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Denis Griffin

Research Officer

Research Interests

  • Breeding new disease resistant and sustainable  potato varieties
  • Use of marker aided and genomic selection to improve breeding outcomes.
  • Adaptation in Potato to different agroecologies (GXE)
  • Sustainable seed systems in Sub Saharan Africa
  • Potato/Pathogen interactions and host resistance
  • Food safety: metals in crop-soil systems, anti-nutrients in crops

Current Projects

  • Potato Breeding, in collaboration with IPM Potato Group Ltd
  • Potato pre-breeding in collaboration with Dan Milbourne Teagasc
  • Cadmium and other Heavy Metals - Detection and Mitigation in Horticultural Produce, Soils and other Crops.  DAFM Funded 17S254
  • DIFFUGAT Diploid Inbreds For Fixation and Unreduced GAmetes for Tetraploidy (Funding  SusCrop, an ERA-NET action funded by Horizon 2020)
  • FOSC, an ERA-NET Cofund on Food Systems and Climate

Education

  • 1992 - 1996, B.Sc, University College Dublin 
  • 1996 - 2000, PhD, University College Dublin

Professional Membership

  • European association for Potato Research (editor of Potato Research)
  • Andrivon, D., Avendaño-Córcoles J., Cameron, A. M., Carnegie, S. F., Cooke, L.R., Corbière, R., Detourné, D., Dowley, L. J., Evans, D., Forisekova, K., Griffin, D. G., Hannukkala, A., Lees, A. K., Lebecka, R., Niepold, F., Polgar, Z., Shaw, D. S., Thompson, J., Trognitz, B., van Raaij, H. M. G. and Zimnoch-Guzowska, E. 2011 Stability and variability of virulence of Phytophthora infestans assessed in a ring test across European laboratories. Plant Pathology. 60: 556-565
  • Moloney, C., Griffin D., Jones , P., Bryan G.,Mclean, K., Bradshaw J., and Milbourne D. 2010 .Development of diagnostic markers for use in breeding potatoes resistant to Globodera pallida pathotype Pa2/3 using germplasm derived from Solanum tuberosum ssp. andigena CPC 2802. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 120:679–689
  • Dowley, L.J., Grant J., and Griffin, D. 2008. Yield losses caused by late blight (Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary) in potato crops in Ireland. Irish Journal of Agricultural and Food Research 47: 69–78, 2008
  • Griffin, D., O'Sullivan, E., Harmey, M.A. and Dowley, L.J. 2002. DNA fingerprinting, metalaxyl resistance and mating type determination of the Phytophthora infestans population in the Republic of Ireland. Potato Research 45: 25-36
  • Dowley, L.J., Griffin, D. and O'Sullivan, E. 2002. Two decades of monitoring Irish Populations of Phytophthora infestans for phenylamide resistance. Potato Research 45: 79-84

  • Byrne, S., Meade, F. Mesiti, F. Griffin, D. Kennedy, C. and Milbourne, D. 2020. Genome-Wide Association and Genomic Prediction for Fry Color in Potato. Agronomy, 10:90.

  • Meade, F., S. Byrne, D. Griffin, C. Kennedy, F. Mesiti, and D. Milbourne. 2020. Rapid Development of KASP Markers for Disease Resistance Genes Using Pooled Whole-Genome Resequencing. Potato Research, 63:57-73.

  • Meade, F., Hutten, R. Wagener, S. Prigge V., Dalton E., Kirk, H. G.. Griffin, D and D. Milbourne. 2020. Detection of novel QTLs for late blight resistance derived from the wild potato species Solanum microdontum and Solanum pampasense. Genes, 11:732.

  • Tadesse, Y., Almekinders, C. J. M., Griffin, D.,and Struik. P. C. 2020. Collective Production and Marketing of Quality Potato Seed: Experiences from Two Cooperatives in Chencha, Ethiopia. Forum for Development Studies 47:139-156.

  • Mengist, M.F., Milbourne, D., Alves, S., McLaughlin, M.J., Jones, P.W. and Griffin, D. 2018. Roles of shoots and roots in cadmium uptake and distribution in tubers of potato (Solanum tuberosum L). Plant and soil Plant and Soil, 430:139-149.

  • Stellingwerf, J.S., Phelan, S., Doohan, F.M., Ortiz, V., Griffin, D.,  Bourke, A.,. Hutten, R.C.B., Cooke, D.E.L., Kildea S., and Mullins E. 2018.  Evidence for selection pressure from resistant potato genotypes on Phytophthora infestans population structure but not from fungicide application. Plant Pathology, Plant Pathology 67:1528-1538.

  • Mengist, M.F., Alves, S., Griffin, D., Creedon, J., McLaughlin, M.J., Jones, P.W. and Milbourne, D. 2018. Genetic mapping of quantitative trait loci for tuber-cadmium and zinc concentration in potato reveals associations with maturity and both overlapping and independent components of genetic control. Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 131: 929-945.

  • Mengist, M.F., Milbourne, D., Griffin, D., McLaughlin, M.J., Creedon, J., Jones, P.W. and Alves, S. 2017. Cadmium uptake and partitioning in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars with different tuber-Cd concentration.  Environmental Science Pollution Research, 24(35), 27384-27391

  • Abdurahman, A., Griffin D., Elphinstone J., Struik P.C., Schulz S., Schulte-Geldermann E. & Sharma K. 2017.  Molecular characterization of Ralstonia solanacearum strains of Ethiopia. Plant Pathology. 66, 826–834. Published online December 2016.

  • Rigney B., Blok V., Griffin D., Dalton E., Cave C., & Milbourne D. 2017. Pyramiding two partially effective loci conferring resistance to Globodera pallida Pa2/3 act consistently across multiple nematode field populations. Plant Pathology.66, 1031-1040. Published online October 2016.

  • Hutton, F., Spink, J. H., Griffin, D., Kildea, S., Bonner, D., Doherty, G., & Hunter, A. (2015). Distribution and incidence of viruses in Irish seed potato crops. Irish Journal of Agricultural and Food Research, 54(2), 98-106.

  • Mazengia, W., Schulte, R., Tadese, Y., Griffin, D., Schulz, S. & Struik, P.C. (2015). 37 The Farming Systems of Potential Potato Production Areas of Chencha, Southern Ethiopia. Potato and Sweet potato in Africa: Transforming the Value Chains for Food and Nutrition Security. pp 382.

  • Destefanis, M., Nagy, I., Rigney, B., Bryan, G. J., McLean, K., Hein, I., Griffin, D., & Milbourne, D. (2015). A disease resistance locus on potato and tomato chromosome 4 exhibits a conserved multipartite structure displaying different rates of evolution in different lineages. BMC plant biology, 15(1), 255.

  • Wesemael, W. M., Anthoine, G., Griffin, D., Holgado, R., & Ollivier, F. (2014). Quarantine Nematodes in Potato: Practical Solutions Using Molecular Tools. Potato Research, 57(3-4), 365-366.

  • Hutton, F., Kildea, S., Griffin, D., Spink, J., Doherty, G., & Hunter, A. (2013). First report of potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease associated with PVY recombinant strains in Ireland. New Disease Reports, 28(12), 2044-0588.

  • Kildea, S., Quinn, L., Mehenni-Ciz, J., Cooke, D. E. L., Perez, F. M., Deahl, K. L., Griffin, D., & Cooke, L. R. (2013). Re-emergence of the Ib mitochondrial haplotype within the British and Irish Phytophthora infestans populations. European journal of plant pathology, 135(2), 237-242.

  • Dalton, E., Griffin, D., Gallagher, T. F., de Vetten, N., & Milbourne, D. (2013). The effect of pyramiding two potato cyst nematode resistance loci to Globodera pallida Pa2/3 in potato. Molecular breeding, 31(4), 921-930.

  • Andrivon, D., Avendaño-Córcoles, J., Cameron, A. M., Carnegie, S. F., Cooke, L. R., Corbière,  Detourné D.,  Dowley, L.J., Evans, D., Forisekova, K., Griffin, D., Hannukkala, A., Lees, A.K., Lebecka, R., Niepold, F., Polgar, Z., Shaw, D.S., Thompson, J., Trognitz, B., van Raaij H.M.G. and Zimnoch-Guzowska  E. (2011). Stability and variability of virulence of Phytophthora infestans assessed in a ring test across European laboratories. Plant Pathology, 60(3), 556-565.

  • Moloney, C., Griffin, D., Jones, P. W., Bryan, G. J., McLean, K., Bradshaw, J. E., & Milbourne, D. (2010). Development of diagnostic markers for use in breeding potatoes resistant to Globodera pallida pathotype Pa2/3 using germplasm derived from Solanum tuberosum ssp. andigena CPC 2802. Theoretical and applied genetics, 120(3), 679-689.

  • Dowley, L.J., Grant, J., &  Griffin, D. (2008). Yield losses caused by late blight (Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary) in potato crops in Ireland. Irish Journal of Agricultural and Food Research, 69-78.

  • Griffin, D., O’Sullivan, E., Harmey, M. A., & Dowley, L. J. (2002). DNA fingerprinting, metalaxyl resistance and mating type determination of thePhytophthora infestans population in the Republic of Ireland. Potato Research, 45(1), 25-36.

  • Dowley, L. J., Griffin, D., & O’Sullivan, E. (2002). Two decades of monitoring Irish populations of Phytophthora infestans for phenylamide resistance. Potato Research, 45(1), 79-84.

  • Thomas Kwambai
  • Fitsum Ghebremeskael
  • Abdulwahab Abdurahman

Previous Students

  • Joseph Mulhare
  • Brian Rigney
  • Waga Mazengia