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REF impact found 11 Case Studies

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1k. Discovery that Ramularia collo cygni causes leaf spotting in barley and development of a diagnostic to target fungicide use, saving the industry £5.4M per annum

Summary of the impact

Impact: Economic: The first fungicide-based control schemes minimising UK barley yield losses (saving approx. 516K tonnes / £95.1M per annum). A risk assessment method, which minimised pesticide usage.

Significance: Barley is the second most popular cereal crop grown in the UK — in 2012, 5.52 million tonnes of barley were grown (market value £1.02 billion). The research led to savings to the UK farming industry of ~£5.4 million per annum

Beneficiaries: Farmers, malting and brewing industries, UK tax revenue.

Attribution: Drs. Oxley, Havis, Hughes, Fountaine, and Burnett (SRUC) identified the pathogen and produced a field test for early identification of infestation.

Reach: Barley growing, malting and brewing sectors, seed and agrochemical industries UK-wide and in Ireland.

Submitting Institutions

University of Edinburgh,SRUC

Unit of Assessment

Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Biological Sciences: Genetics, Plant Biology
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences: Crop and Pasture Production

Increased yields in global food production from improved pest control based on ecological research.

Summary of the impact

Our research has led to increased crop yields and a reduction in the need for synthetic pesticides, through a new patented technology of treating seed with the natural plant signalling molecule, jasmonic acid. Lancaster's fundamental research in to the biology of plant-herbivore interactions showed for the first time that jasmonic acid (JA) seed treatment of a range of crops improved pest resistance for many weeks after germination, without the physiological costs of foliar JA application. We have patented this JA seed treatment technology (patents awarded in USA, Canada, Japan, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Mexico, applied for in three other major countries) and licensed it to BASF (previously Becker Underwood). JA seed treatments have been available to growers in the USA since 2010, and the technology is being rolled-out internationally for a range of major global crops.

Submitting Institution

Lancaster University

Unit of Assessment

Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Biological Sciences: Plant Biology

Novel genetic marker-assisted breeding produced a new pearl hybrid grown for 700,000 ha of drought-prone areas in northern India which has improved food security of three million people.

Summary of the impact

Research using novel techniques of genetic marker-aided selection enabled the development of new high yield, disease- and drought-resistant pearl millet hybrids, of which HHB67-Improved was released throughout India. HHB67-Improved is the first product of marker-assisted breeding to reach cereal producers in India and has spread rapidly since its release, preventing yield losses to downy mildew of up to 30% (valued at £7.8M) per year, and providing £2.6M additional annual grain yield. By 2011, it was grown on over 700,000 ha and currently three million people have improved food security as a direct result of this international development focused work.

Submitting Institutions

Aberystwyth University,Bangor University

Unit of Assessment

Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Biological Sciences: Genetics, Plant Biology
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences: Crop and Pasture Production

Improving wheat yield and quality by optimising crop management strategies

Summary of the impact

University of Nottingham (UoN) research into optimum plant populations and lodging in wheat has led to advances in agronomic practices for winter wheat in the UK, in particular changes in the way that seed rates are calculated (by number, rather than weight) to establish optimum plant populations. Most significantly, growers and agronomists now have an improved understanding of the crop characteristics that affect wheat lodging risk and have made changes to crop management to minimise the problem. This has led to reduced incidence of lodging in the UK, thereby protecting yield and quality of UK's most important arable crop.

Submitting Institution

University of Nottingham

Unit of Assessment

Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science

Summary Impact Type

Economic

Research Subject Area(s)

Environmental Sciences: Soil Sciences
Biological Sciences: Plant Biology
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences: Crop and Pasture Production

The development of foods with enhanced carotenoid contents

Summary of the impact

Carotenoids (e.g. β-carotene, provitamin A) are antioxidants which are essential in the human diet and which reduce the onset of chronic diseases. Research in the unit on the carotenoid pathway has provided the tools and strategies to deliver foods with increased levels of nutritional carotenoids. This has led to the production of novel food supplements and to Golden Rice (GR), a humanitarian product aimed at alleviating Vitamin A deficiency in the developing world. Field and intervention trials have shown that GR is effective and its production feasible. The research has led to beneficial impacts on health and welfare, international development, commerce, public understanding and education.

Submitting Institution

Royal Holloway, University of London

Unit of Assessment

Biological Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Health

Research Subject Area(s)

Biological Sciences: Genetics, Microbiology, Plant Biology

Novel and sustainable control of two major fungal diseases of a world commodity crop.

Summary of the impact

Strategies have been developed to combat two fungal diseases that can devastate production of palm oil, a world commodity supplying 40% of world vegetable oil and valued at $46 Bn (USD):

(i) A novel fungicide treatment was designed to eradicate from seeds Fusarium, a lethal fungal pathogen in Africa (responsible for yield losses of up to 54% prior to death of infected palms), and prevent inter-continental disease spread.

(ii) Improved disease resistance screening for Ganoderma, the second major pathogen, found in South East Asia and responsible for estimated losses of £2Bn per annum in Malaysia alone, continues to identify disease-resistant lines for cultivation. Through collaborative projects, these strategies have been adopted as industry standards in Ghana, Congo, Malaysia and Indonesia. These sustainable approaches to disease control provide increased turnover and sales, and enhance food security at both local and international levels.

Submitting Institution

University of Bath

Unit of Assessment

Biological Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Economic

Research Subject Area(s)

Biological Sciences: Microbiology, Plant Biology

CS2 Technologies to control plant parasitic nematodes

Summary of the impact

Plant resistance provides sustainable control of the $125bn annual world crop losses to nematodes to replace environmentally hazardous pesticides. Urwin and Atkinson have developed three biosafe resistance technologies that 1) suppress feeding success, 2) reduce root invasion and 3) suppress nematode development by RNA interference. We have developed GM agriculture with leading industry (Sinochem, Monsanto) and in emerging economies through free access to technology, capacity building initiatives, review of collaborative R&D plans (India) and regulatory approval of field trials (Uganda). The work has also influenced policy-makers in the UK and in Switzerland, leading to new security measures for GM field trials in these countries..

Submitting Institution

University of Leeds

Unit of Assessment

Biological Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Biological Sciences: Genetics, Plant Biology
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences: Crop and Pasture Production

Fungus research: impacts on pest control, heritage conservation and public awareness of science

Summary of the impact

Research over the last 20 years by Jane Nicklin (née Faull) and her research group has established expertise in fungi, which has led to impacts in three areas: impacts on the licensing of commercial products for the control of insect pests which affect food crops, which have led to a new product being licensed in the US to the benefit of vine growers; impacts on heritage conservation, where the work has benefitted English Heritage, the National Trust and many other conservation groups; and impacts on public awareness and media engagement with science, in particular through her work with Channel 4's How Clean is your House? in 2009.

Submitting Institutions

University College London,Birkbeck College

Unit of Assessment

Biological Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Biological Sciences: Genetics, Microbiology, Zoology

Climate-resilient crops for global food sec

Summary of the impact

Heat tolerant rice varieties, which are better adapted to predicted climate change scenarios, are critical for the future livelihood of millions of rice growers and for the 50% of the global population that depends on rice as a staple in their daily diet. Research conducted at the University of Reading has informed the development of heat-tolerant rice in two ways. Firstly, novel protocols developed at Reading for heat-tolerance screening have been adopted by rice crop breeding nurseries across Asia. Secondly, Reading researchers identified a heat tolerant rice variety that is now the basis of advanced breeding programmes. In addition, the research conducted at Reading has led to widespread recognition among international policy-makers and influencers, such as the World Bank, of the importance of high temperature extremes on crops as part of the consideration of impacts of human-induced climate change.

Submitting Institution

University of Reading

Unit of Assessment

Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Biological Sciences: Genetics, Plant Biology
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences: Crop and Pasture Production

Industry investment in a Miscanthus breeding programme for UK and global sustainable energy, and the ethical use of natural resources

Summary of the impact

BEAA has created a world leading collection of Miscanthus genetic resources. This collection and associated expertise has led to an impact on commerce through investments by industry in Miscanthus science and plant breeding. Miscanthus is a highly productive grass which naturally occurs in Asia and is of interest as an energy crop worldwide. A second impact has therefore also been achieved through the implementation of international policy on the fair and equitable use of natural resources. The experience and knowledge gained through this impact has provided an example for others to follow and is being used to support UK and EU legislation and policymaking.

Submitting Institutions

Aberystwyth University,Bangor University

Unit of Assessment

Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Environmental Sciences: Environmental Science and Management
Biological Sciences: Genetics
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences: Crop and Pasture Production

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