Work by researchers at the James Hutton Institute that helps protect Scotland’s valuable potato crop against late blight is to continue thanks to funding from the Scottish Government for the Fight Against Blight (FAB) campaign in 2022. There had been uncertainty over the future of the project following the end of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) Potatoes operations last year. Professor Gerry Saddler, Head of Science & Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA), and Chief Plant Health Officer for Scotland, said: “The Scottish Government are providing interim support for this important initiative in recognition of the needs of the Scottish potato industry.” As in previous seasons, the work is based on monitoring of Phytophthora infestans populations by a network of agronomists, growers and industry representatives who submit field samples from suspected late blight outbreaks around the country. The 2022 effort will include the annual sampling of late blight outbreaks by these FAB Scouts and then the characterisation of pathogen populations. In work led by Dr Alison Lees, fungicide sensitivity testing will be carried out once again for a selection of active ingredients. Feedback will be provided to scouts throughout the season and, in combination with the summary at the end of the season, updates the potato industry on best-practice for late blight management. Project leader Dr David Cooke of the James Hutton Institute said: “This is great news for growers and the sector more widely, and it’s also great news for the longer-term research effort that supports this area. Detecting any shifts in the population as early as possible is key to understanding the threat levels, how the blight pathogen is evolving, and the responses required.” For season 2022, previously registered FAB Scouts will automatically receive sampling packs for this continuation work. New scouts wishing to register and submit samples, or any scouts with other queries, should contact fab@hutton. ac.uk. A dedicated website will be forthcoming, and scouts will be kept informed of any developments and relevant new information. Any sample packs, prepaid envelopes and FTA cards from previous seasons can still be used. The situation for late blight risk monitoring and response beyond 2022 is currently under discussion between a range of industry stakeholders to resource ongoing work in this area for 2023 and beyond. ‘Fight Against Blight’ to continue for 2022 season Why it’s important – and urgent – that we halt loss of biodiversity There is nothing better than waking up early on a warm summer morning to hear a variety of birdsong. What might be a little alarming, however, is that estimates from the Natural History Museum suggest that 600 million birds have been lost across Europe since 1980 – with the house sparrow population declining by some 247 million. But it’s not just birds. We are currently in a biodiversity crisis, with a staggering decline in a number of UK species. A shocking 26 per cent of mammals are at risk of extinction globally. We rely on a healthy, biodiverse environment for a variety of services, including the production of food and timber, air purification, soil formation and pollination. These critical services are under increasing threat if we do nothing to stop biodiversity losses now. One of the key needs is to understand the problem, so we stop these losses and start to increase biodiversity. No small feat, considering the change has increased in pace since the 1970s. Governments are now acting to find answers and solutions to the crisis. The Scottish Government, NatureScot, SEPA and other stakeholders are working together with researchers at the James Hutton Institute and the wider Scottish Environment Food and Agricultural Research Institutes to fully explore – and understand – our options in tackling this biodiversity crisis. As seen at the UN’s Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) in Montreal, it is becoming clearer that action is needed now in better understanding the problems we are facing. Without understanding the cause, it makes managing and restoring our environment a bigger challenge. Over the next five years, the Scottish Government has committed to fund research in understanding the causes of change and the impact of invasive, non-native species, on our ecosystems. Technology in science has moved on considerably since biodiversity declines were first observed and offers the potential to help in monitoring change. New technologies will be applied to everything from plant diversity, using new molecular techniques, to the harder-to-see life in the soils beneath our feet. Embracing such technologies will provide valuable tools for quantifying changes – both the good and the bad. We can ill afford to sit back and watch the biodiversity decline continue. We need to understand, manage and action positive changes to safeguard our environment. There is still plenty of opportunity and we can all do something to help. Investment is needed in restoration, but this must be done within a low risk setting while ensuring multiple benefits to society. The UK is committed to protecting 30 per cent of its land and seas by 2030, but we need to know how to establish protected areas in the face of a changing climate to ensure both species and genetic diversity are conserved. Only through understanding the wider systems will we be able to fully understand, explore and protect our critical biodiversity, both within Scotland and globally. Answering the questions around how, what and why will help in the journey towards halting biodiversity losses by 2030 and enhancing biodiversity by 2050. Utilising the international expertise and knowledge within the various Scottish research institutes will help us in the fight against biodiversity loss and assist in the restoration of our ecosystem which is critical for the health and wellbeing of the wider environment and humanity. By Dr Kenneth Loades 18 Hutton Highlights Scottish crops could hold key to healing with honey This article first appeared in Farming Scotland magazine. The healing effects of Manuka honey are well established and widely recognised. The NHS even recommends Manuka Medihoney as an effective treatment for wounds and burns. Manuka honey comes from New Zealand and Australia, and is made by bees that feed on Manuka flowers, a plant in the tea tree and myrtle family. However, in a collaboration that crosses the globe, researchers from The James Hutton Institute have been examining the medical potential of honeys made from other crops to act as anti-microbial agents to fight against super-bugs. Recent studies by Dr Gordon McDougall, Head of Plant Biochemistry at the Institute and collaborators at Queen Margaret University and Nazarbayev University School of Medicine (NUSOM) in Kazakhstan have found that various honeys, including some originating from Scottish heathers, have the same anti-microbial activity as Manuka Medihoney. By using the Hutton’s analytical know-how and studying the composition of honey made from a variety of crops, the researchers have been able to pinpoint specific components in honey responsible for these super-bug killing effects. Dr McDougall said “The ability to identify these honey components opens the door to utilising Scottish crops such as heather for medical purposes. Further research would allow us to investigate the potential of other Scottish crops and isolate the most active components either from the honey or the original plant sources to use in wound-healing lotions or bandages.” Over the course of the research, NUSOM and the Hutton also identified that the non-sugar components of the honeys protected the immune response of human skin cells. Dr Pauline McLoone, principal investigator, said “Paired with the anti-microbial properties of honeys, this effect on skin cells could promote wound healing and further the use of natural, honey-based products in medical care”. December 2022 19 Comments?
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