Some interesting facts about the work carried out at SCRI

• Potato varieties bred at SCRI include Lady Balfour, the number one organic variety in Britain.
• Research has been carried out at SCRI on ways of increasing vitamin C content in potatoes.
• Mayan Gold is the first Phureja type of potato to be grown commercially in Europe.
• SCRI is developing new ways to reduce pesticides on soft fruit using biological control and plant-derived volatiles to trap insects.
• We are a world leader in assessing the biosafety of GM crops and have been involved in several national and international projects.
• SCRI scientists believe blackcurrants might be able to protect the human brain from Alzheimer’s disease.
• The SCRI “Vales Sovereign” potato was voted Tesco fresh produce Best New Variety in 2008.
• SCRI scientists have identified factors in wheat that influence the yield of alcohol from distillation.
• Current SCRI research is identifying and locating genetic factors controlling distilling quality in wheat.
• A new spin out company, EnPrint, has been launched that will analyse complex populations of micro-organisms in water samples as required by the EU Water Framework Directive
• SCRI is collaborating with a commercial wheat breeder to develop molecular markers for distilling quality.
• Food scientists at SCRI have developed a scoring chart that lets you know the relative nutrition benefits of fruits…the blackcurrant comes out top!
• Weather experts at SCRI have got access to over 40 years of meteorological data and it’s helping to track climate change.
• SCRI has been advising farmers they are likely to get longer growing seasons as climate change kicks in.
• SCRI has a distinguished board of governors drawn from farming and science. One of them was the first person to chair the Scottish Science Advisory Committee, Professor Wilson Sibbett.
• SCRI is getting members of the public to help track down rare wild flowers including the Scarlet Pimpernel, the Cornflower and the Corn Marigold.
• SCRI hosts the Commonwealth Potato Collection. Sounds wacky, but it is a major genebank containing 86 different species all related to S. tuberosum L.
• SCRI’s commercial wing, MRS, has taken equity in a Danasia, a joint venture with a Chinese and a Danish company that will grow and market soft fruit for the Chinese market using varieties bred at SCRI.
• Since the foundation of SCRI’s forerunner in 1920, the Scottish Plant Breeding Station, 32,740 potato crosses have been made and 72 cultivars released.
• SCRI is examining and mapping the genetic basis for complex characteristics of potato using molecular markers to screen for key quality and nutritional traits.
• SCRI’s ‘Ben’ series of blackcurrants make up 95 per cent of the UK crop and 50 per cent of all the blackcurrants grown in the world.
• SCRI scientists are part of a major EU consortium to increase the nutritional value of one of our staple foods: bread.
• SCRI may be deep into scientific research, but did you know we have an ‘artist in residence’? His name is Ronnie Forbes, RSA.
• An educational CD-Rom and learning programme called The Living Field has been rolled out to every school in Scotland.
• We’re breeding new varieties of blackcurrants here in Invergowrie especially for Ribena.
• Scientists at SCRI are leading a European consortium in a £2.5 million project to find out how to make healthy food even healthier.
• SCRI researchers are in the middle of a major project to learn how to tackle late potato blight. It’s the disease that caused the infamous Irish potato famine of the 19th century and it still costs the world £3 billion a year.
• SCRI’s commercial wing has signed agreements with more than 20 fruit growers in Spain allowing them to use the successful Scottish Glen Lyon raspberry variety.