Slug Resistant Wheat

抗蛞蝓小麦

• 批准号: 10054292
• 金额: $ 6.06万
• 依托单位: WICKLESHAM ESTATES
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Collaborative R&D
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=10054292
• 关键词: Slug; Resistant; Wheat

Any gardener knows well what a nuisance slugs can be, the devastating damage they can cause and how difficult they are to control.It's the same for farmers, but on a much bigger scale -- their livelihoods depend on getting crops well established without the early grazing damage slugs cause. If they weren't controlled, slugs would cost UK farmers a whopping £100M every year.Farmers rely heavily on the use of slug pellets that contain chemicals, often spreading them as a precautionary measure. Pesticides previously used were banned because they got into drinking water or harmed beneficial insects, leaving just one now used (ferric phosphate) -- this is not sustainable and it's not good for the environment.An alternative approach is to look at the palatability of the crop. As part of a Defra-funded programme, scientists at John Innes Centre in Norwich have identified a type of wheat, that hasn't been grown for over 100 years, which may have a long-lost trait making it unpalatable to slugs. It's an exciting start, but until it's investigated further and tested in the field, we won't know for sure how it can be used, how slugs will react, or whether they'll just get over their dislike of the wheat and eat it anyway.This project will, for the first time, bring farmers directly engaged with the pre-breeding wheat research that eventually makes its way to their fields. It will explore ways to alter the actual palatability of the crop itself. Anyone can get involved in this fascinating project by collecting slugs and sending them into the lab. There, they'll be offered a selection of both modern and the long-lost wheats and their feeding habits scrutinised. That'll inform field trials with a group of Slug Sleuths - farmers closely involved in the project. They will test a selection of these wheats in their fields and monitor slug behaviour carefully.If successful, scientists may be able to pinpoint the genetics responsible and breed more resilience into today's crops used to produce our food, with less loss to troublesome slugs. Fewer chemicals spread on fields mean healthier soils and lower carbon emissions, helping us meet climate change targets. What's more, the close involvement of farmers in developing these novel technologies will ensure the cropping system of the future is resilient and abundant for many generations to come.

任何园丁都清楚地知道蛞蝓会带来什么麻烦，它们会造成毁灭性的破坏，以及它们的控制有多么困难。对于农民来说也是如此，但在更大的范围内——他们的生计依赖​​于在没有早期预防的情况下让庄稼长好。蛞蝓造成的放牧损害如果不加以控制，英国农民每年将损失高达 1 亿英镑。农民严重依赖含有化学物质的蛞蝓颗粒的使用，并经常将它们传播出去。作为预防措施，以前使用的农药被禁止，因为它们会进入饮用水或伤害有益昆虫，现在只使用一种（磷酸铁）——这是不可持续的，也不利于环境。另一种方法是寻找。作为英国食品和农村事务部 (Defra) 资助项目的一部分，诺威奇约翰·英尼斯中心 (John Innes Center) 的科学家们发现了一种已经 100 多年没有种植过的小麦，这种小麦可能具有一种早已失传的特性。这是一个令人兴奋的开始，但在进一步研究和实地测试之前，我们无法确定它的用途、蛞蝓会如何反应，或者它们是否会克服自己的厌恶。该项目将首次让农民直接参与育种前的小麦研究，最终将其推广到他们的田地。它将探索改变作物本身实际适口性的方法。 .任何人可以通过收集蛞蝓并将它们送入实验室来参与这个令人着迷的项目，在那里，他们将获得一系列现代和失落已久的小麦，并对其饮食习惯进行仔细检查。蛞蝓侦探——密切参与该项目的农民，他们将在自己的田地里测试这些小麦的选择，并仔细监测蛞蝓的行为。如果成功，科学家们也许能够查明造成这种现象的遗传因素，并为当今的作物培育出更强的适应力。用来生产我们的食物，减少麻烦的蛞蝓的损失，减少在田间传播的化学物质意味着更健康的土壤和更低的碳排放，帮助我们实现气候变化目标。此外，农民对这些正在开发的新技术的密切参与将确保耕作。未来的系统对于子孙后代来说具有弹性和丰富性。