Research sponsored by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Crop Improvement Research Club (CIRC) will look into improving crop fertility through supporting beneficial soil-dwelling bugs.

Modern fertilisers require beneficial bugs that live in soil to help them be taken in by plant roots. By selecting the crop varieties that are better at producing the food for these bugs to grow, researchers can in turn help the plants to grow better.

Professor Peter Kettlewell, Research Coordinator, said: “This project is all about growing varieties that are better at producing food for beneficial bugs. If we can do this, it means farmers will not need to use as much fertiliser because the plants will be more efficient."

£20,000 has been invested in this research and Harper Adams researcher, Professor David Pink, will be working on the project alongside Dr Gary Bending from Warwick University.

The Crop Improvement Research Club (CIRC) was launched last year in partnership with the Scottish Government. CIRC research aims to improve the resilience of oilseed rape, barley and wheat in the face of climate change and concerns over food security.

Tweet