The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Council (BBSRC) has announced plans to invest £42 million in plant and microbial science at the John Innes Centre in Norwich.

Researchers at the centre have promised the new research will help “reinvigorate the genetic diversity of wheat, reduce farmers’ dependence on chemicals, put the UK at the lead of innovative research to grow plants as natural factories and accelerate the discovery of new antibiotics.”

The grant forms part of a £250 million investment project into biosciences by the BBSRC.

Research into wheat pre-breeding will be coordinated by the John Innes Centre with the aim of broadening the gene pool, or ‘germplasm’, for wheat. Scientists at the centre say the current possibilities for improving wheat are reaching their limit, so there is a need to collaborate on producing new lines of bread wheat with priority traits, including improved resistance to diseases and insects, greater tolerance to drought, salt and heat, and enhanced yield.

The research centre is ideally placed to conduct this research due to its germplasm banks. The most widely grown crops in the world are small grain cereals such as wheat, barley and oats. The most comprehensive UK public seed collection for these crops is at The Germplasm Resources Unit at JIC. Public seed collections around the world ensure that genetic diversity in crops is protected and made available to researchers and breeders. JIC’s resource also houses one of the world’s most actively used collections for peas.

Director Professor Dale Sanders said, “This project will bridge the gap between publicly-funded plant science and private breeding companies.” However, although the project will be conducted in association with private breeding companies, JIC researchers assured that “the seed and genetic information, such as genetic markers for precision breeding, will be stored centrally at JIC’s Germplasm Resource Unit and all the seed and information will be free of patents and available to breeders and researchers worldwide,” meaning breeders will be able to take them on for further selection to produce elite varieties for release.

Research to discover new molecules

Other JIC research will explore the wealth of chemicals that plants and microbes are able to create. Plant and microbial cells are factories, making all the biochemicals needed for growth, reproduction and for defence against attack. Many of these natural products are already used as food, medicines, flavours and fragrances.

“There is enormous potential for discovering new molecules,” said Professor Sanders. Scientists at the centre said these will be used to improve crop productivity and nutritional value, but also new drugs and more sustainable biofuels.

The programme of grants will be awarded to the John Innes Centre to conduct research on:

• Wheat pre-breeding at JIC, Rothamsted Research, Bristol University, NIAB and the University of Nottingham - to build on BBSRC funding for the UK’s first wheat pre-breeding programme in two decades. This programme will support the development of new varieties of wheat for farmers by broadening the number of traits available for breeding.
• Understanding and exploiting plants and microbes as factories for food, bio-industry and health. The research will generate a better understanding how plants and microbes produce the chemicals they need for growth, reproduction and defence against attack. With this knowledge, scientists can design new ways to exploit these molecules.
• Every year farmers experience crop losses due to pests, pathogens and poor plant nutrition. Pesticides and fertilisers are currently used to overcome these losses, but this comes with environmental and economic costs. Research will help identify biological solutions to enhance crop yields and replace agrochemical use.
• The characteristics of plants that make them such a great source of food are determined by interactions between their genetic make-up and their environment. A major challenge in biological research is to understand how this interaction works. This knowledge is needed to improve the yield and adaptability of crop plants.

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