Rothamsted Research Annual Report 2014 Rothamsted Research Harpenden site Harpenden Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ T + 44 (0) 1582 763 133 North Wyke site North Wyke Okehampton Devon EX20 2SB T + 44 (0) 1837 883500 [email protected] www.rothamsted.ac.uk Copy by J.K. Pell Consulting | Design by vincentdesign.co.uk | Print by Principal Colour Rothamsted Research Annual Report 2014 2 Contents Interview with Prof. Achim Dobermann 2 Research Highlights Towards 'Smart Crop Protection' 6 Willow Power: From Baskets to Biofuel 12 GM Camelina: False Flax with True Potential 14 Major Breakthrough in Photosynthesis Efficiency 16 Rothamsted Research does Retaining and Restoring Soil Carbon Stocks 18 Predicting Wheat Production in 2060 20 world-class research that aims to The ‘Classicals’: As Relevant Today as Ever 22 Making Sustainable Livestock Production Possible 24 Recognizing and Valuing Achievement 26 provide the knowledge, innovation The Value of Dialogue 30 Research and Enterprise Hub at Rothamsted 32 and new practices necessary to Rothamsted Today 34 Facts and Figures 36 Staff, Partners and Funders 38 increase crop productivity and quality, Further Information 40 and to develop environmentally sustainable solutions for food and energy production. Ongoing scientific research is essential if we are to sufficiently address the challenges of global food security and environmental sustainability. In 2014, we made significant progress towards achieving our strategic objectives. 3 Rothamsted Research Annual Report 2014 Rothamsted Research Annual Report 2014 01 Director's Overview “The most important thing is that we have excellence in all our science; without excellence and innovation, we cannot have an applied pipeline of products coming out into the real world” Interview with Professor Prof. Achim Dobermann Achim Dobermann understanding of photosynthesis, with a major Prof. Achim Dobermann became Director of publication demonstrating the potential for a faster Rothamsted Research (RRes) in 2014. In this RUBISCO system; if we succeed in transforming interview he takes the opportunity to reflect on his real crops, such as wheat, with this new trait, then first year and discuss his aspirations for the future. we could increase their photosynthesis efficiency What was it that attracted you to join RRes in 2014? substantially. There were also very interesting papers “I came to Rothamsted because it is a fantastic place on the increasing vulnerability of soil carbon to for anyone who wants to do high quality agricultural climate change; on how rising temperature may be the science and, of course, this place also has a biggest threat to crops like wheat; and how taking a tremendous history. You can see this everywhere, systems approach we can have high quality and highly not just in the archives of soil and plant samples that productive beef production that is also environmentally date back to the 1840s, but also in so many of the friendly. In 2014 both research on willows and on the other areas of research undertaken since then.” genetic engineering of omega-3 fish oils into plants, reached critical stages in the pipeline from blue-sky What were your first impressions when you arrived? research to commercialization. New projects started, “My initial assessment of the institute was that there awards and prizes were received and anniversaries was huge potential that could be tapped to achieve celebrated, so please take a look at the rest of the even greater impact from the research, and this has report to find out more.” shaped my thinking, and the Institute’s thinking, for future development. We will always make the most How important is personal development at RRes? of our historical strengths, including the archives “People are extremely important and indeed one and long-term data sets, to address a whole range of of our greatest assets. Altogether we have nearly new questions, but we will not stand still. We need 600 people working here and we need to ensure to move forward as our forefathers have always done that they have both a good working environment and – asking some big questions – some big contested the professional opportunities to fully realize their questions – that could shape the way we grow food, potential; ensuring this has been, and will continue and increasingly, how we consume food, in the future. to be, one of my top priorities. In particular I would I believe Rothamsted can play a significant role in this, like to double the number of students at the institute not just here in the UK, but internationally. Our aim is because they are energetic, vibrant and challenge to become a world-leading institute in the thinking, prevailing thinking – and we need more of that.” science and practice of sustainable intensification What are the big challenges for future research of agriculture, and to deliver many of the scientific at RRes? innovations necessary to achieve that.” “In my mind I have four major themes for our future What were the major research highlights in 2014? research based on our existing capabilities as an “Well, in a large institute like this, which covers a Institute. The first major area would be to address wide range of different scientific disciplines – pretty how to accelerate the genetic improvement of crop much every month there is a highlight of some kind. plants. We have mastered state of the art genomics Of course, we feature a number of these in this annual and phenotyping tools and, in principal, this allows us report, and many more can be found in publications to investigate new plant traits and new fundamental and news releases – so I will mention only a few interventions on the plant side, and achieve results here. We made an important breakthrough in the much faster than previously. We would aim to elucidate 02 RothamstedRothamsted Research Research Annual Annual Report Report 2014 2014 Rothamsted Research Annual Report 2014 03 5 Director's Overview Top left: Bottom: Willow leaf. Researchers explaining Interview with Professor Achim Dobermann their work at the RHS Top right: Chelsea Flower Show. Image of plant tissue taken using confocal microscopy. specific attributes but also work strategically with In your view, what research approach is needed international partners in universities, other research to achieve the sustainable intensification that institutions and industry to tackle some of the big you describe? questions in plant science. “I would like us to think of our research in terms of a pipeline from blue-sky through to the market. It is The second major theme that we really want to develop extremely important that we have the right balance is ‘Smart Crop Protection’. Fundamentally we need between basic and applied science and ensure that our intensive agriculture to produce sufficient food for a basic research is aimed at delivering strategic outcomes growing population, but it needs to be sustainable down the road. Of course, the most important thing and not rely so heavily on chemicals for protection is that we have excellence in all our science; without against pests, weeds and diseases. To always be one excellence and innovation, we cannot have an applied step ahead of the disease, the insect or the weed in its pipeline of products coming out into the real world. evolutionary development, will require a whole new way However, we need to move along the pipeline faster and of thinking. One example of what we are considering we have to ensure that we have the right facilities and is the exploitation of new plant signaling and defence partners to make the initial steps towards translating mechanisms to repel pests from crops as an alternative very basic scientific findings into things, into products, to chemical sprays. These are challenging and really into specific techniques or discoveries, that others can exciting new areas for us. actually use and move out into the real world.” The third major theme will be around a systems view of How will your research approach be supported? producing food in both arable and grassland livestock “We need to have excellent facilities to do excellent systems and we now have a fantastic, world-leading science and that means buildings, equipment and farm platform at North Wyke to study the latter. We supporting mechanisms, but we also need new models need concepts that optimize resource flows along the for doing science. 2014 saw the formation of the whole food chain – from soil to steak – or from soil to Rothamsted Centre for Research and Enterprise, or whatever the end product is. We have to understand RoCRE, which is a new venture that will become fully each component of these systems to then identify and operational in 2015. This involved the construction work on targeted interventions; this brings together of several new buildings including the Lawes Open Rothamsted’s expertise in many disciplines, from Innovation Hub and a major transformation of the mathematical theory and modelling to systems thinking. Daniel Hall building. Our aim is to attract businesses – The fourth major theme for us will be the application of small, medium and large companies – to come and work new informatics solutions for agriculture, or as some with us in new projects. By connecting businesses with people call it – ‘digital agriculture’. We have a long history our own science and scientists we will encourage new here in mathematics, statistics, modelling and associated routes to innovation. It is very important for us to have information technologies. The challenge now will be to these entrepreneurial activities on site; new public/ find really ‘Smart’ new solutions for, not just generating private partnership models will be created that will more data, but also for integrating these data so that not only help us to do even better science, but also to we and our many collaborating partners can use them translate that science into practical solutions.