“Mountain hares are Scotland’s only native hare and an important species in the Scottish hills, and gathering more accurate information about them will help inform conservation efforts” Volunteers are wanted for the first on-the-ground national survey to shed light on the distribution and numbers of Scottish mountain hares. The survey, which is launched today and will carry on throughout 2021, is calling on hillwalkers, naturalists and other outdoor enthusiasts to record sightings of the charismatic animals as they are out and about. No previous experience of wildlife surveys is necessary to
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The Cryptosporidium oocysts have a tough outer waxy shell, composed of lipids and glycoproteins that enables the parasite to survive in the environment over a wide temperature range (-22 0C -60 0C) for several months. As a result, Cryptosporidium parasites are a real problem for the water industry as the parasite survives extremely well in water and is resistant to chlorination. Modelling studies, by other researchers, has also shown that it only requires a very few oocysts to cause infection in humans and animals. There are around forty different species of Cryptosporidium parasites and not
"“The £62m committed by the UK and Scottish governments through the Tay Cities Deal for both projects constitute the largest-ever investment in Scottish agricultural science and will power the green recovery needed after COVID-19" The International Barley Hub and the Advanced Plant Growth Centre, two flagship innovation projects supported through a transformational capital investment of £45m by the UK Government and £17m by the Scottish Government via the Tay Cities Region Deal, have been greenlighted today (19 th March) by the Tay Cities Deal joint committee. More information from: Bernardo
James Hutton Institute researchers produced a podcast summarising the key messages from an event (held in February 2020) funded by SEFARI and SSCR where stakeholders in the barley industry were invited to learn about and discuss barley research. The aim was to understand the main issues that industry stakeholders face, particularly in terms of priorities for future sustainability of the industry, and to explore how barley research can address these needs. The podcast, produced for the virtual Hutton Symposium in November 2020, summarised the main findings of the event, covering agronomic
Cross-section of a barley flower, Dr Laura Wilkinson, University of Adelaide “Taken together, we discovered novel roles for this gene in the control of floret and grain development, both key agronomic traits in one of the world’s most economically, sociologically and ecologically relevant crops.” The productivity of cereal crops could get a boost in the future thanks to the discovery of new roles for a master gene regulator that influences the development of barley florets, furthering the understanding of grain development including impacts on grain shape and yield. A new study from the
"This strategy positions plant science R&D in the broader UK science and innovation landscape to deliver solutions such as to reduce carbon emissions in agriculture production, deliver sustainable food systems and increase carbon sequestration in both cultivated and natural ecosystems" The James Hutton Institute has welcomed the publication of the new 10-year UK Plant Science Research Strategy. The document provides a framework for research and skills development to ensure UK plant science can play a strong role in solving the challenges of climate change mitigation, sustainable food
“We hope our results influence future management of plant-microbe interactions and improve the ability of scientists to use arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and bacteria to improve the nutrition of crops in soils with limited phosphorus levels” Scientists of the James Hutton Institute, working alongside partners at China Agriculture University, have discovered novel ways in which arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, bacteria and plant roots interact to influence the transfer of nutrients to plants. Their findings could be harnessed to enhance the sustainability of agricultural crops. More information