Events of the Year
12
November
2013
The James Hutton Institute and the Macaulay
Development Trust announced £1.3 million of new
funding to support a cluster of four new fellowships
and four studentships. The aims are to explore issues
such as renewable energy, remote sensing, resource-
efficient water systems, socio-economic studies and
biodiversity.
The James Hutton Institute is a world leader in land,
environmental and socio-economic sciences, seeking
solutions for some of the most pressing global issues
in natural resource management. These new positions
are a major boost to that effort and will enable the
development and training of new researchers.
December
2013
A new website, bringing together information on one
of Scotland’s most valuable natural assets, went live.
The website
is the result
of a collaboration between the Scottish Government,
the James Hutton Institute, SEPA, SNH, Forestry
Commission Scotland and Ricardo-AEA. It is the first
time that land managers, public bodies, the scientific
community and members of the public will have online
access to decades of data relating to our soils.
Soils are recognised as an extremely important
national resource, literally underpinning our economy.
The new website provides easy access to 90 years of
soil expertise built up at the James Hutton Institute
and is a source of authoritative and scientifically
robust data.
“With 128 PhD students drawn
from 30 different countries,
the James Hutton Institute is
instrumental in creating the next
generation of global scientists”
4
15
January
2014
A study led by the James Hutton Institute reported
that Chalara infection and associated ash dieback
could cause widespread death of ash trees in the
UK which would result in a high negative impact on
associated wildlife.
The report shows that although some species could
adapt to new tree hosts if ash dieback-related
mortality is high, the tree species that replace ash
may not preserve these ecosystem characteristics.
The study was commissioned by the Joint Nature
Conservation Committee (JNCC).
Back-to-nature flood schemes which use the land’s
natural defences to slow river flow and reduce
flooding could be a cost-effective way of tackling
one of the biggest problems facing the UK today.
Using the Belford Burn in Northumberland as a
demonstration, the team showed that by changing
and hindering the natural flow pathways within a
small catchment system, it is possible to manage the
amount of run-off from the land. This reduces the
risk of flooding in low-lying areas and also cuts down
on pollution by preventing phosphorous and nitrates
from being washed off the land. The trial was part of
a five year research project by experts from the James
Hutton Institute and the University of Newcastle, in
partnership with the Environment Agency.
Climate predictions show the UK should expect more
extreme weather events and prolonged rainfall. The
above ‘soft’ engineering approaches can prevent
flooding further downstream where water has a
greater impact on infrastructure, businesses and
homes.
December
2013
Genome sequence of the potato cyst nematode
Globodera pallida
unveiled
The publication of the
G.pallida
genome sequence
and full life cycle transcriptome analysis, co-led by
researchers at the James Hutton Institute, was the
culmination of almost 10 years’ collaborative effort.
The paper describes the identification of several
greatly expanded effector gene families, likely to be
critical for the interactions of the nematode with its
host. The availability of the genome sequence and
a full life stage transcriptome dataset will underpin
future research to combat
G.pallida
.
The potato cyst nematode (PCN)
G. pallida
is the most
important nematode pathogen to UK agriculture and
its impact costs in excess of £50 million each year in
the UK. Withdrawal of effective nematicides and the
absence of resistance in many commercially viable
cultivars mean that it threatens the future of the crop
for many growers. PCN is listed as a key priority by
industry bodies such as the Potato Council. Work on
this pathogen is of key importance and places Scotland
in a world-leading position. The project has already led
to international collaborative projects sequencing the
genomes of two related cyst nematode species.
