Government money for spider venom pesticide

Oilseed rape seedling flea beetle damage_275_183

This money is part of a second round of funding under the £70 million Agri-Tech Catalyst, announced as part of the UK Industrial Strategy for Agricultural Technologies in July 2013.

A £1 million project aiming to put the bite on wheat and OSR pests will get £650,000 of Catalyst money to further develop an environmentally-friendly pesticide, which is harmless to non-target species including bees.

The pesticide uses naturally occurring peptides, found in spider venom, to produce an orally effective treatment which can be produced commercially. The initial programme will develop formulations targeting slugs and beetle pests of wheat and oil seed rape.

 

The universities, science, and cities minister, Greg Clark, said: “As much as a third of the food we consume is pollinated by bees and therefore addressing the threats they face is a very real challenge for society.

“It is groundbreaking projects like these which are establishing the UK as a world leader in agriculture technology, innovation and sustainability.”

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Other projects...

Cows_275_219A Glasgow-based project will look at optimising the efficiency of beef farming by monitoring the feeding behaviour and growth of individual cows. It will receive £1m from the Agri-Tech Catalyst, with a further £350,000 coming from industry.

LambsIn Wales, a new lamb grading system will be developed based on imaging technology to more accurately assess meat, with potential to drive lamb breeding strategies to meet consumer requirements. Funding includes £470,000 from the Agri-Tech Catalyst and £420,000 from industry.

TomatoesA grant of more than £1.1 million, matched by the industry, will go to a project aiming to decrease food waste in tomato and pepper production by suspending ripening at optimum eating quality without using chemicals.

A Berkshire-based team will look at increasing oat yields by developing new tools for growers, including translation of sensor data from unmanned aircraft systems to optimise growing conditions (£1.3 million from Agri-Tech Catalyst and £550,000 from industry).

Scientists at Uxbridge, London hope to address the effects of climate change on blackcurrant production by assessing treatments to combat warmer winters used in other crops (£680,000 from Agri-Tech Catalyst and £210,000 from industry).