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Nelly Raykova

Conservation Scholar Alumna

  • Qualifications BSc; MSc
  • Focus area
    Populations
  • Location
    UK & Europe

 

Having always had an interest in invasive pathogens affecting the environment, I gained an MSc in Plant Medicine, which provided me with a deeper understanding of the host-pathogen-environment interactions. I tailored my master’s degree with postgraduate research training in plant pathology, where I worked with economically important plant fungal diseases. During the training, I was awarded the Erasmus Mobility Scholarship, which was an amazing opportunity to work with European plant pathologists and conduct molecular identification of economically important fungal pathogens. My passion for research on invasive pathogens and protection of the environment has led me to the current PhD research project looking at ash dieback disease.

The causal agent of the ash dieback disease is Hymenoscyphus fraxineus (previously known as Chalara fraxinea). The pathogen is severely decreasing the population of ash trees across the UK and Europe. Our project aims to determine susceptibility to ash dieback disease by investigating different factors impacting the spread and severity of the disease. We will use genetic markers to identify individuals with different degrees of susceptibility to ash dieback disease and investigate leaf microbial communities associated with H. fraxineus. Furthermore, we will evaluate the stand management systems and environmental variables impacting disease severity. Our research project aims to look at these multiple factors within one framework in order to develop a greater picture of the epidemiological interactions and generate a holistic approach to reducing ash dieback across the UK. This project is a collaboration between the University of Salford, University of York, Rushmore Estate, Chester Zoo, DEFRA, Natural England, Henry Hoare Charitable Trust, and Salisbury Trust.

PUBLICATIONS

  1. D. Ganchev, A.Kutseva* (2017): “Application of Microsoft access relational database for pesticide decision taking and selection.”MAYFEB Journal of Agricultural Science 4, 12-19
  2. A.Kutseva* (2016): “IN VITRO EVALUATION OF PESTICIDES ON THE BASE OF PLANT EXTRACTS TOWARDS ALTERNARIA SOLANI”. MAYFEB Journal of Agricultural Science 2, 60-63