Partner: James Hutton Institute (formerly SCRI)
The Barley Diversity exhibit explores the potential for innovation in developing new barley varieties for current and new end-use markets. Varieties have been chosen to demonstrate the significant steps forward made in plant breeding over the past 100 years, as well as representative key varieties from an important research project that has concentrated on mapping and understanding genetic improvement, highlighting the importance of safeguarding genetic diversity.
It has sometimes been a slow process in bringing new beneficial traits onto the market. New screening techniques can speed up this process and identify valuable traits within barley lines that plant breeders were previously unable to access. Plant scientists and breeders now have the potential to incorporate these genetic solutions into new varieties to enable and improve sustainable barley production.
James Hutton Institute, NIAB and Birmingham Univeristy’s AGOUEB research project is a good successful example of the work in practice.
Varieties included in the Innovation Farm demonstration site:
- Plumage/Spratt Archer (1900s)
- Pioneer (1945)
- Maris Otter (1965)
- Cassata (2007)
- Igri (1976)
- Saffron (2002)
- Retriever (2004)
- Athene (1977)
- Colibri (2003)
- Manitou (1988)
- Volume (2006)
