United Kingdom
27 June 2025
The James Hutton Institute is hosting a cereal walk on 15th July at Balruddery farm, home to over 5,000 field plots demonstrating the wide range of research projects that are part of its International Barley Hub (IBH) programme.
Barley is an ancient crop that has undergone extensive range expansions since its origin in the middle east around 10,000 years ago.
Often known as the last crop before the desert, it is now cultivated from the Arctic Circle to the equatorial highlands and to southerly latitude, so it has adapted to a wide range of environments. Hutton scientists use this adaptive variation to develop novel varieties to tackle the challenges faced by the barley industry today.
Senior Postdoctoral Scientist, Dr Joanne Russell, said, “The IBH is a world-leading centre for barley research and is committed to advancing agricultural science that supports the entire industry, from breeders and growers to the Scottish whisky industry that is so vital for our economy.
“Our cutting-edge science is leading to new barley varieties that will potentially play a huge role in global food security.
“We are very much looking forward to sharing our work on this crop walk. Many of the trials our visitors will see are student projects which are sponsored by industry and cover a wide range of topics from agronomic and management practices to remote sensing, malting quality and breeding.”
There will be three one-hour tours, during which visitors can find out how scientists are exploring the possibility of retrieving valuable genetic biodiversity from wild barley species and re-introducing ‘lost’ genetic biodiversity into the barley breeding gene pool to future-proof this important crop. Their aim is to increase resilience to the changing climate and reduce barley’s carbon footprint while maintaining productivity and quality.
“We are very much looking forward to sharing our work on this crop walk. Many of the trials our visitors will see are student projects which are sponsored by industry and cover a wide range of topics from agronomic and management practices to remote sensing, malting quality and breeding.”
Dr Joanne Russell, The James Hutton Institute
Plotting the future: A cereal walk
The cereal walk will provide opportunities to learn more about the research projects currently taking place within the IBH and their potential global impact. Find out about studies into the efficient management of nutrients and fertilisers, combatting disease, the effect of increasingly frequent weather events, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the development of resilient and sustainable agronomic systems, approaches to refreshing the diversity in the genetically eroded barley breeding gene pool and much more.
For more information and to book a place, visit Plotting the future: A cereal walk Tickets, Tue, Jul 15, 2025 at 1:00 PM | Eventbrite
Topics
Species
