News
IBH newsfeed
- Scotland is firmly at the forefront of agricultural innovation, securing global food supplies 30 January 2023Global food security is going to be a dominant economic theme over the next decade. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine a year ago, we have all seen just how fragile the food ecosystem really is to acute shocks, as well as the chronic effects of climate extremes and pandemics.
- Contract signed for construction of £28.7m combined Advanced Plant Growth Centre and International Barley Hub 11 January 2023The James Hutton Institute and McLaughlin & Harvey have signed construction contracts worth £28.7m for the next stage of the ongoing redevelopment of The James Hutton Institute’s Invergowrie estate.
- International Barley Hub Field Centre opened in Invergowrie 5 December 2022The International Barley Hub Field Centre at the James Hutton Institute was officially opened today (2 December) by UK Government Minister for Scotland, Malcolm Offord.
- Cheers to great barley science on International Beer Day 5 August 2022Today marks International Beer Day, a global celebration of beer, taking place in pubs, breweries, and backyards all over the world. Behind great tasting beer, there is great science, like the barley research taking place at the James Hutton Institute and the International Barley Hub.
- Success at Royal Highland Show 2022 for Hutton science 30 June 2022After a two-year enforced hiatus, the James Hutton Institute’s return to the Royal Highland Show was a success: a steady stream of visitors visited the marquee including farmers, research partners and families, as well as a significant number of UK and Scottish politicians and elected representatives.
- Finding a needle in a haystack: exploring the rhizosphere microbiota in barley 27 June 2022Researchers at the University of Dundee's School of Life Sciences and the James Hutton Institute, with the contribution of colleagues in the UK, Italy and Germany, recently identified genes shaping the rhizosphere microbiota in barley.
- Research and innovation underpinning Scotland’s road to net-zero: come and see it at the #RHS200 9 June 2022The James Hutton Institute’s world-leading contributions to the science of crops, land and the environment will be presented at the Royal Highland Show (23-26 June 2022) through exhibits covering the themes of land use, agritech and biodiversity, with a focus on net-zero in agriculture.
- Open call to galvanize the global barley research community 18 February 2022A renowned group of barley scientists, including researchers from the James Hutton Institute and the University of Dundee, has issued an open call to ‘galvanize’ the international barley research community from the ground up by increasing interactions, establishing new collaborations and offering greater value to global research investments.
- Hutton support for proposed Dundee life sciences innovation district 18 January 2022The James Hutton Institute supports plans being put forward for a new life sciences innovation district for the Dundee region.
- New John Hillman Scholarship awarded to young barley researcher 14 October 2021The Mylnefield Trust have awarded the inaugural John Hillman Scholarship to Jessica Shadbolt, a PhD student at the James Hutton Institute, for research on barley breeding.
Case studies
Through our seminar series and other research projects, The International Barley Hub works with many important individuals in the barley community. We believe collaboration is key in the barley sector. You can find out more information on these researchers below.
Nils Stein: Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Gaterslaben
International collaboration was always key in the barley community, and we are a much smaller cohort compared to wheat, rice and maize and we have to take advantage of those people in that area and work efficiently together. All the work in genome sequencing in barley was part of an international effort from the very beginning. Read more.
Sónia Negrão: Lecturer and Assistant Professor, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin
I have a project funded by the Science Foundation Ireland where we are working together with the James Hutton Institute and Professor Robbie Waugh. And we have assembled a heritage barley collection. That means that it is really old cultivars of barley, from landraces right through to the beginning of the century. Read more.
Brian Steffenson: Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Minnesota & Holder of the Lieberman Okinow Endowed Chair
In my 30-year career we’ve seen more collaborations that reach well beyond our individual institutions to a global realm. The internet has really helped in this regard; however, there are also many more opportunities for additional interactions with scientists at other organisations in the same country and also internationally. Read more.
Hazel Bull: Syngenta UK
I’m based at Syngenta’s barley breeding station in Lincolnshire. I’ve been here for nearly 5 years now. Prior to that, I was based at the James Hutton Institute in Dundee, where for eight years I worked on a diverse range of projects, all aimed at trying to understand how the characters we observe in the field are linked to the background genetics of the plant. Read more.
Obituary: Ken Kasha
Ken Kasha passed away on December 28, 2022 at the age of 89. Ken loved his work and had a strong work ethic. He developed an innovative method of crop production called haploidy that halved the breeding time required for new strains of barley and was a major contributor to the field of plant biotechnology.
Ken was invited to speak about his work all around the world and lived in England and Australia while on sabbatical. He had many graduate students who were always invited into his home for meals.