Research interests

Chemical information is richly available to plants and insects, and both make extensive use of chemical signals to overcome the challenges they face in interactions with each other and their habitats. I am a chemical ecologist interested in how insects and plants produce and exploit chemical signals, and how this knowledge can be applied to development of clean and sustainable crop protection strategies. In my research group are Elham Ahmed, Erika Qvarfordt and Ben Webster.

Ongoing research projects   

Plant communication and aphid management- PlantComMistra 

PlantComMistra aims to enhance the capacity of plants to resist attack by aphid pests, by exploiting chemical signalling between the plants themselves, between plants and aphids, and between plants and aphid natural enemies in order to develop new, more sustainable solutions to aphid control in cereals, primarily barley. In my part of the program I study the effects of plant-plant communication on the natural enemies of aphids, primarily ladybirds and parasitic wasps, and investigate tritrophic interactions in mixed genotype cropping.

I also work with the volatile chemistry of crop plants, collecting and identifying the volatile blends released by the plants and investigating how they mediate interactions between plants and between plants and insects. The ultimate goal is to discover new ways to manipulate induced resistance against pests and diseases in crop plants.

Plant volatiles and aphids- a two-way interaction

Aphids are phloem-feeding insects that are able both to induce and supress plant defensive response. I study how plant volatile chemicals influence the behaviour of aphids and their natural enemies and how different aspects of aphid behaviour and ecology affect the induction of volatiles in plants. Current research topics include how experience and learning affect aphid-plant interaction and the role of plant genetic diversity in volatile production. Much of this work is done by my post-doc Ben Webster.

Finished projects

Sustainable vegetable production in Sri Lankan tea plantations

Control of Russian wheat aphid in South Africa with behaviour-modifying substances

Recent publications

Pareja M., Qvarfordt E., Webster B, Mayon P, Pickett J, Birkett M., Glinwood R. (2012) Herbivory by a phloem-feeding insect inhibits floral volatile production. PLoS ONE 7(2): e31971. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0031971

Tegelaar K, Hagman M, Glinwood R, Petterson J & Leimar O (2012) Ant-aphid mutualism: the influence of ants on the aphid summer cycle. Oikos 121-61-66

Glinwood R, Ninkovic V, Pettersson J (2011) Chemical interaction between undamaged plants- effects on herbivores and natural enemies. Phytochemistry 72: 1682-1689

Glinwood R, Ahmed E, Qvarfordt E, Ninkovic V (2011) Olfactory learning of plant genotypes by a polyphagous insect predator. Oecologia 166: 637-647

Ninkovic V, Al Abassi S, Ahmed E, Glinwood R, Pettersson J (2011) Effect of within-species plant genotype mixing on habitat preference of a polyphagous insect predator. Oecologia 166: 391-400

Dekker T, Ignell R, Ghebru M, Glinwood R, Hopkins R (2011) Identification of mosquito repellent odours from Ocimum forskolei. Parasites and Vectors 4: 183.

Åhman, I, Glinwood R & Ninkovic V (2010) The potential for modifying plant volatile composition to enhance resistance to arthropod pests. CAB Reviews: Perspectives in Agriculture, Veterinary Science, Nutrition and Natural Resources 5 (6): 1-10.

Pareja , M., Mohib, A., Birkett, M.A., Dufour, S. & Glinwood, R.T. (2009) Multivariate statistics coupled to generalised linear models reveal complex use of chemical cues by a parasitoid. Animal Behaviour 77: 901-909

Bandara K.A.N.P., Kumar, V., Ninkovic, V., Ahmed, E., Pettersson, J. & Glinwood, R. (2009) Can leek interfere with bean plant - bean fly interaction? Test of ecological pest management in mixed cropping. Journal of Economic Entomology 102: 999-1008

Glinwood R., Ahmed E, Qvarfordt E, Ninkovic V & Pettersson J (2009) Airborne interactions between undamaged plants of different cultivars affect insect herbivores and natural enemies. Arthropod-Plant Interactions 3: 219-224

Ninkovic V, Glinwood R, Dahlin I (2009) Weed-barley interactions affect aphid plant acceptance in laboratory and field experiments. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 133: 38-45

Full list of publications PDF