James Hutton Institute secures share of £3 million research funding into some of the world’s most important crops
The James Hutton Institute has secured more than £850,000 in new funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council who, in conjunction with the Scottish Government, has awarded £3 million to four projects to improve food security for some of the world’s most valuable crops.
HAPI brings academic researchers together with industry in order to deliver bigger yields of better quality fruits and vegetables for the consumer, through more sustainable farming practices.
Dr Glenn Bryan, James Hutton Institute is Principal Investigator on the £1 million project ‘Controlling dormancy and sprouting in potato and onion’ which involves Imperial College London, University of Greenwich and Cranfield University, PepsiCo, Albert Bartlett, Potato Council and Mylnefield Research Services, one of the Institute’s commercial affiliates.
The research will use advances in biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology to identify the genetic basis of dormancy and sprouting in onion and potato and seek to understand the physiological and molecular control steps, with a view to improving storage and reducing losses.
Researchers from the James Hutton Institute are also partners on two of the other projects receiving HAPI funding ‘Establishing biofumigation as a sustainable pesticide replacement for control of soil-borne pests and pathogens in potato and horticultural crops’ led by Professor Peter Urwin, University of Leeds and ‘Strategies for integrated deployment of host resistance and fungicides to sustain effective crop protection’ led by Dr Frank Van den Bosch, Rothamsted Research.
The four projects focus on potato and onion, but the findings could have applications for a wide range of crops and agriculture.
HAPI will be releasing a second call for research funding later on the year.
Notes to editors
Full details of the four projects receiving funding can be found on the BBSRC website
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