A project showcasing new crop technology and innovation in agriculture is making its debut at Cereals 2011 with a focus on the future of UK barley varieties.

NIAB Innovation Farm is a knowledge transfer, demonstration and networking facility for the agricultural and horticultural sectors. Based in Cambridge it highlights the contribution of advanced breeding and genetics and introduces new plant traits and crops that could become a common sight on UK farms in the future.

A plant that used to be killed as a weed could soon be farmed for essential fatty acids. Innovative research sponsored by Defra shows that Corn Gromwell, rich in omega-3, could potentially be grown commercially in the UK for the first time.

Corn Gromwell is native to Europe, North Africa and across Siberia and Western Asia and has also been introduced into the USA. Until recently it was best known a common weed in spring cereal crops.

Leading crop research centre NIAB has welcomed the strong emphasis of today’s Budget Statement on economic growth, innovation and skills, highlighting the potential for the UK’s agricultural research and life sciences sectors to help rebalance the nation’s economy, and to keep the lid on food price inflation.

Proving that agricultural science can be visually stunning as well as informative an image of the ergot fungus (Claviceps purpurea) growing inside wheat stigma hairs is a winning entry at the Wellcome Image Awards, an annual science and medical photography competition.

The image shows the ergot hyphae growing through the same tissues of the wheat flower as a growing pollen tube would do during pollination. The wheat stigma hairs are only 25 micrometres, or 0.025mm, wide.

Technological advances in agricultural science, improving farm business management and ensuring effective knowledge transfer will make it possible to feed nine billion mouths by 2030 concluded the 2011 NIAB TAG North-East Outlook Conference ‘Enough On Our Plates’.

NIAB is part of a consortium of UK research groups which has secured a £7m research grant to increase the diversity of traits available in wheat through a major new public sector pre-breeding programme.

President José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, toured NIAB as part of a visit to Cambridge to see how European funding is helping to strengthen the city’s reputation for world-leading innovation, particularly in plant and environmental research and technologies. President Barroso saw how the InCrops project is helping entrepreneurs exploit the versatility of crops to make environmentally-friendly products and reduce natural waste.

Two leading UK institutes have joined forces with food retailer Waitrose to establish a new centre, aimed at helping the UK farming and food sector to meet increasing challenges in food production and sustainability.

Called the Centre of Excellence for UK Farming, or CEUKF, the new centre will provide a network of expertise to help ensure that the best information and advice on developments in science, innovation and practical know-how are accessible to provide real benefits across the supply chain.

The Chair of an influential agricultural parliamentary group has highlighted the enormous potential of East Anglia’s agricultural research and life sciences sectors on a visit to the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) in Cambridge.

George Freeman, Conservative MP for Mid-Norfolk and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science and Technology in Agriculture, visited NIAB as part of his drive to unlock the east of England’s significant strengths in agricultural research and food science.