Edinburgh
EH9 3JG
Biography
Steve's research focuses on crop responses to changes in climatic and agronomic conditions, with emphasis on plant traits for improving resource capture, crop quality and yield stability. This work underpins the development of new cereal cultivars by exploiting a wide range of genetic and phenotypic diversity.
Research on barley includes genetic and physiological approaches to improving crop quality, nitrogen use efficiency and crop resilience in the face of climatic change. The role of crop diversity and plant traits in nitrogen capture are being explored. This work extends to traits that complement more durable disease resistance. Phenotype screening and genetic analyses are being used to underpin grain quality improvements by eliminating conditions such as grain skinning.
Research on wheat in concerned with climatic influences on flowering biology, especially in relation to ear fertility. Understanding the genetic and physiological basis of ear development and seed set will have a significant bearing on the development of new varieties that are adapted to the changing UK climate.