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THE STATUS OF TRADITIONAL SCOTTISH ANIMAL BREEDS AND PLANT VARIETIES AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR BIODIVERSITY
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER WORK, IDENTIFICATION OF RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS AND PRACTICAL DEVELOPMENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROMOTION OF TRADITIONAL CROPS
Potential further work
15.1 A distinct programme of development of new varieties for low input sustainable agriculture has advantages for both high and low input farming. In the case of high input farming many aspects of the current SCRI programme can be used to address these issues.
15.2 The identification of distinctive traits, e.g. if in Scots Bere there is a particularly well-developed antiporter system to sequester toxic ions in the vacuole or exudates to immobilise Al
+++ in the soil, then it would be possible to identify and transfer the genes efficiently from traditional to novel germplasm by marker assisted selection.
A survey of genetic variation related to the tolerance of Scots Bere to acid soils should be undertaken.
15.3 Traditional varieties may have traits of value in modern commerce such as an improvement in nitrogen use efficiency.
A study of genetic variation for nitrogen use efficiency in Scots Bere compared to other varieties should be undertaken.
15.4 In the broadest sense processing quality in barley can be considered to relate to animal fodder, human food (Bhatty, 1996) and malting. Much research relates to malting, brewing and distilling with less attention paid to food uses of barley in the UK although waxy, naked barley has been developed as a "new crop" in Canada (Bhatty, 1996). This is essentially because other cereals, when they can be cultivated, such as maize, sorghum, wheat and oats are preferred to barley for food. Scots Bere has been used to produce Bere Bannocks and in view of its high diastase levels in the Pentlandfield diallel experiment it may have use as a high lysine barley for animal or human food.
A survey of the nutrient value of Scots Bere should be undertaken.
15.5 In the case of low input systems in crofting the use of composite cross techniques in tandem with modern genetics appear to have many attractions:-
1) Distinctive traits of traditional varieties can be efficiently maintained by natural selection.
2) Farmers can be involved directly in the "breeding process".
3) Simple crop handling techniques can be applied.
The practicality of implementing such participatory breeding schemes for low input cropping should be examined.
15.6
Research should be conducted on development of a Scottish Seed Conservation mix to encourage farmland birds.
Research requirements
15.6
There is a need for further research into the effect that traditional barley and oat cultivars have on the biodiversity of the environments in which they are grown. There has been limited research in this area, and its results along with the body of anecdotal evidence suggests that these cereals have a major role to play in the management of the countryside. Cereal crops and potentially "conservation plots", that remain unharvested, are of great significance to insect, mammal and bird life and may have a particular role in crofting.
15.7
There needs to be a quantification of the traits traditional cultivars exhibit in relation to biodiversity, for example in adaptation to the climate and local soil types. Examples include oats tolerant of high manganese levels on alkaline soils or barleys tolerant of acidic soils.
15.8 Research in England has established the usefulness of growing cereal plots that are left un-harvested to encourage particular species of birds. In Scotland a spring sown crop could be more appropriate than winter sown mixtures. This is important if cropping continues to decline in crofting areas as a sown and left seed crop will support insect, mammal and birdlife.
There is a need for research on the varieties or mixtures suited to this purpose.
15.9
Research needs to be carried out on how best to manage cereals, particularly diploid oats for grazing and silage, to maximise biodiversity.
15.10
Investigations need to be carried out on the susceptibility of traditional barley and oat cultivars to diseases such as mildew and smut. It may be necessary to identify resistances and carry out backcrossing programmes to improve traditional cultivars.
15.11
There needs to be a general review of plant breeding programmes in relation to genetic diversity. It appears that selection for traits of use to modern systems have led to the loss of important characteristics found in traditional cultivars e.g. acid soil tolerance in barley.
15.12 The loss of the particular characteristics of traditional varieties was accelerated by the development of very dwarf types, between 1960s and 1980s that were well adapted to combine harvesting. Since that period the development of new genetical and tissue culture techniques have transformed the practice of barley improvement.
Consideration should be given to using these techniques to move traits from tall, six-row ear types to the shorter two-row ear types, widely used in Scotland.
Practical Developments
15.13
Encouragement needs to be given to farmers to co-operate with each other on seed production and the development of new cultivars. For example, the use of composite cross breeding for oats at the Scottish Plant Breeding Station demonstrated the potential of this technique and its simplicity means that it can be directly used by crofters given F
1 seed.
15.14
Further work is needed to look at objective techniques of prioritisation of seed conservation. There is no cereal genebank in Scotland and this does hamper cereal research.
Opportunities for promotion of traditional crops.
15.15 Bere bannocks and whisky are examples, respectively, of a niche product and main-stream product that rely on the "purity" of the Scottish environment. However the success of the whisky industry, where the major component, grain whisky, comes from "industrial distillation" rather than "Highland Streams", highlights the success of modern advertising.
There is an opportunity for greater promotion of local cereal-based products based on traditional varieties.
15.16 There are opportunities to market the products of traditional cultivars by modern methods. For example the internet can be used to bring together customers and suppliers to develop more efficient distribution systems.
The success of food supermarket groups in this area should be exploited by developing sponsorship schemes.
15.17 There is little recent information on some aspects of the performance of traditional cultivars.
Such information needs to be made available to allow their market niches to be exploited.
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