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CIRC: Background

Worldwide food security is becoming an increasingly important issue and is a major strategic priority for BBSRC. An increasing global population combined with global climate change, the potential spread of newly emerging diseases of livestock and crops, and economic issues such as the volatility of oil prices threaten global food security and an urgent response is required. To coordinate research efforts in this area we are leading the development of a food security programme together with other funders.

As a result of discussion with industry and direction from our Bioscience for Industry Strategy Panel, crop improvement has been identified as an area where increased investment in research activity would underpin the needs of the crop production and processing industry to address the challenges of climate change and food security.

To bring together industry and the research community to support research in the area of crop improvement BBSRC, the Scottish Government and industry have launched a Crop Improvement Research Club (CIRC). CIRC will support research on oilseed rape, barley and wheat and their uses in food production for humans and animals.

14 companies have agreed to join CIRC to date. CIRC will support research projects from a joint fund totalling £7.06M:

• £560k - Industrial membership subscriptions
• £500k - Scottish Government
• £6M - BBSRC

Research challenges

There is an urgent need to develop crop varieties with greater yield potential and the ability to deliver this sustainably with reduced inputs and without detrimental effects on the local ecosystem. Equally, new crop varieties are required that reliably and consistently produce high quality products that are safe, nutritious and meet end-user requirements.

The challenge for industry will be to achieve high yielding, high quality varieties that perform well in a commercial context against a background of greater environmental instability; particularly as a result of climate change.

Focus

To develop a greater understanding of quality and yield traits and of the complex genetic and environmental factors affecting them.

Some important research challenges highlighted by industry are listed below:

• Increasing nutrient use efficiency
• Combating pests and diseases
• Increasing yield potential
• Seed structure and composition
• Protein quality and functionality in wheat
• Non-starch polysaccharide functionality in wheat and barley
• Starch functionality in wheat and barley
• White wheat varieties
• High malt yield in barley
• Germination properties
• Spoilage factors
• Reducing the occurrence of mycotoxins
• Climate related spoilage

These are general research challenges for CIRC, however, individual calls may focus on specific priorities.

Further information on CIRC's research challenges can be found in the downloads section.

Members

• BASF Plant Science Company GMBH
• Campden Technology Limited
• Elsoms Seeds
• HGCA
• KWS UK Ltd
• Limagrain UK Ltd
• Monsanto UK Limited
• National Association of British and Irish Millers (nabim)
• RAGT Seeds Ltd
• The Scotch Whisky Research Institute (SWRI)
• Secobra Recherches 
• Syngenta Seeds Ltd
• United Oilseeds Marketing Ltd
• Velcourt

Steering Group and management

Mr Keith Norman - Velcourt
Dr Anna Amtmann - University of Glasgow
Dr Simon Berry - Limagrain UK Ltd
Professor Ian Bancroft - John Innes Centre
Dr Dhan Bhandari - HGCA
Dr James Brosnan - SWRI (The Scotch Whisky Research Institute)
Professor John Foulkes - The University of Nottingham
Dr Peter Jack - RAGT Seeds Ltd
Professor Peter Kettlewell - Harper Adams University College
Professor Sam Millar - Campden BRI
Professor Peter Shewry - Rothamsted Research
Dr Graham Teakle - The University of Warwick
Dr William Thomas - Scottish Crop Research Institute
Dr David Thompson - Syngenta Seeds Ltd
Dr Peter Werner - KWS UK Ltd

First call - workshop presentations

The following presentations were made at the CIRC workshop on 24 March 2010 by members of the Club's Steering Group.

• CIRC The research challenges by Peter Werner (PDF 1.14MB)
• Market requirements and research challenges for BBSRC CIRC - Wheat by Sam Millar (PDF 350KB)
• Why do we need a club for wheat, oilseed rape and barley? by Peter Shewry (PDF 868KB)
• Barley research challenges - Industrial perspective by James Brosnan (PDF 4.20MB)

Second call - workshop presentations

The following presentations were made at the CIRC workshop on 23 May 2011 by members of the Club's Steering Group.

• Research challenges for CIRC by Dr Tina Barsby (PDF 593KB)
• Research challenges - A UK breeders perspective by Matthew Clarke (PDF 1.16MB)
• CIRC: A breeding company perspective by Peter Jack, RAGT Seeds (PDF 109KB)
• CIRC research challenges - a food industry perspective by Prof Sam Millar (PDF 309KB)

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