Research Seminar: Cluster Hire in LFS Applied Biology, Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment, and CSFS at UBC Farm
A retrospective of a plant pathologist: from the pathogen study to the host-pathogen interaction to breeding for resistance
Dr. Gurcharn Singh Brar
Research Officer
Crop Development Centre/Department of Plant Science
University of Saskatchewan
Click here to fill out the Feedback Form for Dr. Gurcharn Singh Brar’s campus visit
The research presentation will highlight three research studies from Dr. Brar’s research program on pathogens of wheat. Specifically, he will address two of the five most important wheat diseases (stripe rust and Fusarium head blight) in Canada and worldwide. Globally, these two pathogens are responsible for over US$5 billion monetary loss. Stripe rust is an emerging threat to wheat production in Canada for the last two decades and Fusarium head blight is by far the most challenging disease to manage and has been present in Canada for many decades. The presentation will give an overview of novel research findings on wheat stripe rust pathogen populations from Canada, use of cutting-edge imaging technologies to study wheat-Fusarium graminearum interactions, and resistance breeding efforts to combat the disease.
When and Where?
- June 17, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Macleod Building, Room 254
About the Presenter
Dr. Gurcharn Brar, University of Saskatchewan
Dr. Gurcharn Brar is a Research Officer at the Crop Development Centre in the Department of Plant Science of the University of Saskatchewan. He obtained his PhD from the same department in March 2019. Originally from Punjab, India, Gurcharn came to Canada to pursue an MSc after obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (Honors in Crop Protection) degree from the renowned Punjab Agricultural University, India. Gurcharn’s graduate training focused on the study of plant pathogens, genetics/genomics of pathogen populations, genetics of host-pathogen interactions, resistance breeding, and plant imaging obtained through the University of Saskatchewan, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, National Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Light Source, and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre. Currently, Gurcharn is working in the areas of gene cloning and functional pathogenomics with collaborators from across Canada, the USA, the UK, and Australia. Gurcharn aspires to become an independent researcher in a public institution and to continue to explore the interactions of crops with their pathogens/pests, and to help crop breeders to improve crops for the future.
This seminar is part of the LFS Applied Biology Faculty Cluster Hire in Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment. Ten short-listed candidates will be giving seminars in May and June as part of their intensive interview process. Click here see a full list of events.