Hutton Highlights, February 2019

News Highlights 4 Hutton Highlights Hutton research contributes to parliamentary report on agriculture Key findings of the POST briefing include: • Global requirements for food are changing. These include demand for higher quality products in developed countries and for higher protein diets in developing countries. • Increasing future levels of agricultural production will be challenged by factors such as climate change, declining soil quality and agricultural land availability. • Attitudes and behaviours of consumers affect production, such as trends in consumption of meat, demand for organic vegetables or locally sourced products. • Regulation of the use of pesticides and fertilisers, and subsidies for technology will affect farmers’ choices, farm productivity, and may drive innovation. • New agricultural technologies being developed to aid production include robots, drones, satellites and sensors. • New breeding techniques may produce crops and livestock with novel traits or accelerate the ability to deploy known traits. Hutton researchers have contributed to a briefing produced by the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) which outlines key drivers of global agricultural trends and the challenge of safeguarding both food production and environmental value in a changing world. “These briefings are essential to keep the UK Parliament informed on topics central to our way of life,” said Professor Derek Stewart, who contributed to the report. “Agriculture is becoming increasingly difficult as the climate changes, consumer attitudes and behaviours change, and we strive for sustainable routes to enhance productivity and crop quality. The James Hutton Institute, along with its collaborative partners, is determined to deliver solutions in the key areas identified below.” Included within the funding announcement are the International Barley Hub (IBH) and the Advanced Plant Growth Centre (APGC) research and innovation projects which are set to receive £62m in total, making projects under the Securing our Food Production Capability the highest-funded part of the Deal. These two initiatives will create industry- focused and commercially viable innovation centres in Tayside and will further strengthen the Institute’s world-leading research in plant science. “The City Deal is a huge vote of confidence in Tayside. Both projects we are involved in represent significant investment in the future of this region, in key sectors for the regional and national economy and have the potential to unlock substantial economic benefits. Our governments, industry partners and colleagues across academia were instrumental in achieving this outcome and we owe them and the City Deal teams many thanks,” Professor Colin Campbell said, welcoming the news. James Brosnan, Director of Research at the Scotch Whisky Research Institute, commented: “The confirmation that the International Barley Hub has been given the go-ahead in the Tay Cities Deal is great news for Scottish science and will help ensure the continued success of the Scotch Whisky industry which relies on a resilient supply of high-quality malting barley. “I am particularly excited by the opportunity the IBH offers to encourage talented young scientists from many different disciplines to devote their research skills to a career in barley science.” IBH is an ambitious development which seeks to create a unique platform for the translation of barley research and innovation into economic, social and environmental benefits. It will support an industry worth £600m to the UK economy each year and turn a more streamlined and joined-up approach into commercial benefits for the entire brewing, whisky and food value chain. The APGC is a new research facility at the very forefront of emerging technology and is designed to deliver increased commercial, economic and environmental benefits to the global food and drink sector. Investment in APGC will see Scotland lead the way and become a hub for the global development of indoor and vertical farming. It is envisaged that the Tayside region could become central to an industry that will produce consistent, high-quality produce all year-round across the globe. Professor Campbell added: “The APGC will also see the development of new crop varieties and improve the quality and taste of existing crop species. In doing this we have the potential to better secure our food supply chains against climate change and lower the impact on the environment.” Describing the potential impact of the APGC initiative, Technical Manager Allan Wilson from Waitrose said: “The James Hutton Institute has an outstanding track record in plant breeding which puts them ahead of other UK players. “This, for me, makes the Advanced Plant Growth Centre an exciting opportunity which will put Scotland in a dominant position within this emerging market, that others will struggle to match. This innovation will provide faster, more dedicated, vertical growing/breeding and commercialisation benefits to many sectors such as vegetables and soft fruits.” It is hoped that both projects will be fully established with infrastructure within three years. Both centres have already embarked on ambitious ‘soft starts’ to allow early delivery of collaboration, information-sharing and cross-fertilisation of ideas between project partners and the sectors involved. Hutton welcomes Tay Cities Deal funding boost A new report by Institute scientists has found that climate change, along with variations in machinery and farming practices, is likely to increase the susceptibility of Scottish soils to erosion or damage by compaction. The publication, produced for ClimateXChange, describes sustainable soil management as a particular challenge as Scotland adapts to a climate change. Dr Allan Lilly said the study collates the current state of confident knowledge for Scotland. “We do not know the full extent of erosion or compaction in Scotland. Current models allow us to assess risks to help minimise impact, but we need more information on the interaction between climate and soils to improve predictions of when – or if – a soil erodes or becomes compacted.” “Development of climate change avoidance and mitigation strategies require an integrated approach that includes the multiple factors contributing to erosion and compaction risks.” The report also provides a better understanding of field-level effects with evidence suggesting that erosion could be minimised by adopting best Soil erosion and compaction: adapting to a changing climate management practices, by avoiding compaction and through effective tramline management. The study can be downloaded on the ClimateXChange w ebsite. The James Hutton Institute has welcomed the signing of the heads of terms of the Tay Cities Deal, which is expected to bring a £700 million investment into Tayside and Angus and create 6,000 direct jobs in the area. “The City Deal is a huge vote of confidence in Tayside. Both projects we are involved in represent significant investment in the future of this region, in key sectors for the regional and national economy and have the potential to unlock substantial economic benefits.” Example of Scottish soil erosion POST briefings are based on literature reviews and interviews with a range of stakeholders and are externally peer reviewed. The full report is available from the UK Parliament website . February 2019 5 Comments?