A little about LVS
We are based in Northern Ireland, on the outskirts of Lagan Valley. We offer independent & professional plant health advisory services to the amenity industry and specialise in plant parasitic nematodes. Our 2030 research initiative is to better define biological patterns in amenity grounds.
A little more
We care deeply about supporting integrated turf management with quality science. We are licensed to receive material to test from anywhere in the world, benchmark our processes wherever possible, and are committed to an ISO9001 accreditation programme.
We often develop bespoke testing plans for our clients; for example, in complex cases we may test nematodes from your site against commercial products, help with on site trials, isolate & sequence a fungus to identify a pathogen(s) causing decline, or perform highly sensitive qPCR techniques to identify a pathogen early before symptoms develop.
For those who are curious about the biological components of your turf, we can obtain bacterial & fungal profiles of your rootzone.
Dr Deborah Cox
Deborah is the lead scientist in our Turf Clinic.
In 2015 she combined her passion for plant health & molecular biology with nematology and her experience forms the foundation of the services in our Turf Clinic!
The overall goal of the work she does at LVS is to empower turf managers with knowledge. Tailoring unique services & research plans for clients is her speciality! No two sites are the same, so neither are our approaches to supporting you!
Contact us
Would you like to know more about how LVS can support you or arrange a meeting in Phoenix?
We would love to hear from you. Fill out the form and we’ll be in touch shortly.
Opening hours
Monday: 07:00 - 15:00
Tuesday: 07:00 - 15:00
Wednesday: 07:00 - 12:00
Thursday*: 07:00 - 12:00
Friday: 07:00 - 15:00
Saturday: 09:00 - 12:00
Sunday: Closed
*Client appointments prioritised Thursdays
Publication records
Hepworth, J., Antoniou-Kourounioti, R.L., Berggren, K., Selga, C., Tudor, E.H., Yates, B., Cox, D., Harris, B.R.C., Irwin, J.A., Howard, M. and Säll, T., 2020. Natural variation in autumn expression is the major adaptive determinant distinguishing Arabidopsis FLC haplotypes. eLife, 9, p.e57671.
Cox, D.E., Dyer, S., Weir, R., Cheseto, X., Sturrock, M., Coyne, D., Torto, B., Maule, A.G. and Dalzell, J.J., 2019. ABC transporter genes ABC-C6 and ABC-G33 alter plant-microbe-parasite interactions in the rhizosphere. Scientific Reports, 9(1), pp.1-13.
Warnock, N.D., Cox, D., McCoy, C., Morris, R. and Dalzell, J.J., 2019. Transcriptional variation and divergence of host-finding behaviour in Steinernema carpocapsae infective juveniles. BMC genomics, 20(1), p.884.
Dyer, S., Weir, R., Cox, D., Cheseto, X., Torto, B. and Dalzell, J.J., 2019. ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR (ERF) genes modulate plant root exudate composition and the attraction of plant parasitic nematodes. International Journal for Parasitology, 49(13-14), pp.999-1003.
Cox, D., Reilly, B., Warnock, N.D., Dyer, S., Sturrock, M., Cortada, L., Coyne, D., Maule, A.G. and Dalzell, J.J., 2019. Transcriptional signatures of invasiveness in Meloidogyne incognita populations from sub-Saharan Africa. International Journal for Parasitology, 49(11), pp.837-841.
Hepworth, J., Antoniou-Kourounioti, R.L., Bloomer, R.H., Selga, C., Berggren, K., Cox, D., Harris, B.R.C., Irwin, J.A., Holm, S., Säll, T. and Howard, M., 2018. Absence of warmth permits epigenetic memory of winter in Arabidopsis. Nature communications, 9(1), pp.1-8.