Rothamsted Research Institute and agribusiness Syngenta are set to pursue a public-private partnership aimed at developing high yielding new varieties of wheat.

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Rothamsted and Syngenta have agreed to form a multi-million pound scientific research partnership to develop new high yielding wheat. It will be focused on Rothamsted's 20:20 Wheat Programme, which aims to increase wheat productivity to yield 20 tonnes per hectare within 20 years.

The partnership will help translate state-of-the-art scientific knowledge into technologies that will benefit farmers directly, provide support to UK agriculture, contribute to UK economic growth and improve wheat yields worldwide, Rothamsted said upon announcing the collaboration.

Science Minister David Willetts also endorsed the partnership, "Rothamsted is a world-class agricultural research facility and it's important that its work benefits the economy and society. This partnership will bring commercial expertise to the table, driving forward the agri-tech strategy, helping to turn excellent science into cutting edge technologies for farmers that could help make wheat growing more sustainable and improve yields."

The launch of the new public-private partnership coincides with the publication on Monday of the UK Government's Agri-Tech Strategy, which aims to increase the influence of the sciences on UK agriculture and review both state and private investment in the industry.

Global demand for wheat is increasing by 1.5 percent or more each year, but worldwide production is increasing at the slower rate of 0.9 percent per year. In the UK, national average yields have remained static at around 8 tonnes per hectare for more than 10 years.

Although many development groups claim efforts should now focus on reducing the environmental burden of agriculture in industrialised Western nations, while promoting sustainable techniques that will improve yields with minimal environmental impact and provide resilience to the effects of climate change in the Global South, where they will be felt most and where crop potential has not been met, industry groups maintain that more must be done to drive yields up further across the board.

Rothamsted researchers acknowledged that "Innovation in plant breeding, crop protection and smart farming systems will be essential to ensure farmers are equipped to meet the challenges of climate change and a rising world population," but said on Monday, "Increasing yield is also essential to support more environmentally sustainable farming systems, since higher yielding crops allow more efficient use of land and other natural resources, have a lower carbon footprint, and support habitat and biodiversity conservation."  

Professor Douglas Kell, Chief Executive of BBSRC, which supplies Rothamsted with government funding, commented on the partnership, "We want to see the maximum benefit for society from the investment we make of on behalf of the Nation in plant and crop research. In crop science the fastest way to get innovation out of the lab and into farmers' hands is often through the major companies in the sector."

Rothamsted announced that, working together with scientists from Syngenta, researchers will translate the latest breakthroughs in scientific knowledge into new technologies and products over the next five years of collaboration.

Both parties stressed their partnership will not involve the development of any commercial GM wheat varieties. 

Head of Rothamsted's 20:20 Wheat Programme, Professor Martin Parry said, "I am really excited about this partnership. No single organisation has all the answers to food security and there are no simple solutions. Only collaborative approaches with partners from different sectors within the whole farming community can deliver sustainable agriculture with high productivity and value". He added "that's why developing vibrant public-private partnerships to deliver real practical alternatives for farmers is essential"