Current Research

• Epidemiology of late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans.
• Development and exploitation of SSR markers to examine the population biology and epidemiology of P. infestans.
• DNA-based diagnostics to investigate epidemiology of potato pathogens and for disease risk assessment.
• Variation in the powdery scab pathogen Spongospora subterranea.
• Epidemiology and control of potato black dot (Colletotrichum coccodes).

Research History

• Coordination of EU Concerted Action ‘Eucablight’ – A Late Blight Network for Europe.
• Investigating inheritance of resistance to fungal potato pathogens.
• Diagnosis and control of foot rot pathogens of wheat.
• 1995-present employed as a research leader in plant pathology at SCRI.

Recent Publications

• Cullen, D.W., Lees, A.K. 2007. Detection of the nec1 virulence gene and its correlation with pathogenicity in Streptomyces species on potato tubers and in soil using conventional and real-time PCR. Journal of Applied Microbiology 102, 1082-1094.
• Cullen, D.W., Toth, I.K., Boonham, N., Walsh, K., Barker, I. and Lees, A.K. 2007. Development and validation of conventional and quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction assays for the detection of storage rot potato pathogens, Phytophthora erythroseptica, Pythium ultimum and Phoma foveata. Journal of Phytopathology 155, 309-315.
• Peters, J.C., Lees, A.K., Cullen, D.W., Sullivan, L., Stroud, G.P. and Cunnington, A.C. 2007. Characterisation of Fusarium spp. responsible for causing dry rot of potato in GB. Plant Pathology (in press).
• van de Graaf, P., Wale, S.J., and Lees, A.K. 2007. Factors affecting the incidence and severity of root infection and galling caused by Spongospora subterranea in potato. Plant Pathology (in press).
• Woodhall, J.W., Lees, A.K., Edwards, S.G. and Jenkinson, P. 2007. Characterisation of Rhizoctonia solani from potato in Great Britain. Plant Pathology (in press).
• Lees, A.K., Wattier, R., Shaw, D.S., Sullivan, L., Williams, N.A. and Cooke, D.E.L. 2006. Novel microsatellite markers for the analysis of Phytophthora infestans populations. Plant Pathology 55, 311-319.
• Cullen, D.W., Toth, I.K., Pitkin, Y., Boonham, N., Walsh, K., Barker, I. and Lees, A.K. 2005. Use of Quantitative Molecular Diagnostic Assays to Investigate Fusarium Dry Rot in Potato Stocks and Soil. Phytopathology 95, 1462-1471.
• Lees, A.K., Wale, S.J., van de Graaf, P. and Brierley, J.L. 2005. The use of molecular diagnostics to investigate the epidemiology of potato diseases. Australasian Plant Pathology 34, 449-455.
• Bradshaw, J., Bryan, G., Lees, A.K., McLean, K. and Solomon-Blackburn, R. 2005. Mapping the R10 and R11 genes for resistance to late blight (Phytophthora infestans) present in the potato (Solanum tuberosum) R-gene differentials of Black. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 112, 744-751.
• Hussain, S., Lees, A.K., Duncan, J.M. and Cooke, D.E.L. 2005. Development of a species-specific and sensitive detection assay for Phytophthora infestans and its application for monitoring of inoculum in tubers and soil. Plant Pathology 54, 373-382.
• van de Graaf, P., Lees, A.K., and Duncan, J.M. 2005. Effect of soil inoculum level and environmental factors on potato powdery scab caused by Spongospora subterranea f.sp. subterranea. Plant Pathology 54, 22-28.
• Cooke, D.E.L. and Lees, A.K. 2004. Markers, old and new for examining Phytophthora infestans diversity. Plant Pathology 53, 692-704.

Posters

(View all posters)

Attachment	Size
The use of microsatellite markers to examine European P. infestans populations using the EUCABLIGHT database	218.37 KB
Using SSR markers to investigate Scottish Phytophthora infestans populations and the epidemiology of potato late blight	787.86 KB
The use of SSR markers to examine Scottish Phytophthora infestans populations	189.16 KB
Eucablight (QLRT-2000-00971)	922.21 KB
Eucablight	513.17 KB
Investigations into the biology of C. coccodes	224.06 KB
Developing effective integrated measures for the control of black dot
Diagnostic testing for seed- and soil-borne diseases	215.92 KB
Improving decision-making for the management of potato diseases using real-time predictive diagnostics
Black Dot Control Measures	122.08 KB
Diagnostics - improving management decisions	115.05 KB
The monitoring of GB blight outbreaks: mating type and genetic fingerprint analysis	381.34 KB
Genetic analysis of Scottish Phytophthora infestans populations with emphasis on within-outbreak diversity in 2004	720.8 KB
Tracking Late Blight in the Field	118.5 KB
Changing GB blight populations: mating type and genotype fingerprint analysis	905.72 KB
Drivers and possible consequences of a changing population of Phytophthora infestans on the GB potato industry	805.63 KB
Using molecular tools to investigate the role of tuber and soil-borne inoculum of Phytophthora infestans	775.52 KB
Validating predictive diagnostics for soil-borne potato diseases	403.39 KB
Mapping resistance to Late Blight in two S.verrucosum populations	290.72 KB
Investigating factors affecting infection of potato by Spongospora subterranea	737.38 KB