Levy board search now on to find future student research stars

A new look, cross-industry studentship programme has today opened its call for new research projects to start in the 2014/15 academic year.

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) has restyled its £1.5m studentship programme to reinforce its focus on delivering new science with practical industry benefits. Applications are now invited under a newly harmonised process that brings together the three-to-four-year programmes previously run independently by the levy board’s six divisions – BPEX (pigs), EBLEX (beef and lamb), DairyCo (milk), HGCA (cereals and oilseeds), HDC (horticulture) and Potato Council (potatoes).

This call for new projects, open to all research institutions, will close on 2nd August (midday), with successful projects announced in the autumn. Historically funding a total of 15-20 new projects per year, and around 50-60 at any one time, AHDB is looking to maintain the same scale of projects and level of investment as in previous years.

However, the new look programme aims to deliver more value from its post-graduate studentships in terms of backing useable scientific developments that are relevant to industry priorities. The new focus is also very firmly fixed on the challenge to develop the next generation of technical experts for the agriculture and horticulture industries.

“We are taking a more strategic approach to the type of studentships we support, now managing them under one cross-sector, co-ordinated programme that is closely integrated into our broader R&D objectives,” said Kim Matthews, Head of Research and Development for AHDB’s beef and lamb division and chair of the joint studentship programme.

"We’re looking to attract high quality people and high quality projects and so secure a degree of excellence that will prove a definite asset to the future of UK agriculture and horticulture.”

Previous sector programmes have raised the profile of agricultural R&D within the young science community. This has not only trained the next generation of knowledge professionals but also created a steady supply of relevant know-how for the agriculture and horticulture industries.

Anna Kaye Jones – Bangor University (Oct 2010 – Oct 2013)

Identifying and costing climate mitigation options for sheep farmers in England & Wales

Anna’s PhD focused on providing an evidence base on the most cost-effective greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation options suited to the main types of sheep farm found in England & Wales. The project produced marginal abatement cost curves that demonstrated which are the most cost effective options for GHG mitigation, based on cost per tonne of carbon saved.

“The carbon footprints and models developed through Anna’s research will increase industry understanding of baseline emissions and opportunities for mitigation,” said Kim Matthews, Head of Research and Development for AHDB’s beef and lamb division (EBLEX) and chair of the joint AHDB studentship programme.

“Anna’s expert and farmer surveys highlighted priority measures for inclusion in mitigation strategies and in the case of some mitigation measures, trade-offs between effectiveness and practicality.

“The development of marginal abatement cost curves will enable individual farmers and the industry as a whole to identify the most cost effective mitigation options for a range of sheep farm types.”

Anna is grateful for a unique opportunity that allowed her to pursue her research interests under the guidance of academic and industry experts: “I had the freedom to travel across the UK for data collection and networking purposes and in the course of three years I developed the skills needed to take a research project from planning through to the reporting stage,” she says.

“I’m hoping this will enable me to pursue a career in research."

Vanessa E. McMillan – Rothamsted Research, Herts (Oct 2008 – Sept 2011)

Identification and characterisation of resistance to the take-all fungus in wheat

Take-all disease, caused by the soil-borne fungus Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici, is the most devastating root disease of wheat around the world. Typical take-all symptoms show as black necrotic lesions on the roots and when severe can cause premature ripening and stunting of the wheat crop, resulting in poor grain quality and yield loss.

Vanessa’s project worked to identify resistance to take-all within wheat. By identifying susceptibility and resistance among current commercial wheat cultivars, the project will aid growers in variety selection according to disease risk. Vanessa’s identification of resistance containing wheat will allow breeders to identify markers relating to this trait and potentially in future breeding programmes.

After gaining her PhD with this project, Vanessa was appointed Leader of Take-all Research at Rothamsted Research. Vanessa has continued this research project, alongside others, in her new role.

“Vanessa’s PhD is a shining example of how our studentship programme is meeting its aim to provide research that benefits the industry while also raising the profile of agricultural research within the young science community and training the next generation of agricultural researchers,” says Jenna Watts, Research and Knowledge Transfer Manager (Crop Protection) for AHDB’s cereals and oilseeds division (HGCA).

“This project, which fits under our strategic research and knowledge transfer area of increasing crop yields through variety testing and disease control, has the potential to improve take-all control in wheat via two distinct genetic approaches.

“Vanessa has not only completed an excellent PhD project but she remains within the industry having successfully secured an agricultural research post at Rothamsted Research,” adds Jenna.

Vanessa, herself, was thrilled by the opportunity: “Studying for a BBSRC-AHDB/HGCA funded PhD was a fantastic experience. It was exciting to carry out such applied research with potential practical outcomes and advice to benefit growers,” she says.

Agnese Balzani – Newcastle University (Oct 2012 – Oct 2015)

Improving udder quality traits in sows to aid survival, health and lifetime performance of piglets

The increase in sow prolificacy which has been occurring over the last decade as a result of genetic selection strategy in specialised damlines now poses serious challenges for piglet survival. Litter size in the Top 10% of UK herds now averages 13.4 piglets, compared with 12.4 ten years ago. An increasing number of litters are therefore born in which the number of piglets equals or exceeds the teat capacity of the sow.

The aim of Agnese’s research project is to develop methods to classify and improve udder traits (such as conformation, ease of colostrum extraction, colostrum quality) in sows and so enhance piglet survival, immune status and long term performance.

The project will:

Review current knowledge on the measurement and genetic control of udder traits in pigs and other species.

Develop practical measures of udder conformation, colostrum extraction ease and colostrum quality in sows, and assess their relationship to piglet survival and lifetime performance.

Determine how udder conformation measures change over the reproductive cycle and lifetime of the sow.

Estimate the heritability of key udder traits and their genetic correlations with other important maternal selection criteria.

Piglet mortality is a major source of financial loss to the British pig industry. Each year, 1.5 million liveborn piglets do not survive until weaning - this number is likely to increase as genetic changes in prolificacy reach production herds.

Since the overhead cost of sow feeding and maintenance is essentially unchanged by litter size, the more piglets that are reared the greater the biological and financial efficiency of the enterprise, and the lower the environmental footprint of pig meat production (BPEX LCA report 2009).

It has been estimated (BPEX 2011 Pig Yearbook) that a 5% reduction in total piglet mortality will reduce cost of production by 3p/kg carcass. Addressing the issue of piglet mortality is also a key factor in managing industry reputation. The importance of the acquisition of passive immunity in the first 24 hours of life for subsequent lifetime health and performance makes this a key contributory factor in raising the health status of the British herd, a key AHDB/BPEX objective, and to overall farm profitability.

“In addition to hopefully reaching a deeper knowledge of animal breeding and pig production, I see this project as a great opportunity to help improve organisational capacity within the industry, building the critical thinking, decision-making and communication skills needed to be competitive, both in terms of research and farm practice,” says Agnese.

Agnese’s tutor, Sandra Edwards, Professor of Agriculture at Newcastle University, is equally hopeful: "This AHDB/BPEX studentship helps us to sustain the close relationship between Newcastle University and the British pig industry and to deliver practical impact from the research that we carry out."

Katja Stoddart, Research Projects Manager (Welfare & Production Efficiency) for AHDB’s pigs division (BPEX) gives the AHDB perspective: “Agnese is an excellent example of the type of student BPEX looks for when it comes to studentships; she has impressed us with her drive and desire to research issues of importance to the pig industry,” says Katja Stoddart, Research Projects Manager (Welfare & Production Efficiency) for BPEX.

“She is well placed to carry out this practically minded project which has potential direct benefits for the pig sector and so could become a real asset to the industry.”