Hutton Highlights, May 2018

May 2018 21 Some dates for your diary Date Event Location Who should come and why? 31 May 2018 Social Innovation In Rural Scotland Workshop Hutton Aberdeen The Institute is researching how social innovation arises, what drives its success and how it can address challenges in marginal rural areas. Come, discuss and network with a community of practitioners working on social innovation. 10 June 2018 Open Farm Sunday Hutton’s Glensaugh Farm Come and spend a fun family day at Glensaugh Research Farm on Open Farm Sunday! Experience a stunning managed upland landscape: see geological formations, agroforestry plots, sheep grazing grounds, bracken and heather, woodlands, small lochs, red deer and more. 21-24 June 2018 Royal Highland Show Ingliston Showground, Edinburgh Visit the James Hutton marquee exhibits and interactive displays about aspects of our research and its impacts. Prizegiving & reception for Best Soil in Show contest for farmers, public engagement activities for children. 24-26 Jun 2018 Barley Mutants Workshop Dundee University Second international workshop for researchers using barley mutants as a genetic resource for cereals investigation and discovery. 5 July 2018 Cereals in Practice Saphock Farm, Old Meldrum, Aberdeenshire Cereals in Practice is the annual showcase of variety trials and research organised by the James Hutton Institute, SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College) and the Scottish Society for Crop Research. 19 Jul 2018 Fruit for the Future Hutton’s Mylnefield Farm, Invergowrie Fruit for the Future is aimed at farmers, agronomists, representatives of the food and drink industries, scientists and others interested in soft fruit. 9 Aug 2018 Potatoes in Practice Hutton’s Balruddery Farm, by Dundee The UK’s number one field based potato event - for the whole sector to see what’s new, what’s hot, what’s problematic and what’s next. 30 Aug 2018 Hops Workshop Hutton Invergowrie Anyone with relevant interest in hops cultivation or research, brewing or other applications: contact events@hutton.ac.uk t o register. 3 Oct 2018 41st TB Macaulay Lecture Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh Invitation-only Lecture to stimulate thinking and dialogue on contemporary environmental issues and honour the vision of Dr Thomas Bassett Macaulay, whose endowment founded a predecessor of the James Hutton Institute. 29 Nov 2018 Hutton research Symposium Hilton Treetops, Aberdeen Internal event for staff to share, compare notes and hatch ideas with colleagues around the research at Hutton. w/c 1 Jul 2019 Arable Scotland NEW! Hutton’s Balruddery Farm, Dundee Brand new successor event to Cereals in Practice , in partnership with AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds for to bring growers, processors and advisors together in the field to see and discuss novel, current and coming practice and requirements. Comments? Mylnefield Lipid Analysis has been running courses such as this Fatty Acids & Lipids Chemistry, Biology & Analysis since the firm was set up around 20 years ago. MLA’s specialist analytical laboratory is one of the few in the world approved by both the UK’s Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration agency for Good Manufacturing Practice analysis of oils and fats and has also undergone a successful Good Clinical Practice inspection by the MHRA. Last year, the MLS lab topped the world’s most extensive and respected proficiency testing programme for oil and fat-related commodities; the GOED Nutraceuticals Series of the American Oil Chemist Society’s Laboratory Proficiency Program. Presenters Peter Clough, Professor Bill Christie MBE, Dr Charlie Scrimgeour and Professor Terry Smith shared their own specialties which include chemistry, analysis, lipidomics and nutrition, proving a huge draw for students, researchers and lipid analysts from the food, oleochemical and health and nutrition sectors. Head of James Hutton Limited, Dr Jonathan Snape, attributes the course’s high regard in the industry to the calibre of these presenters: “We’ve been extremely fortunate that the presenters have been willing to participate for so many years and delegates are able to make valuable industry contacts.” Dr Fanny Chevillot, an R&D Engineer from international oleochemical company, Olean, and a relatively new entrant to oleochemistry attended the course Fatty acids and lipids under the spotlight for its focus on analytical methods and explanation of the advantages of newer analytical tools and instruments, such as mass spectrometry. “But it also covered the use of older techniques which, although considered ‘old fashioned’, can still be really useful” she says. Zachary Latynski came to the course from the Organic Technologies laboratory in Ohio, USA. Mr Latynski added: “The company I work for makes EPA and DHA supplements from fish oil which need accurate and timely analysis, so the course was really useful for me in relation to both.” For further information on Mylnefield Lipid Analysis services, visit their website . 20 Hutton Highlights Lipids are an essential ingredient in a variety of industries including food and drink, health and biosciences, and play a fundamental role in biological functions such as storing energy, signalling and the structuring of our cell membranes. Delegates from Europe and the US visited our Dundee site for a course in Fatty Acids and Lipids. For generations, rice has been a key crop for the Kelabit people who populate the highlands of Malaysian Borneo – so much so that the slow-growing variety grown in the area shares a name with the region and its main town, Bario. However, the cultivation of rice in the area is under threat due to climate change, soil degradation and emigration, among other factors. Scientists in Malaysia and the UK, including ecological sciences researchers from Hutton, are looking at the potential of sustainable crop diversification in the region to help break the dependence on the rice crop and bring long-forgotten foods to the fore. A workshop organised by the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, WWF Malaysia and Crops for the Future aimed to link the Bario rice-growing community with multidisciplinary expertise and stakeholders to provide a common understanding of what’s needed to achieve agricultural diversification in the area. Dr Tim George represented the Institute at the workshop. “The trip was a huge success and a fantastic opportunity to see some landscapes, ecosystems and agricultural systems I had only read about in books. Also, being exposed to the huge variety of food produced and gathered from the forest, the quality of the food, particularly the fruit and vegetables, was extremely memorable. The workshop explored ways in which the region’s rich agricultural and cultural heritage could be made more sustainable and conserved in the face of environmental change, soil degradation and societal challenges. “Clearly, the traditional rice grown in these villages in not only a food source, but an important part of the cultural identity of the people in the highlands so it’s vital that its production is preserved” Tim explains. The discussion also included potential alternatives for diversification, such as using the crop diversity more effectively, changing the agronomic systems to be more sustainable, finding new lucrative markets for the products of the highlands and introducing new crops. It is hoped the workshop will lead into further research work. The event took place in the Bario Highlands from the 24th to the 27th of February 2018, and also featured Dr Henny Osbahr of the University of Reading as a visiting expert. Understanding agricultural sustainability in the highlands of Borneo Dr Henny Osbahr and Dr Tim George at the workshop in Bario, Malaysia