News article

Cases of Septoria disease with unusually short latent periods and the ability to go through the infection cycle quicker than normal, have been found in winter wheat in East Anglia, says NIAB TAG.

“I’ve now seen several cases of Septoria tritici on Leaf 2 where the winter wheat crop was only just at GS39. This shouldn’t be ‘biologically’ possible because Leaf 2 hasn’t been out long enough to become infected, go though a normal latent period, and then show symptoms,” explains Bill Clark, NIAB TAG’s Commercial Director.

 It’s a bit like the question ‘what did the Romans ever do for us - apart from roads, sanitation, education, aqueducts, medicine...’

Ten new varieties have been added to the 2012 Recommended Grass and Clover Lists for England and Wales, with three varieties promoted to the Fully Recommended category following four years of provisional recommendation.

Summary

NIAB wins BBSRC funding as part of the Crop Improvement Research Club (CIRC) for research into the 'production of wheat lacking B-type starch granules'. 

BBSRC NEWS RELEASE

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is announcing nine new industry-relevant crop science projects as part of the Crop Improvement Research Club (CIRC).

Long-term rotation studies are rare in our industry due to short-term commercial and financial pressures, but they can provide powerful agronomic and financial information for UK farmers.

Oilseed rape growers and advisors can explore the science behind the crop’s recent developments to better understand how they can improve on-farm production and crop marketing at this season’s first NIAB Innovation Farm workshop.

Bill Clark, newly appointed Commercial Technical director at NIAB TAG is warning against any complacency when it comes to yellow rust; with levels of active rust currently increasing dramatically across a wide range of varieties.

Crop scientists will be making the science behind plant breeding fun, easy to understand and accessible at the Cambridge Science Festival on Saturday 17th March.

Kerry Maguire from the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) said: “The bread you eat, the beer you drink, the oil you cook with, the grass and flowers in your garden, the medicines you use, and even the diesel in the bus that takes you to work, exist because of the work of a plant breeder.

NIAB Innovation Farm is a unique showcase of plant genetic innovation delivered in partnership with academics, scientists and industry. It acts as an interactive commercial hub linking science and industry, highlighting developments in plant research and transferring market-ready innovations into commercial reality as rapidly as possible. For more information down load our latest leaflet.