Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

The Award winning oat breeding team at IBERS (Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences) has secured new funding from the BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council) for research aimed at further improving the nutritional value and economic sustainability of oats. The demand for high quality food grade oats is increasing annually, driven by its proven health benefits and through product innovation by the milling and cereals industries. Despite an expanding market, the oat crop continues to be challenged by the high investments being made in alternative crops and this intensifies competition. This new BBSRC LINK 5 year project will address some of the major challenges facing UK agriculture in terms of the sustainable production of safe and nutritious food. Professor Athole Marshall, Head of Plant Breeding at IBERS said “This new project is strategically important, specifically in enhancing oat crop productivity, quality and nutritional composition, i...

Scientists in Aberystwyth University are developing new varieties of a traditional crop which could help lessen the danger of heart disease. This is one of the health benefits of a chemical called beta glucan which is found in oats, a crop that can cope with the poorer agricultural land and the wetter climate of areas like west Wales. Beta glucan can help trap cholesterol and stop it from entering the bloodstream, so experts at the University’s Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) are breeding varieties of oats with higher beta glucan content. “There are clear benefits to human health,” said the scientist leading the research, Athole Marshall. “Lowering cholesterol is the most obvious of these. “This will make oats more attractive as a crop in Wales and other parts of the UK where it has traditionally been grown. Our research will offer new opportunities for farmers.” The research work involves developing techniques for measuring the beta glucan content of ...

The Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University is leading a major new study to develop improved varieties of oats that will provide significant economic and environmental benefits for growers, millers, and the dairy, beef and poultry industries. Quality Oats (QUOATS), a £4.9m five year project funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Defra, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Scottish Government, is also expected to enhance health benefits as more and more people turn to oats as part of a healthier diet. Increased demand for safe, healthy and nutritious food or feedstuff, together with increased agricultural energy and fertiliser costs and the need to farm in a more sustainable manner are among the drivers behind the study according to Dr Athole Marshall (pictured above), head of the Oat Breeding Programme at IBERS. “Oats are a valuable break crop in cereal rotations reducing disease and weed proble...