"Current work at the Hutton Institute is testing for Lyme disease risk at a lot of sites with widely varying deer densities to test the impact of deer densities on Lyme disease risk" Lyme disease – an infection contracted from the bite of an infected tick– is an important emerging disease in the UK, and is increasing in incidence in people in the UK and large parts of Europe and North America. A new study, published by the Royal Society, found that some types of conservation action could increase the abundance of ticks, which transmit diseases like Lyme disease. Related content Lucy Gilbert
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Or at least Showcase Time… We’re beginning to get a little paranoid at SEFARI HQ. On the day of our first significant set-piece, our launch event, Article 50 was triggered, signalling the start of the formal process for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. On the day of our second major set-piece, a research showcase event, the Prime Minister called for a general election! The showcase event was a celebration of SEFARI research and delivery. Taking place in the magnificent surroundings of the Garden Lobby in the Scottish Parliament this was an opportunity to explore, with Members of
"Understanding the function of the mutation in Golden Promise and its interactions with other genes means that favourable traits can be bred into our current varieties of barley" Scientists from the International Barley Hub working in collaboration with brewing industry partners have unravelled the genetic secrets of Golden Promise, a popular malting barley variety in the 1970s and 1980s, in a drive to develop future varieties suited to the needs of growers and distillers. Golden Promise’s combined short height, high yields and early maturity, together with its characteristic growth, made it
“This discovery reveals a novel strategy that can be used by a pathogen to suppress the plants immune system, highlighting a vulnerability in our crops that could potentially be protected in the future.” Scientists at the James Hutton Institute, in collaboration with the Division of Plant Sciences at the University of Dundee and the Fujian Agricultural and Forestry University of China, have discovered that the pathogen responsible for the devastating crop disease potato late blight manipulates the plants’ growth and development to boost its infection process. Related content Cell and Molecular
"Each use of the service to analyse a crop sample is worth savings of approximately £14 in labour and equipment for farmers" As one of the world's most important food crops, potatoes are grown for many different markets. It is fundamental for farmers to know when to halt crop growth to achieve optimal tuber size for market and so maximize profits. Until now, standard practice has been to grade a sample of tubers through multiple sieves, counting the number within size ranges, which is time consuming and expensive. Related content Matt Aitkenhead More information from: Bernardo Rodriguez
Cryptosporidium is one of the most important infectious scour causes in young calves and can be very difficult to get rid of. Scientists at the Moredun Research Institute and the University of Glasgow are conducting research on biosecurity and management practices that might help prevent the spread Cryptosporidium. If you are a farmer with a dairy or beef suckler herd in the Dumfriesshire area of Scotland and have had a history of Cryptosporidium on your farm, we would love for you to get in touch with us.
“Armed with this information, breeders and scientists will be much better placed to deal with the challenge of effectively addressing the food security agenda under the constraints of a rapidly changing environment." An international scientific consortium has reported the first high-quality genome sequence of barley, a development which will assist crop breeders in developing more resilient barley varieties suited to the requirements of the brewing, distilling, food and feed industries. Related content Cell and Molecular Sciences Robbie Waugh More information from: Bernardo Rodriguez-Salcedo
"With more than 9,000 delegates from across the world in attendance, the AAG conference is an interdisciplinary forum open to anyone with an interest in geography and related disciplines" Research by a PhD student jointly funded by the James Hutton Institute and the University of Aberdeen has won the Student Paper Competition at the American Association of Geographers (AAG) conference held in Boston, USA, earlier this month. Andrew Maclaren’s doctoral research paper on ‘More-than-Representational Knowledges of Rural Ageing’, presented at the conference session ‘New Voices in Rural Geography’
All of the Institutes who make up SEFARI contributed to the Edinburgh International Science Festival through public engagement on food and health research. The programme ran in the John Hope Gateway Building at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh during early April. Scotland’s Rural College kicked off the programme by working with young scientists (and their parents) to explore how the community of critters and microbes that live in healthy soil underpin our food production. The entire SEFARI programme ran for 10 days and around 3,000 people, both young and old, enjoyed the experiences of real
“Given the international nature of the problems that rural areas face, the SIMRA team works closely with those initiating and benefiting from social innovations to learn about motivations, experiences and barriers encountered” A Hutton-led research project studying social challenges faced by rural areas across Europe and the wider Mediterranean area was presented at the fifth CRISES (Centre de recherche sur les innovations sociales) international conference, held in Montreal, Canada. The event was attended by over 320 delegates including scientists, students, community-based practitioners