NIAB has been supporting the agricultural industry for over 100 years. Today, we are putting plant science into practice through agronomy membership, our extensive range of trials, the science that underpins new crops, plus much more. But for this year's Farm24 we thought we'd bring you some insights from a few of the extensive range of projects from beyond traditional farming.
Join us on a tour of the work happening in the MacLeod Complex Glasshouse complex, just outside Cambridge...
Our state-of-the-art glasshouse complex, features 18 compartments controlled by a Priva biomass system, allowing us to manipulate environments for a variety of species.
Here's a glimpse of some exciting work happening this week:
Innovate UK Project: Danni Bryce is collaborating with a research partner on a 24-month project aimed at increasing rice yields. Currently, we’re monitoring crop growth before harvesting and will assess yields later this year.
Seed Bulking Service: Our team offers seed multiplication and maintenance for a range of crops, including barley, cowpea, legumes, lentils, maize, soy, and wheat. Here, Stephen Morley is harvesting Amaranthus seeds.
Facility Improvements: Led by Pete Baker, we're upgrading our glasshouse benches to enhance our research capabilities.
Peat-Free Growing Media Trials: Amanda Southwell is conducting assessments to support the horticultural industry's shift to peat-free growing media. Her work evaluates novel mixes for performance and quality.
Biostimulant Trials: With the rising interest in biostimulants, Tara is harvesting tomato trials focused on increasing crop yields.
Lawn Variety Demonstrations: Ben Tea is preparing demonstration plots for lawn varieties. This project allows us to assess and showcase the performance and characteristics of new and established grass seed varieties.
You can find out more on our glasshouse services, at both Cambridge and East Malling, Kent.
Farm24 is the UK's BIGGEST agricultural, digital event created to celebrate British farming. Created by the Farmer's Guardian, supported by Morrisons, the event aims to showcase the work being done by British growers across the country in 24 hours in August.