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Professor Dale Walters

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Professor Dale Walters
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Work King’s Buildings, West Mains Road,
Edinburgh
EH9 3JG
TelWork 0131 535 4020

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Research Interests

My current research focuses on biologically-based approaches to plant disease control, with emphasis on induced resistance to plant disease and the use of plant-derived polymers for control of foliar pathogens on crops.

My induced resistance work is concerned with improving our understanding of the influence of genotype and environment (especially the soil environment) on the expression of induced resistance, and with costs and trade-offs associated with induced resistance. This work is targeted at the practical deployment of induced resistance.

My work on plant-derived polymers focuses on finding ways of disguising the leaf surface characteristics required for fungal development, thereby reducing infection and subsequent disease development.

Research Projects

  • Induced resistance to foliar pathogens in barley. Funded by RERAD (WP1.4 – Barley Pathology)
  • Fungicide-induced changes in host physiology. Commercially-funded
  • Disguising the leaf surface with plant-derived polymers to control foliar pathogens. Funded by the Grain Research Development Corporation (GRDC) of Australia
  • Using induced resistance to control disease and enhance the antioxidant status of raspberries (EU FP7)
  • Control of head rot in broccoli using resistance elicitors (HDC)

Research Students

  • Jaan Ratsep – Disease control in cereals using plant-derived polymers (PhD student)

Teaching

  • BSc Year 4 – Plant Biotic Interactions (40 hours)
  • BSc Year 4 – Plant Responses to Stress (40 hours)
  • BSc Year 4 – Plant Disease Physiology (University of Glasgow, Plant Function option)

Other Commitments

  • Manager of Research Postgraduate Studies, SAC
  • Honorary Lecturer, University of Glasgow
  • Senior Editor, Physiological & Molecular Plant Pathology
  • Guest Editor, European Journal of Plant Pathology
  • Editorial Board, Biologist
  • Adviser, Commonwealth Scholarship Commission
  • External Examiner, BSc Horticulture, Writtle College/University of Essex
  • SHEEC International Working Group, Postgraduate Research Experience

Honours

  • BSc,  Wye College, University of London (1975-1978)
  • PhD, Lancaster University (1978-1981)
  • DSc, Lancaster University (1999)
  • CBiol FSB (Fellow of the Society of Biology) (1998)

Books

  • Walters DR (2010). Plant Defense: warding off attack by pathogens, herbivores and parasitic plants. Wiley-Blackwell (textbook)
  • Walters DR (2009). Disease Control in Crops: biological and environmentally friendly approaches. Wiley-Blackwell (edited book)
  • Walters D, Newton A, Lyon G (2007). Induced Resistance for Plant Disease Control: a sustainable approach to crop protection. Blackwell Publishing (edited book)
  • Marshall G, Walters DR (1994). Molecular Biology in Crop Protection. Chapman & Hall (edited book)

Selected Publications

  • Walters DR, Havis ND, Sablou C, Walsh DJ (2011). Possible trade-offs associated with the use of a combination of resistance elicitors. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology 75, 188-192
  • Walters DR, Paterson L, Sablou C, Walsh DJ (2011). Existing infection compromises the ability of barley to express induced resistance. European Journal of Plant Pathology 130, 73-82
  • Walters DR, Havis ND, Paterson L, Taylor J and Walsh DJ (2011). Cultivar effects on the expression of Induced Resistance in Spring Barley. Plant Disease 95, 595-600
  • Walters DR (2010). Induced resistance – destined to remain on the sidelines of crop protection? Phytoparasitica 38, 1-4 (Guest Editorial)
  • Newton AC, Fitt BDL, Atkins SD, Walters DR, Daniell TJ (2010). Pathogenesis, parasitism and mutualism in the trophic space of microbe-plant interactions. Trends in Microbiology 18, 365-373
  • Walters DR (2009). Are plants in the field already induced? Implications for practical disease control. Crop Protection 28, 459-465
  • Bingham IJ, Walters DR, Foulkes MJ, Paveley ND (2009). Crop traits and the tolerance of wheat and barley to foliar disease. Annals of Applied Biology 154, 159-173
  • Walters DR, Paterson L, Walsh DJ, Havis ND (2009). Priming for plant defense in barley provides benefits only under high disease pressure. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology 73, 95-100
  • Heil M, Walters DR (2009). Ecological consequences of plant defence signalling. Advances in Botanical Research 51, 667-716
  • Walter D.R. and Fountaine J. M. 2009. Practical application of induced resistance to plant diseases: an appraisal of effectiveness under field conditions. The Journal of Agricultural Sciences 147:523-535
  • Walters DR, Havis ND, Oxley SJP (2008). Ramularia collo-cygni: the biology of an emerging pathogen of barley. FEMS Microbiology Letters 279, 1-7. Full Text
  • Walters DR, McRoberts N, Fitt BDL (2008). Are green islands red herrings? Significance of green islands in plant interactions with pathogens and pests. Biological Reviews 83, 79-102. Full Text
  • Walters DR, Bingham IJ (2007). Influence of nutrition on disease development caused by fungal pathogens: implications for plant disease control. Annals of Applied Biology 151, 307-324. Full Text
  • Walters D, Newton A, Lyon G (2007). Induced resistance for plant defence: a sustainable approach to crop protection. Blackwell Publishing.
  • Walters DR, Heil M (2007). Costs and trade-offs associated with induced resistance. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology 71, 3-17.
  • Boyle C, Walters DR (2006). Saccharin-induced protection against powdery mildew in barley: effects on growth and phenylpropanoid metabolism. Plant Pathology, 55, 82-91
  • Gonsalez-Bosch C, Vicedo B, de la O Leyva M, Flors V, Finiti I, del Amo G, Walters D, Real MD, Garcia-Agustin P. (2006). Control of the phytopathogen Botrytis cinerea using adipic acid monoethyl ester. Archives of Microbiology 184, 316-326
  • Walters DR, Cowley T, Weber H (2006). Rapid accumulation of trihydroxyoxylipins and resistance to the bean rust pathogen Uromyces fabae following wounding in Vicia faba. Annals of Botany 97, 779-784. Full Text
  • Walters D R, McRoberts N (2006). Plants and biotrophs: a pivotal role for cytokinins? Trends in Plant Science 11, 581-586. Full Text
  • Walters DR (2006). Disguising the leaf surface: the use of leaf coatings for plant disease control. European Journal of Plant Pathology 114, 255-260. Full Text
  • Walters DR, Cowley T, Weber H, Nashaat NI (2006). Changes in oxylipins in compatible and incompatible interactions between oilseed rape and the downy mildew pathogen Peronospora parasitica. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology 67, 268-273. Full Text
  • Gonsalez-Bosch C, Vicedo B, de la O Leyva M, Flors V, Finiti I, del Amo G, Walters D, Real MD, Garcia-Agustin P. (2006). Control of the phytopathogen Botrytis cinerea using adipic acid monoethyl ester. Archives of Microbiology 184, 316-326. Full Text
  • Boyle C, Walters DR (2005). Saccharin-induced protection against powdery mildew in barley: effects on growth and phenylpropanoid metabolism. Plant Pathology, 55, 82-91. Full Text