The cohort visited Aberystwyth University’s Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) on Tuesday 12 May to learn how the department works with farming groups policymakers and the supply chain to dissect the challenges facing the agricultural industry and with a strong focus on applied research, working collaboratively to identify groundbreaking solutions.
Professor Alison Kingston-Smith, the Director of Research in IBERS, provided an overview of the institute’s work, particularly its focus on using the genetic diversity of crops to increase resilience and sustainability in the sector.
This research has helped create IBERS high sugar ryegrasses back in the 1980s and more recently, the breeding of new winter oat varieties that have since gone on to populate over 90% of the UK market.
“It’s great to see the world-leading research and development being carried out here in Wales by IBERS and to learn more about how it can be applied on farm."
NFU Cymru Next Generation Group member Andrew Peebles.
Groundbreaking technology
The group were then taken on a tour of the National Plant Phenomics Centre, where Dr Fiona Corke demonstrated how the centre uses automated growing and analysis to investigate how the genetics of plants are influenced by their environment and treatment.
This has allowed the team to identify genes which cause plants to have increased drought tolerance, yield or even increased thickness of roots that can then resist flooding and high-speed winds. Dr Hannah Vallin gave an overview of how the centre uses DNA metabarcoding to identify the best species and traits for grazing, with the potential to then develop the best forage crops that may allow for an improved livestock diet for the benefit of reducing methane output, or the ability to retain more energy from less feed.
One highlight of the day for many of the group was speaking to Jason Brook, who is the centre’s lead on drone technology and designated pilot, responsible for the flight of groundbreaking drone technology.
AberInnovation
After crossing the road to AberInnovation, the university’s cutting-edge research and development facility, Dr Hugh Bulson led the group on a tour of the biorefining and biomass conversion centre. Here, expert researchers are developing processes to create products from biomass and waste, including valuable pharmaceutical chemicals and other goods such as prebiotics and sweeteners. The group also heard about the innovative work of the Future Food Centre.
NFU Cymru members then visited Dr Marley and Dr Jones at IBERS’ new Ty Hen grassland platform, where the institute’s ongoing development of clover varieties to create a more sustainable protein source for livestock are tested in a controlled - but field scale - environment which includes livestock grazing.
Germinal
To end the day, Dr David Lloyd, from Germinal, took the Next Generation Development Group to Cae Gwastad, IBERs field plots used for testing the growth and breeding of these grasses, clovers and other legumes. Here, Dr Lloyd showed how Germinal scientists have successfully managed to increase the persistence and resilience of red and white clovers
NFU Cymru Next Generation Group member Andrew Peebles said: “It’s great to see the world-leading research and development being carried out here in Wales by IBERS and to learn more about how it can be applied on farm.
As the next generation of farmers, it’s vital that we embrace new innovations to improve productivity while building resilience to climate change, ensuring we can continue to produce food sustainably for the future.”
