Rapeseed crop failure is not only an economic problem; it is a major concern for food security as well as for biofuel production. Climate change and increasing populations threaten our global food security, driving an urgent need to develop crops that suffer fewer losses from diseases yet still produce good sustainable harvests.

Dr Henrik Stotz, Marie Curie Fellow at the University of Hertfordshire’s School of Life and Medical Sciences, said: "Certain types of rapeseed have developed resistance genes to prevent infection from the fungus that causes phoma stem canker – the major cause of rapeseed failure."

Stotz continued: "Plant breeders are therefore introducing plants with these resistance genes. But, we have found that the gene can be quite easily rendered ineffective by changes in the genes of the fungus. We need to better understand how this happens and develop strategies for deploying crop resistance for rapeseed which can then be applied to a wide range of crop systems."