UK-Brazil Wheat Research Projects Awarded £4M
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A £4M investment between BBSRC and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) has been made to support collaborations between UK and Brazilian scientists in wheat research.
The funding (£2M from the Newton Fund delivered through BBSRC, with matched resources from Embrapa) has been awarded to four partnerships between the UK and Brazil. The funding aims to inform the development of new traits or practices to enhance the sustainability of wheat production in the context of the wider agri-ecosystem. Newton funding is enabling researchers from the UK and Brazil to work together to tackle key economic development and social welfare issues to achieve greater outcomes for both countries and for people around the world.
This investment further strengthens the partnership working between the UK and Brazil in agricultural research, building on the UK’s excellent science base and ensuring we continue to be a partner of choice for collaborative research. It’s hoped that this partnership will continue to develop and expand to additional areas of mutual interest and importance to both BBSRC and Embrapa.
Steve Visscher, BBSRC Deputy Chief Executive – International, said: “The outcome of this pilot call represents a significant development in the long-term partnership between BBSRC and Embrapa and is the first time that the two organisations have worked on a joint call. As a member of the International Wheat Initiative this investment demonstrates BBSRC’s continued commitment to improve global food security to feed a growing population.”
Maurício Lopes, President of Embrapa, said: “This pilot joint call has been a priceless opportunity to boost the cooperation between Embrapa and BBSRC and surely several more collaborations will arise from it. These investments from Embrapa in strategic partnerships are major, multi-year actions that cut across Embrapa´s research areas and research programs and I’m sure that we will be building on this interaction for many years to come.”
The BBSRC Embrapa projects are:
• Uncovering the genetic and functional basis of the unique leaf rust resistance in the Brazilian wheat variety Toropi - Dr Lesley Boyd, National Institute for Agricultural Botany working with Dr Marcia Chaves, Embrapa Wheat
• Exploiting natural and induced variation to increase Fusarium head blight and brusone resistance in wheat - Dr Paul Nicholson, John Innes Centre working with Dr. Pedro Scheeren, Embrapa Wheat
• Exploitation of the rhizosphere microbiome for sustainable wheat production - Dr Tim Mauchline, Rothamsted Research working with Dr Rodrigo Mendes, Embrapa Environment
• Using disease risk forecasting, NGS and HIGS to explore and control Fusarium Head Blight disease in wheat fields - Professor Kim Hammond-Kosack, Rothamsted Research working with Dr José Maurício Cunha Fernandes, Embrapa Wheat
