People
Stevenson, Phil
| Job Title | Natural product chemist |
|---|---|
| Department | Jodrell |
| Section | Sustainable Uses |
| Science Teams |
Leguminosae Large-Scale Syntheses |
| Joined Kew | 1994 |
| Foreign Language(s) |
Qualifications & Appointments
BSc, Applied Biology, Brunel University, 1988
PhD, University of London, 1992.
Editorial Board, Crop Protection.
International Review Board, Annals of Botany (2005).
Role
Isolation and analysis of plant compounds.
Responsible for operation and development of HPLC in the Jodrell Laboratory as a tool for the analysis of ‘small molecules’ in phytochemical studies with particular emphasis on isolation of novel compounds, but also for chemical authentication of plant extracts or products, and enquiries. A major emphasis of work is on the isolation and characterization of compounds from plants that have medicinal properties and/or play a role in plant-insect and plant-fungal interactions. The taxonomic focus for this research has been Leguminosae and Meliaceae. Some projects are undertaken in collaboration with the Natural Resource Institute of the University of Greenwich and support the sustainable use of plants by resource-poor farmers in developing countries. This work has concentrated on wild crop relatives to identify compound-based resistance mechanisms to pests and also the use of plants as stored product protectants. This research has also resulted in the elucidation of novel compounds with biological activities that can be used as valuable characters in chemosystematics.
Projects
Authentication and Chemical Fingerprinting of Economically Important Species
Diversity of Biologically Active Plants and Plant-Derived Compounds
Importance of Legumes and Legume-Derived Compounds in Medicine and Agriculture
Medicinal Uses of British Plants
Selected Publications 2001-2005
Simmonds, M.S.J. & Stevenson, P.C. (2001). Effects of Cicer-derived isoflavonoids on larvae of Helicoverpa armigera. Journal of Chemical Ecology 27: 965-977.
Simmonds, M.S.J., Stevenson, P.C., Porter E. & Veitch, N.C. (2001). Three new tetranortriterpenoids from the roots of Trichilia pallida with insect anti-feedant activity. Journal of Natural Products 64: 1117-1120.
Jayasekera, T., Stevenson, P.C., Belmain, S.R. & Hall, D.R. (2002). Methylsalicylate isomers in the roots of Securidaca longepedunculata. Journal of Mass Spectrometry 37: 577-580.
Stevenson, P.C., Sampson, J., Simmonds, M.S.J., Houghton, P.J. & Grice, P. (2002). Wound healing activity of acylated iridoid glycosides from Scrophularia nodosa. Phytotherapy Research 62: 33-35.
Green, P.C.W., Stevenson, P.C., Simmonds, M.S.J. & Sharma, H.C. (2003). Phenolic compounds on the pod surface of Pigeon pea Cajanus cajan mediate the feeding behaviour of larvae of Helicoverpa armigera. Journal of Chemical Ecology 29: 811-821.
Selected Publications pre-2001
Stevenson, P.C. & Veitch, N.C. (1996). Isoflavenes from the roots of Cicer judaicum. Phytochemistry 43: 695-700.
Stevenson, P.C., Kite, G.C. & Simmonds, M.S.J. (1997). Pipecolic acid methyl esters as artefacts from the ion exchange chromatography of Inga punctata foliar extracts. Journal of Chromatography A 766: 267-269.
Stevenson, P.C. Turner, H & Haware, M.P. (1997). Phytoalexin accumulation in roots of chickpea seedlings (Cicer arietinum L.) associated with resistance to Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ciceri. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology 50: 167-178.
Stevenson, P.C. & Veitch, N.C. (1998). A 2-arylbenzofuran from roots of Cicer bijugum associated with fusarium wilt resistance. Phytochemistry 48: 947-951.
Stevenson, P.C. & Veitch N.C. (1998). The distribution of isoflavonoids in Cicer L. Phytochemistry 48: 995-1001.