16 July 2010
Funding boost for food security research
The UK farming industry is set to benefit from a new project by researchers at the University of Sheffield and RAGT Seeds Ltd, which will aim to develop new higher-yielding wheat varieties, less dependent on pesticides and chemical inputs.
The project, which has been funded by a grant from the Technology Strategy Board and investment from RAGT Seeds Ltd., will combine recent advances in plant biology and breeding techniques to produce wheat with durable resistance to disease.
The UK farming industry currently spends around £30m on wheat fungicides, spraying an area of over 2 million hectares, to ensure wheat is protected against disease. The future implementation of revised European legislation means that currently used fungicides may have to be withdrawn, which could have serious implications for crop production, food security and farmer´s incomes. The new project will apply a novel screening methodology, combined with conventional breeding techniques, to develop new varieties that should require less chemical inputs.
The research will develop biochemical analyses to look at the plant´s responses to different disease threats. This innovative method will mean that the research can be carried out in a much shorter space of time, when compared with techniques which require the plants to be grown to maturity.
Field trials of potential new varieties will then be carried out to select the best for commercial development.
The news comes as the University of Sheffield launches a unique venture entitled Project Sunshine, led by the Faculty of Science. The Project aims to unite scientists across the traditional boundaries in both the pure and applied sciences to harness the power of the sun and tackle the biggest challenge facing the world today: meeting the increasing food and energy needs of the world´s population in the context of an uncertain climate and global environment change. It is hoped that Project Sunshine will change the way scientists think and work and become the inspiration for a new generation of scientists focused on solving the world´s problems.
Dr Duncan Cameron, Principal Investigator for the project from the University´s Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, said: "This is a really exciting opportunity for us to apply the developments in fundamental plant biology and analytical technology pioneered in Sheffield to the global issue of food security at a time when the agricultural industry is under ever increasing pressure to produce more food at lower costs to the environment." For further information please contact: Lauren Anderson, Media Relations Officer, on 0114 2221046 or email l.h.anderson@sheffield.ac.uk
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