Miscellaneous news

Upcoming CPPS Lectures

3 November: Maurice Moloney (Rothamsted Research); title tbc
23 February: Julian Ma (St George's, University of London); 'Molecular Pharming'
Both lectures will take place at the Dept of Plant Sciences, Cambridge, 16:00-17:00, followed by networking over wine and nibbles.

BSPB Hybrid Crop Factsheet released

The British Society for Plant Breeders has released a new fact sheet on Hybrid Crops; it can be downloaded from http://www.bspb.co.uk/BSPB%20Hybrid%20Crop%20Factsheet.pdf.   
 

Potato genome sequenced: Set to revolutionise breeding and ensure food security

UK scientists, as part of an international consortium, have sequenced the genome of potato - the first major UK crop plant to be fully sequenced. This news holds great promise for speeding up the traditionally time-consuming process of developing new varieties (currently 10-12 years to breed a new variety); varieties that in many cases will help to ensure future food security due to improved yield, quality, nutritional value, and resistance to pests and diseases.

For more information please visit http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/food-security/2011/110710-pr-potato-genome-revolutionise-breeding.aspx?utm_source=MailingManager&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=BBSRCNewsJuly2011.

Call for the next stage of the SUPERGEN initiative in Bioenergy

Closing date:     16:00 on 25 Oct (Expression of Interest: 3 Oct)
Call type:             Invitation for proposals 

This is an invitation for proposals for a SUPERGEN Bioenergy 'Hub'. This is a revised version of a call previously issued in 2010. We will accept applications from those who submitted to the 2010 call, but also welcome and encourage applications from others. Please note our re-submissions policy will be applied to all submissions. All submissions must include some of the researchers who are involved in the current Bioenergy SUPERGEN.

Approximately £3.5 million is available for this call, and only one Hub will be funded. There should be single submission for each consortium with a single Principal Investigator. It is anticipated that the project will commence in April 2012. The duration of the grant should be five years.

Anyone intending to submit a proposal to this call must register their interest by email to nick.cook@epsrc.ac.uk by 03 October 2011, including in the email the names of the PI and any CoIs, the defined research area, any collaborators and an approximate value of funds to be requested. Please note that this is not intended to restrict the final submission as changes will be allowed, but will give us an indication of the level of interest and enable the quick identification of reviewers. Applicants that do not register their intent will have their applications rejected.

For further information see http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/calls/open/Pages/supergenbioenergy.aspx. 

Events at NIAB's Innovation Farm:

Thursday 8 September

Maize diversity: a versatile crop
Focusing on this rapidly expanding UK crop, the maize workshop will demonstrate the crop's versatility, showcasing the wide range of varieties suitable for forage use, biogas production and grain for crimping, with a particular focus on tailoring crop agronomy to fit the end-use.
For further details and registration please visit http://www.innovationfarm.co.uk/.