15AGRITECHCAT3. Improved crop breeding programmes through advanced Pollination Control Bag materials technology

Developing new varieties of Miscanthus (a grass used as an energy crop) requires pollination between parent plants with different characteristics. A good way of controlling this process is to carry it out within an isolated environment known as a crossing bag. These bags need to allow light penetration, control humidity and allow air circulation whilst preventing other pollen from entering the bag. The bags are conventionally made from a paper-based material. The bags have a tendency to rip easily and are prone to slug infestation, which means that the environment is no longer sufficiently isolated to ensure a controlled cross pollination. Alternative materials for crossing bags that do not have these problems therefore need to be developed. Current bags have the advantage of being relatively cheap but are single use; if bags made from alternative materials have superior properties (e.g. slug proof, better light penetration, temperature and humidity control), the greater seed set would make these alternative bag materials economically viable as they would considerably improve the efficiency of a plant breeding programme.

The project will investigate the technical and commercial feasibility of developing an innovative pollination control bag to improve crop breeding programmes used for three important agricultural crops: sugar beet, wheat and Miscanthus. Existing technologies are unfit for purpose and their use can be detremental to plant health and seed yield, and increase disease incidence and expense. A range of materials (films and nonwoven), fibre technologies and techniques will be investigated and trialled with academic and commercial breeders with the aim of developing the next generation of pollination control bags to improve breeding outcomes, reduce losses caused by poor temperature and humidity control within the bag, and increase seed yield. This will reduce costs for plant breeders and accelerate the rate at which new commercial crop varieties (with improved yields, drought, disease or pest resistance, and higher crop quality), can be discovered and brought to market.

This project aims to develop pollination control bags (PCB) from novel materials. PCBs need to allow light penetration and air circulation whilst maintaining humidity and temperature control and preventing other pollen from entering the bag.

Conventionally made from paper-based materials, alternative materials for PCBs (e.g. felt based) potentially offer advantages such as being less susceptible to ripping, and being more resistant to slug infestation. Ensuring that the PCB remains intact will ensure that only the parent pollen is present and will increase confidence in the provenance of the resulting hybrid. Improvements in seed set and germination by optimizing other conditions within the bag would dramatically increase the efficiency of plant breeding.

The project will result in a novel PCB material specification and PCB design. Data and evidence from material testing under greenhouse conditions to demonstrate feasibility for sugarbeet, miscanthus and wheat will also be generated. This demonstration of technical feasibility will then require assessment of manufacturing options and scale up prior to commercialization (approximately 12 months from project end).

The manufacturers of PCBs will benefit from the success of this project via an increased market share. Knock-on benefits will accrue to plant breeders. Advanced PCBs will improve seed set and germination rate and therefore decrease the number of crosses needed (perhaps by 50%), and will also allow scale-up of trialing progeny, thereby accelerating developing of new varieties. These cost savings will therefore accelerating the development of plants with useful characteristics (e.g. drought tolerance, suitability for local soil conditions, pest resistance, increased yield).

Farmers will be the direct beneficiaries of these advances in plant breeding. Increased financial returns and more confidence in crop choice will come from the ability to choose from a wider range of crop varieties than is available at present.

Clearly, the ultimate beneficiary of improved plant breeding is society at large via stable crop prices and improved UK food security (in relation to sugar beet and wheat). Improving the varieties of Miscanthus available would also facilitate its uptake amongst UK farmers and therefore contribute to UK bioenergy targets and a reduction in GHG emissions.

Whilst this project is focused on 3 key crops (sugar beet, wheat and miscanthus), optimizing PCBs for other crops may also be possible in further work.