Cereals of tomorrow - 5th July 2011

Presentations

• Disease control - wild relatives to the rescue
  Dr Cristobal Uauy - Project leader Crop Genetics, John Innes Centre

Describing the underlying genetics of wheat and how it has evolved from hybridisation of wild grasses several thousand years ago. Aspects of research lag behind some other major crops such as rice and soya due to the enormous complexity of wheat genetics. Novel approaches are now being used to mine wild relatives for all sorts of characters that can help to improve wheat quality and productivity in the future. Despite the complexity of the subject matter Dr Uauy presented his work in a highly accessible form and was rewarded with many questions from the farmers and agronomists in the audience as well as the breeders.

• Spring sown vs winter sown: what does the future look like?
  Patrick Stephenson - Northern Regional Agronomist, NIAB TAG

Addressed the on-farm benefits of the research covered in previous presentations, with a consideration of the many other factors that can impact on choice of cropping and the economies of farming, including political factors, and social and environmental drivers. Mr Stephenson succeeded in putting his examples into the context of some real problems affecting farmers, e.g. blackgrass and uncertainties such as a changing climate.

• How smart carbohydrates are trying to meet industry needs
  Dr Alison Smith – Head of Department, Metabolic Biology, John Innes Centre
• A toolkit for 21st century breeding
  Dr Phil Howell – Programme leader, Genetics and Breeding, NIAB

Covering the research carried out by NIAB and JIC in reassessing barley in terms of its use and provision for certain end markets. Carbohydrate content and type within the grain can vary enormously and this can make a very real impact in delivery of different end markets such as enhanced probiotic qualities, mouth feel, yield and taste. Dr Howell explained that up until now plant breeders have achieved an interestingly different end point and then covered the sort of problems and pitfalls that can be encountered along the way despite the many new tools that can be used in terms of markers, genetic analysis etc.

• Cereals of tomorrow - wheat transgenics
  Professor Andy Greenland- Director of Research, NIAB

Professor Greenland gave a clear review of the state of GM development in crops and how developments may be taken up in wheat. The presentation covered the limitations to manipulating the wheat genome due to its complexity and how aspects of this had been overcome by the developments at NIAB.