The big picture: using wildflower strips for pest control
Izayana is a PhD student working on a project in collaboration between Rothamsted Research, the Univerity of Bristol, and RAGT Seeds funded by the South West Biosciences doctoral training programme (SWBio DTP), and supervised by Dr. Kim Hammond-Kosack.
The aim of her project focuses on understanding the genetic source of resistance against the Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) in a resistant wheat variety. With this piece of knowledge, she looks to contribute to the future development of new resistant varieties which would reduce the pesticide dependence currently used to control these viral infections, and also contribute to global food security.
Izayana carried out her undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the University of Costa Rica where she developed different skills in molecular biology, bioinformatics, statistics, and plant pathology.