During this placement the student will be based in the Centre for Agri-Environmental Research (CAER) within the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development. This placement will contribute to a project in agroecology investigating the benefits of planting wildflower insect habitats as a sustainable biological-control tool for UK apple growers.
Department: Sustainable Land Management
Supervised by: Michael Garratt
The aim of the placement is to gather datasets on arthropod communities during the 2021 apple growing season (Spring/Summer). This is designed to assess the effects of well-established wildflower insect habitats as a sustainable biological-control tool for commercial UK apple growers. This will involve transect sampling with the use of various arthropod sampling equipment such as emergence traps, aspirators, and sentinel bait cards to collect and identify apple pests and their natural predators/parasites. This will take place in commercial apple orchards in Kent, UK, in both the orchards themselves, and the adjacent insect-friendly flower-rich habitat. This will assess the diversity and abundance of pests and enemies in the wildflower habitat and at different distances between the wildflower habitat and the centre of the orchard. This is designed to answer questions regarding the use of diverse wildflower plantings as overwintering shelter and food resources for beneficial insects.
Transect sampling in commercial apple orchards including the set-up and use of various arthropod sampling techniques including emergence traps, aspirators, and sentinel bait cards. Arthropods will be identified, both in the field, and collected for later identification with a microscope, with particular interest in apple pests and their natural predators/parasites. This may also involve identification of UK wildflower varieties.
Willingness to travel with the project manager to Kent field sites and do occasional long days of fieldwork outdoors is essential. This may involve week-long stays in the Kent area. Any interest or experience of fieldwork, arthropod/insect identification, or UK wildflower identification is a plus.
The student will develop skills in the following areas; ecological fieldwork, transect sampling, working on commercial farms in an agricultural setting, identification of apple pests and their enemies, various arthropod sampling techniques, and data entry. The placement student will work alongside the current project student and will be fully trained and supported to carry out the methods.
University of Reading campus and Commercial apple orchards, Kent, UK
Max 35 a week
Sunday 30 May 2021 - Monday 30 August 2021
The post will be advertised centrally on the UROP website between 22nd February and 9th April 2021. Students should submit their CV and Cover Letter directly to the Project Supervisor (click on supervisor name at the top of the page for email). Successful candidates will be invited for an interview.