United Kingdom
July 6, 2005Research
into the genetics of barley could lead to improved varieties of
the crop most commonly used in the production of whisky and
beer. Scientists funded in part by the
Biotechnology and Biological
Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) are beginning a new
programme to uncover key genes that control the specific
characteristics of different barley varieties.
The research, being carried out
at the Scottish Crop
Research Institute,
Birmingham University
and NIAB, involves almost all
barley breeders in the UK and associated end user groups. It
aims to identify the genes that influence economically important
traits such as yield, disease and pest resistance and how much
alcohol can be extracted from the barley during the production
of 'malt' whisky.
Dr Robbie Waugh, the research
leader, said, "We will be using experimental techniques that
have been developed in human and other plant genetic studies to
analyse a crop that has huge economic importance. We expect to
be able to identify the genes that could lead to improvements in
the quality of barley that will be of interest to growers,
producers and drinkers."
The research will help to
contribute to the Scottish agricultural economy as 50 per cent
of the arable land in Scotland is currently used to grow barley.
Most of this crop is used to make beer and whisky with the
supply chain from farmer to product employing over 13,000
people, mainly in rural communities. Whisky is consistently the
biggest food and drink export earner for the UK.
The new £1.8m project
"Association Genetics of UK elite Barley" is sponsored by BBSRC,
the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department
(SEERAD) and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs (Defra) through the Sustainable Arable LINK Programme.
The project has wide industrial
support. Industry is contributing 50 per cent towards the cost
and the industrial partners include: Advanta Seeds, Coors
Brewers UK Ltd, CPB Twyford, Syngenta Seeds Ltd., Nickerson (UK)
Ltd., RAGT Seeds, Secobra UK, Svalholf Weibull AB, The Maltsters
Association of Great Britain, Scotch Whisky Research Institute
and Home Grown Cereals Authority.
BACKGROUND
This research features in the
July 2005 issue of Business, the quarterly magazine of the
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
The research at SCRI is part of
an ongoing study into the underlying genetic mechanisms that
control yield, quality and sustainability of barley.
The Principal Investigators on
the programme are Dr. Robbie Waugh, Dr. Bill Thomas, Dr. Luke
Ramsay, Dr David Marshall, Dr. Adrian Newton and Dr. Joanne
Russell SCRI, with collaborators Dr. Donal O'Sullivan, Dr
Rosemary Bayles and Prof Wayne Powell of NIAB (Cambridge) and
Dr. Zewei Luo and Prof Mike Kearsey of the University of
Birmingham.
The industrial collaborators
and sponsors are: Advanta, CPB Twyfords, Dalgety/Secobra, New
Farm Crops, RAGT/PBI, Svalof Weibull, Brewing Research
International, SWRI, MAGB, COORS, MRS, HGCA, Crop Evaluation
Limited.
About BBSRC
The Biotechnology and
Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is the UK funding
agency for research in the life sciences. Sponsored by
Government, BBSRC annually invests around £336 million in a wide
range of research that makes a significant contribution to the
quality of life for UK citizens and supports a number of
important industrial stakeholders including the agriculture,
food, chemical, healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors.
About SCRI
SCRI increases knowledge in
plant and environmental sciences. The research is focused on
plants to improve the understanding of processes that regulate
their growth and response to pests, pathogens and the
environment. This includes understanding genetics to breed crops
with improved quality and nutritional value as fast as possible.
By understanding the plant's response to pests and diseases and
how they react to the soil, air and water around them,
environmentally friendly methods of protecting crops from the
ravages of pests, diseases and weeds can be designed.
SCRI is grant-aided by the
Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department
(SEERAD) and has charitable status. It is one of five Scottish
Agricultural and Biological Research Institutes (SABRIs) which,
together with those of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences
Research Council, form the agricultural and food research
service of the UK |