Blueberry growers advised to remain alert about recently detected pest

The blueberry aphid, Ericaphis scammelli, has been detected during routine aphid surveys by Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) and is thought to be widespread across Scotland. It is also known to occur in other parts of the United Kingdom and Europe. The pest can be found more on some cultivars than others with highest infestation levels between […]

Researchers urge agricultural industry to challenge barriers to women farmers

Research by Newcastle University and the James Hutton Institute has found that women play a major role in Scottish agriculture, participating in the full range of farming activities. However, barriers remain to their entry into the industry, their career progression, and promotion to leadership roles. These are some of the findings of research commissioned by […]

Scotland’s first vertical indoor farm to be operational by Autumn 2017

Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS), the Scottish-based vertical farming business, is set to complete the construction of its first indoor growth facility in the next few months. The purpose-built facility is being constructed at the James Hutton Institute‘s site in Invergowrie, near Dundee. The completion of the indoor farm will allow for a full-scale trial to […]

‘Plant teams’ may help feed a rising population, researchers say

A new research initiative led by Scotland’s James Hutton Institute is set to explore innovative mixed-species crop systems, or ‘plant teams’, in a drive to tackle a global challenge: how to feed a growing population from finite resources without wrecking our planet. The €5m DIVERSify project, short for ‘Designing InnoVative plant teams for Ecosystem Resilience and […]

TRUE food security explored from a legume-based perspective

Legumes are a very special type of crop; they are not only a source of highly nutritious food and feed but legumes require no inorganic nitrogen fertiliser, which means they have major advantages as a more sustainable crop. Despite their benefits, legume-based farming systems have not become common practice as they are seen as being […]

Scientists call on farmers to reduce reliance on pesticides

According to recent media reports the European Commission seems poised to ban some of Europe’s most widely used pesticides to protect bees and other pollinators, but is the move likely to have an impact on food production and security? Scientists at the James Hutton Institute have demonstrated that many farmers can reduce agrochemical inputs by using alternative […]

Forming a second line of plant defense — capturing disease-resistant DNA

Scientists have developed a new improved method for capturing longer DNA fragments, doubling the size up to 7000 DNA bases that can be analysed for novel genes which provide plants with immunity to disease.

GOBII releases open-source tools for faster plant breeding

Crop breeders in developing countries can now access free tools to accelerate the breeding of improved crop varieties, thanks to a collaboration between the GOBII project at the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) and Cornell University (USA), and the James Hutton Institute (JHI) in Scotland. The collaboration works with breeding centers around the world to identify unmet needs and […]