Co-funded by the Technology Strategy Board
Developing a Forage Soya Variety for the UK.
Partners: Velcourt (Lead Partner), Soya UK, Biotal, NIAB TAG
This project aims to develop forage soya for use on UK farms. When price and availability of imported soya protein was not an issue, UK production of soya protein was not economically viable. However the economics for vegetable protein have recently changed and soya production for forage is successfully grown in the US & S.Africa which could be adapted to enable UK production. We will evaluate non-GM soya lines for whole-crop forage harvesting in the UK thus allowing issues relating to late maturity, yield and harvesting to be overcome in more marginal livestock areas. Anti nutritional problems will be avoided, facilitating direct production and use on-farm with reduced transport/processing costs.
- SAFEMalt: Protecting the malting and brewing quality of UK barley cultivars through effective FHB disease control strategies
Velcourt (Lead Partner), Syngenta Crop Protection, Syngenta Seeds, SABMiller, Openfield, University of Nottingham, Harper Adams University College
- The incidence of Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) disease has significant implications for the viability and functional quality of barley destined for use in the malting and brewing sectors. Fusarium infection of UK malting barley is on an upwards trend and the strains implicated are diversifying. This project will aim to determine the links throughout the supply chain from evaluating the impact of a series of agronomic variables on the incidence of FHB, through identification of the causal pathogens of FHB implicated to the subsequent impact on the functional properties of barley for malting and brewing. The role and contribution of varietal resistance in UK barley and timing of fungicide application against FHB will be determined.
- Achieving the genetic potential of oilseed rape; an integrated approach to controlling soil borne diseases
Velcourt (Lead Partner), NIAB TAG, Limagrain, H.L. Hutchinson, Harper Adams University College
- This project aims to produce greater yields of oilseed rape from fewer inputs. The average yield of the oilseed rape crop has remained static since the late 1980s despite a flow of new varieties. Soil-borne pathogens that can limit the yield of OSR are not widely understood, however two new pathogens have been recently identified as part of an HGCA / DEFRA funded project. Data suggests that tight oilseed rape rotations depress yield in the crop and that this is strongly associated with high levels of Olpidium and Pyrenochaeta. This project will build on work concerning these pathogens, determine pathogenic importance to the UK OSR crop and seek control measures to alleviate the problem.
- SYIELD: Networked Mimic Sensors for Crop Enhancement & Disease Control
Syngenta (Lead Partner), Velcourt, AET - Gwent Group, Uniscan, Burkard, DMCii, University of Manchester, Rothamsted Research
- The project will enable growers to produce more food with fewer inputs, through an integrated farm management strategy. This optimises the Crop Protection using a network of in-field biosensors which then interact to form a UK, and international, infrastructure. Initial adoption will be for Sclerotinia in UK Oilseed Rape. UK technology companies will manufacture the sensor nodes which then link, alongside satellite crop-usage data, into a GIS web portal accessible as a commercial service to; farmers, agronomists, government and other agri-food stakeholders. Velcourt will have input into the development of the service and the trialling of prototypes.
- A novel monitoring and forecasting system for the integrated management of bean seed beetle Bruchus rufimanus
PGRO (Lead Partner), Syngenta Crop Protection, Frontier Agriculture, Oecos, Rothamsted Research, Velcourt (subcontractor)
- To enable improved control of the bean seed beetle, the project will develop a novel IPM strategy based on a monitoring system and defined treatment thresholds to rationalise pesticide use. These will be delivered to the grower by a Decision Support System. This innovative approach will provide for the first time a systematic and rational control strategy for this pest to UK bean growers. It will represent a more sustainable longer-term approach that will allow continuity of supply of high quality field beans for the UK export market and improved quality of broad beans for processing and the fresh market.
- Genomics Project.
Partners:- Limagrain (Lead Partner), John Innes Centre, The Genome Analysis Centre.
- The consortium aims to develop a methodology to identify sequence-based markers that are predictive of crop performance and that can be used to make crop breeding faster and more efficient. To underpin marker-assisted breeding and realize this potential in hybrid rape, molecular markers predictive of hybrid performance are required. High throughput sequencing will be used to simultaneously identify variation in gene sequences and quantify gene expression in the parents of a panel of ~150 hybrids for which performance is known or will be determined in the initial phase of the project. Using a combination of 3 approaches, correlations between sequence-based variation and performance for a range of traits will be identified. Hybrids with new combinations of markers predicted to give enhanced performance will be developed and the performance validated by on-farm trialling.
LINK funded projects
- Inorganic Bio-polymer composites
- Aim of the project is to develop a generic production methodology for the production of general purpose boards in which plant biomass is used to generate all main components of the product including the aggregate, binder, binder setting agent and modifiers. Velcourt are carrying out agronomy trials as part of the project to determine any beneficial effects of agronomic manipulation.
- Reducing the impact of sclerotinia disease on arable rotations, vegetable crops and land use.
- Sclerotinia disease is an increasing problem in the UK, causing significant losses in oilseed rape and other arable and vegetable crops in the rotation. This project aims to improve the timing of fungicide applications, based on airborne inoculum detection and/or weather data and also quantify the effect of soil management and crop rotation on sclerotinia disease. Velcourt are carrying out fungicide timing trials as part of this project.
Ongoing LINK Projects
- Galanthium extraction from Daffodils – for Alzheimer's
This project aims to build on a previous one-year study undertaken by Alzeim in collaboration with IGER, where the feasibility of Narcissus cultivation was considered under selected environmental regimes and at different harvest dates. The findings and research that will be addressed within this project will seek to further drive down costs by applying the latest biorefinery principles, coupled to entirely novel harvest and extraction regimes, which are then allied to developments in agronomy, choice of plant genetic resources and savings through reduced transport of feedstocks. Sales of the biorefinery “side-streams” should result in spin-off benefits to the local economy through increased products to support the tourism industry (perfume, paper, wax).
Although focused on the objective of maximising the alkaloid content of daffodils, the research will also provide information that can be directly utilised by flower growers and indirectly by other producers seeking to use plants as sources of secondary metabolites. Specifically, the research will demonstrate the response required from growers to climate change. The innovative qualitative models produced by the research should capture all pre-existing knowledge and provide coherent tests of the results of the various trials. The qualitative models should enable prospective growers to determine the expected returns on their investments.
- B Carinata production with high Ricinoleic Acid
The main aim of this proposal is to produce ricinoleic acid in plants at a high level so allowing it to be used as a renewable raw material for the manufacture of:
[1] Nylon N-11- which is a main component of hydraulic fluid pipes in engines
[2] Biodegradable Engine Oils - which are a viable alternative to mineral based oils.
Additionally we wish to investigate:
[1] The metabolic assembly and channelling/compartmentalisation of the ricinoleic acid/triglyceride pathway in plants and
[2] Explore the possibilities of using ricinoleic acid as a wider feedstock for production of novel polymers.
The research should result in a readily available renewable raw material which can replace existing mineral oil based commodities. It will also create an additional demand for vegetable oils as the main bulk constituent of engine lubricants. We are also exploring the use of Brassica carinata as a delivery crop to overcome objections of outcrossing of a transgenic crop in Europe.
BBSRC Club Participation.
Integrated Biorefining Research and Technology Club (IBTI Club)
- A £6M, 5-year partnership between BBSRC, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and a consortium of leading companies aimed at developing biological processes and feedstocks to reduce our current dependence on fossil fuels as a source of chemicals, materials and fuel.
Crop Improvement Club ( CIRC)
A partnership between BBSRC, The Scottish Government and a consortium of leading companies, aimed at supporting innovative and excellent research to underpin the development of improved crop varieties that deliver increased productivity and consistent, high quality end products.
Its themes are:
- To support research leading to improved crop productivity
Sustainable improvements in crop productivity are important for increasing the volume of food the UK can produce, for limiting the land needed to produce this food and for improving the efficiency with which resources are used in crop production
- To support research leading to improved crop quality
Improving quality can help to improve the processing, safety and nutritional value of crop products whilst also improving resource use efficiency. By understanding quality traits better there will also be scope for generating greater consistency in quality against a background of variation in growing conditions
