THE NEWSLETTER OF THE AGRICULTURAL BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH GROUP
issue five JANUARY 2003
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CONTENTS
Editorial
Focus
Research Programme Highlights
What's New, Publications, Websites
Contact Details
EDITORIALWe are very grateful to those of you who completed and returned the questionnaire sent with the 4th edition of re>SEARCH. Your responses have been used to revise the content of our newsletter to try to make it more relevant and interesting.
The majority of those that responded wished to continue receiving re>SEARCH but with some changes to its content. You wanted more on research in general but also specifically on new and completed projects, funding and websites. You wanted less on exhibitions and events.
This edition focuses on current research activities including a major peer review assessment of the SEERAD sponsored bodies that is currently underway, and an overview of the Flexible Fund, as well as regular articles on activities at the sponsored bodies.
I hope you agree with the changes to re>SEARCH, and enjoy the 5th edition.
Neil Fleming
Policy and Co-ordination Unit
Agricultural and Biological Research Group
FOCUS
SEERAD RESEARCH ORGANISATION ASSESSMENT EXERCISE
Peer review is the internationally accepted method of assessment of the impact and achievements of scientific research. In the past, SEERAD (and its predecessor Departments) used the 'Visiting Group' system as the main mechanism for peer review of the research organisations that it sponsors. The previous round of such assessments was completed in early 1999. In line with other research funders, SEERAD reviewed its procedures for peer review of its sponsored organisations in 2001 and updated the mechanism to be applied. SEERAD is currently carrying out this periodic assessment of its sponsored bodies - the Research Organisation Assessment Exercise (ROAE).
The ROAE for the Scottish Agricultural and Biological Research Institutes (SABRIs) and Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) is made up of three separate assessments that will inform the Visiting Groups. The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is being assessed by a different mechanism. The assessments are:
The QS assessment is a peer review exercise based on the assessment of achievements of individual research leaders in the research organisations. It is carried out by three panels (Animal Science, Plant Science, and Environment, Systems and Socio-Economics) of scientific experts. This assessment is similar to the universities' Research Assessment Exercise and BBSRC's assessment of its research institutes.
End Use Relevance is included as this is a high-level objective for SEERAD and its sponsored bodies. The assessment is carried out by SUPRA (Scottish Universities Policy Research and Advice Network) and is overseen by a Steering Group of end-user representatives.
KTE assessments are carried out by a panel of experts who assess the quality and effectiveness of KTE mechanisms such as interactions with end users on research outputs, knowledge and expertise, extent and appropriateness of commercial exploitation, and level of consultancy and contract income.
Visiting Groups began in November 2002. Each will undertake the overall assessment of performance for a sponsored body taking into account the outputs from the QS, KTE and ER assessments. They are tasked to look specifically at the relevance of the sponsored body's research programme to the SEERAD Strategy for Agricultural, Biological and Related Research, forward research directions and scientific management. Their conclusions will inform the future SEERAD research strategy, Scottish Executive spending reviews and the Department's future funding considerations.
RESEARCH PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS
FELLOWSHIPS
A competition for SEERAD Senior Research Fellowships was held in 2001, for talented young scientists to carry out innovative research at one of the SEERAD sponsored bodies. Three fellowships were awarded and began in 2002:
Functional genomics of pathogenicity, host-specificity and avirulence in plant- Phytophthora infestans interactions - awarded to Dr Stephen Whisson at the Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI).
This project will investigate the functions of P. infestans (the cause of potato blight) genes that are involved in its interactions with host plants, specifically - their roles in infection, pathogen life cycle and triggering disease resistance.
Ecology of disease: spatial hierarchy and agricultural systems biosecurity - awarded to Dr Michael Hutchins at SAC.
Understanding of the spatial distribution of disease is poor. A grazing systems model will be developed to capture the spatial and temporal aspects of grazing in relation to disease distribution. The project will also investigate the impact of spatial distribution of disease on biosecurity.
To assess and enhance the role of scientific data, expert opinion, and local knowledge in supporting end-users involved in policy formation, evaluation and implementation related to the environment and natural heritage in Scotland - awarded to Dr Wendy Kenyon at the Macaulay Institute.
This is a two-stage project:
1. Investigation of methods to enhance the dialogue between scientists, policy makers and the public.
2. Development of approaches to evaluate specific land use scenarios in terms of their economic, environmental and social impact.
FLEXIBLE FUND
The SEERAD Flexible Fund is used to commission specific requirements in agricultural, biological and related research. In particular, it is used to encourage scientific collaboration, joint funding, and undertake research in support of Scottish Executive policy development.
Total expenditure in 2001-02 was 6,262k for 154 projects involving 62 different contractors. Of these projects (by value):
More information on the Flexible Fund is provided in its 2001-02 Annual Report. Copies are available from Mrs Bridget McGee, tel: 0131 244 6050, email: bridget.mcgee@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or at the address below.
NEW FLEXIBLE FUND PROJECTS
SEERAD - BBSRC Joint Funded Projects
SEERAD and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) introduced a programme for jointly-funded collaborative projects in 2001. This programme has been very successful, with a 50% success rate for these collaborative proposals compared with about 40% for solely BBSRC-funded projects. Four new projects have begun since April 2002:
Soil stability and resilience: the interplay between biological and physical recovery - SCRI and Silsoe Research Institute
Functional characterisation of appressorial infection stage-specific proteins from Phytophthora infestans - SCRI and University of Aberdeen
Towards the understanding of malignant catarrhal fever at the molecular level - Moredun Research Institute (MRI) and University of Edinburgh
Novel methodologies and tools for the analysis of germplasm collections - SCRI and University of Dundee.
LINK
The LINK scheme is the Government's principal mechanism for promoting partnership in research between industry and researchers. Government Research Councils provide up to 50% of the eligible costs of a LINK project with the balance of funding provided by industry.
Four new projects are being funded:
SEERAD, Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and English Nature are funding a major new project - Sustainable arable farming for an improved environment (SAFFIE) - involving a consortium of 17 research and industry partners under the Sustainable Agriculture LINK Programme.
Development of physiological and agronomic tools for increasing the L-ascorbic acid yield from blackcurrant bushes - Mylnefield Research Services - SEERAD and BBSRC funded - Horticulture LINK Programme
Muscle microstructure and growth rate and its relation to product quality and processing characteristics in salmon - University of St. Andrews - SEERAD and BBSRC funded - Food Quality and Safety LINK Programme
Development of Myrica gale as a source of natural products in toiletries and household care products (Sweetgale) - SEERAD and BBSRC funded - Competitive Industrial Products from Non-Food Crops LINK Programme
Fourteen other new flexible fund projects are being funded by SEERAD. These include:
Beauty beast and biodiversity: What does the public want from agriculture? - SAC - this study will investigate public preferences to agricultural in Scotland, and the potential trade-offs between food production and environmental amenity.
The economic value of angling in Scotland - Glasgow Caledonian University - will estimate the contribution of angling for salmon, trout and coarse fish to the Scottish economy and rural Scotland.
COMPLETED FLEXIBLE FUND PROJECTS
Twenty-two projects ended between April and November 2002. Examples include:
Unravelling the pathways of protein transport in plant and animal cell using virus-based vectors - SCRI - made the important discovery that there are important differences in the mechanisms used by plants to transport and sort proteins as they are being processed, compared to animals.
Development of multivariate spatio-temporal weather models - Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland (BioSS) - developed new ways of simulating rainfall and sunshine levels at a local level. This 'daily weather generator' computer package will have many applications in important areas of research such as climate modelling, global warming, and pollution studies.
Nutritional regulation of placenta and muscle fibre development in the ewe - Royal Veterinary College - showed that chronic maternal undernutrition can alter foetal growth by disrupting (i) placental growth, (ii) foetal and maternal glucose, (iii) uterine milk protein expression and (iv) amniotic fluid composition. These results have greatly added to understanding of the importance of nutrition in pregnancy.
CORE PROGRAMME
The core (grant-in-aid) programme comprises approximately 85% of SEERAD's research budget. This 30 million/year budget supports long-term strategic research. The following new 'core' projects were commissioned in 2002.
Rowett Research Institute (RRI) - nine new projects
1. Metabolism and mechanisms of action of dietary fatty acids associated with coronary heart disease
2. The effect of protein supplementation, subsequent to weight loss, on lean body mass, appetite and the maintenance of weight loss
3. Understanding the effects of diet upon microbial activities relevant to health in the human large intestine
4. The effect of micronutrient deficiency on foetal and post-natal growth and development in humans and animals
5. Maintaining the balance of oxidative DNA damage; DNA repair and its regulation
6. Identification of genes involved in the processes associated with coronary heart disease: effects of diet
7. Microbial diversity and colon specific genes in inflammatory bowel disease
8. Bacteria and nutrient effects on Toll-like receptors
9. The effect of gut environmental conditions on the survival of human pathogenic bacteria in the GI tract of farm animals
BioSS - one new project
1. Spatial and temporal models
Hannah Research Institute (HRI) -two new projects
1. Cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the induction of insulin resistance by neonatal and adult dietary patterns
2. Structure and function of some rheomorphic phosphoproteins
Macaulay Institute - eight new projects
1. Developing socio-economic tools for environmental management: sustainability and drivers of change
2. The physiology of carbon assimilation, partitioning and transfer by trees to soils in regenerating semi-natural woodlands
3. Effective monitoring of landscape changes
4. Ecological traits of insects and their responses to changes in vegetation structure caused by grazing herbivores
5. Sexual segregation in wild ungulates: understanding the mechanisms involved, the implications for habitat use and the consequences for the management of red deer
6. The application of microbial soil quality indicators to organic matter rich soils in the context of environmental change and carbon turnover
7. Economic analysis of factors influencing rural development
8. Visualisation tools for participation in the management of landscape
MRI - two new projects
1. Comparative studies of parapoxviruses that infect animals and man
2. Towards optimising dosage and minimising drug resistance for veterinary anti-infective chemotherapeutics
SAC - 13 new projects
1. Business networks and supply chains in rural and peripheral Scotland
2. Exploring the market niche for sustainable nature-based tourism in Scotland
3. Benchmarking multi-functionality with Scottish farming
4. Changing recreational use of the countryside: estimating activities, consumption modes and environmental impacts
5. Modelling weed population dynamics and control in organic agriculture
6. Root mediated nutrient transfer in crop mixtures
7. Effects of sewage sludge applications to agricultural soils on soil microbial activity and implications for agricultural productivity and long-term soil fertility
8. Investigation of genetic and management strategies influencing lameness in dairy cattle
9. Decision support tools to enhance farm animal health, wellbeing and biosecurity
10. Genetics of behavioural traits associated with neonatal survival in the sheep
11. The development of aggressiveness in pigs: consistency and the effect of litter composition
12. Diet selection and trade-offs and learning about food in pigs
13. Biotic and abiotic control of potato pathogens and disorders - soil-borne Rhizoctonia solani
SCRI - eight new projects
1. Suppression of gene silencing by virus proteins
2. Cell and tissue engineering in barley and potato
3. Variation in pathogenicty in Globodera spp. in relation to host resistance
4. Approaches to regulate the L-ascorbic acid content of commercially important plants
5. Genetics of cultivated diploid potatoes
6. Optimising production and biodiversity of arable plants and invertebrates at patch and landscape scales
7. Consequences of soil biological diversity for the functioning and health of agricultural soils in relation to N cycling processes
8. Cell to cell trafficking of macromolecules in plants
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh - nine new projects
1. Bioinformatics and its application to biodiversity research
2. Biotic Survey of the Gaoligong Shan, China
3. Evolutionary Genetics of New Caledonian Araucaria
4. Robert Wight and the Botanical Drawings of Rungia
5. Systematics and Floristics of the Pedicularis L. (Scrophulariaceae)
SEERAD g-i-a also contributes salary costs of principal investigators in the following projects:
6. Locating long-term glacial refugia in Europe. Autopolyploid complexes in Asplenium as a model system
7. Phylogeny, systematics and biogeography of Geraniaceae
8. Evolutionary developmental genetics of plant biodiversity
9. An integrated conservation programme to threatened, endemic forest species in Chile
WHAT'S NEW
CHARIS INITIATIVE - food from thought
Food research expertise and facilities at SAC and HRI have been brought together with the aim of bringing innovative research and specialist knowledge to the Scottish food and drink industry for the development of new or improved products.
The CHARIS Initiative comprises two complementary components:
CHARIS Food Research - a division of HRI, supported by SEERAD
CHARIS Innovative Food Services Limited - supported by Scottish Enterprise
CHARIS Initiative - food from thought - www.charisfoods.co.uk .
PUBLICATIONS
The annual SEERAD 'Programme of Agricultural, Biological and Related Research' was published in October. It contains lists of the approximately 400 SEERAD-funded projects current in 2002-03. Copies can be obtained from Dr Beverley Williams, Tel: 0131 244 3106, email: beverley.williams@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or at the address below.
WEBSITES
SEERAD - ABRG - www.scotland.gov.uk/abrg - outlines the programme of agricultural, biological and related research funded by SEERAD - ABRG and sponsorship of education and advisory services.
Explore Scotland - www.macaulay.ac.uk/explorescotland/index.html - introduces those with an interest in the Scottish environment to its constituent elements such as soils, geology and land use.
Agroforestry Toolbox - www.macaulay.ac.uk/agro-toolbox/index.html - is available as a CD-ROM and a website, to help farmers, land managers and advisers decide if silvopastoral agroforestry is a viable, alternative and beneficial land use on farm land, and provides practical information on how to set it up.
Diversification Database - www.sac.ac.uk/diversification - 56 information sheets on different alternative enterprises to advise farmers and landowners, who may be considering diversifying.
EU FUNDING
ERCULE - The European rumen ciliate culture collection - RRI is co-ordinating an EU-funded team of scientists in France, Poland, Slovakia and The Netherlands to provide a unified collection of ciliate protozoa readily available to scientists in the EU.
Mammary developmental mechanisms and their relation to breast cancer progression - HRI is leading a consortium of seven European laboratories for the training of young researchers in breast cancer studies.
Learning initiative to develop higher level management and technical skills in the agri-food sector - SAC is running this scheme with support from the Scottish European Social Fund under the Objective 3 Partnership. Over the next three years the scheme will provide 72 places for on-line post-graduate diploma courses for farmers and SMEs in the Scottish food sector.
CONTACT DETAILSHannah Research Institute
Tel: +44 (0)1292 674000
Fax: +44 (0)1292 674004
www.hri.sari.ac.uk
Macaulay Institute
Tel: +44 (0)1224 498200
Fax: +44(0)1224 311556
www.macaulay.ac.uk
Moredun Research Institute
Tel: +44 (0)131 445 5111
Fax: +44 (0)131 445 6111
www.mri.sari.ac.uk
Rowett Research Institute
Tel: +44 (0)1224 712751
Fax: +44 (0)1224 715349
www.rowett.ac.uk
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Tel: +44 (0)131 552 7171
Fax: +44 (0)131 248 2901
www.rbge.org.uk
Scottish Agricultural College
Tel: +44 (0)131 535 4000
Fax: +44 (0)131 667 2601
www.sac.ac.uk
Scottish Crop Research Institute
Tel: +44(0)1382 562731
Fax: +44(0)1382 562426
www.scri.sari.ac.uk
Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland
Tel: +44 (0)131 650 4900
Fax: +44 (0)131 650 4901
www.bioss.sari.ac.uk
FUTURE EDITIONS
If there is an event, research topic or development which you would like to be included in a forthcoming edition of this newsletter, please contact Jean Gilchrist at the address below or:
Tel: +44 (0)131 244 6428
E-mail: jean.gilchrist@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Agricultural and Biological Research Group
SEERAD
Room 431,
Pentland House
47 Robb's Loan
Edinburgh
EH14 1TY
Fax: +44 (0)131 244 6566
www.scotland.gov.uk/abrg