Boost for UK crop science
UK crop scientists have been awarded GBP13.3 million (EUR19.8 million) to undertake a series of projects, which look likely to benefit both farmers and consumers. A total of 18 projects will receive grants from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) - The UK's primary funder of bioscience research, on topics ranging from improving the shelf life of broccoli to enhancing wheat resistance to insects. Topics such as improving the biomass yields of the willow plant for bioenergy, identifying genes for predictable seeding growth and developing different varieties of starch, will also receive funding. 'The UK is home to some of the best plant science in the world,' said Professor Julia Goodfellow, BBSRC Chief Executive. 'We want to harness this and exploit it to address some of the pressing issues that we face. BBSRC's aim is to support basic crop research that will produce outcomes to make farming more sustainable and able to meet the challenges of a changing environment.' The latest funding announcement follows a 2003 BBSRC review, which emphasised how the advances in UK crop research needed to be applied to a greater extent in plant breeding and agriculture.
Countries
United Kingdom