Frequently Asked Questions
Find the answers to some common questions about SCRI, our research and gardening-related queries.
- What does SCRI stand for?
- How is SCRI funded?
- Can the public visit SCRI?
- How do I arrange a visit for my school or university?
- Does SCRI grow any GM crops?
- Where does SCRI have business links?
- What constitutes a berry?
- What is the difference between a berry and a currant?
- What is the Ben/Glen series of blackcurrants/raspberries and where can I buy them?
- Where can I buy Mayan Gold potatoes?
- What are berry bugs and how do you stop the itch?
- Why do we need earthworms?
- What is a flatworm and how do you get rid of them? How quickly do they multiply?
- How do wasps help in the garden?
The Scottish Crop Research Institute, Scotland’s leading crop research centre.
How is SCRI funded?SCRI receives funding from a range of sources each year. Approximately £10 million comes from the Scottish Government and the Government for scientific research work packages. SCRI also receives £1 million of funding from European Union sources.
Another £2 million is received in competitive government research contracts against many other competitors and a further £2 million comes from commercial contracts, including licences for potato and soft fruit varieties.
The SCRI site at Invergowrie is part of the local paths network which can be used at any time and there are signposts throughout the site indicating paths. The Living Field Community Garden has permanent information boards and can also be visited by individuals or small groups at any time.
How do I arrange a visit for my school or university?
The Science for Learning pages have more information about what is offered to schools and universities.
There are currently no field trials or commercially grown GM crops in Scotland.
Scientists at SCRI recently won a share of a £400,000 project to research techniques relevant for the safety assessment of GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) along with a team at the John Innes Centre in Norwich.
The research will focus on methods for determining whether plant genes may be ‘disrupted’ by the genetic modification process and if entirely new proteins might arise from the GM process. It will also help in the development of diagnostic tools for GM plants to enable scientists to trace GMOs in the food chain as part of Europe’s regulatory regime.
GM crop trials of potatoes with genes to produce resistance to late blight control were recently authorised to take place in England. Late blight caused the Irish potato famine in 1845. Currently, as far as we are aware, there are no plans for GM trials in Scotland.
Where does SCRI have business links?
SCRI has links with China, including a memo of understanding with a university and is exploring the possibility of potato research and development with them. It also has business links in North and South America, India and other parts of the Far East.
SCRI is also involved in some development work in Africa, for example helping with potato cultivation in Malawi.
What constitutes a berry?Berry is a broad term covering any small fleshy fruit with a succulent pericarp, usually containing more than one seed.
What is the difference between a berry and a currant?
Currant is a more specific term, usually referring to berries of the Ribes genus (that is black- and redcurrants but excluding the gooseberries). However, the term ‘currant’ can also refer to small dried seedless grapes (raisins) used in cooking. All currants are by definition also berries.
What is the Ben/Glen series of blackcurrants/raspberries and where can I buy them?
The blackcurrants and raspberries bred at SCRI can be readily identified by their names – each is prefixed by Ben in the case of blackcurrants, for example, Ben Hope, or by Glen for raspberry, for example, Glen Ample. A further example is the Loch series of SCRI-bred blackberries, for example, Loch Ness. Our varieties can be found in specialist fruit nurseries/propagators and good garden centres. Always buy plants from a reputable source to ensure material of a high health status.
Where can I buy Mayan Gold potatoes?
From a few selected Tesco and Sainsbury stores when they are in season, during the autumn. Tubers for planting and growing in your garden can be obtained from Thompson Morgan.
What are berry bugs and how do you stop the itch?
Berry bugs are tiny insects that live in the grass. Bites show up as small red bumps and can be very itchy. Calamine lotion or similar should soothe the itching. They are sometimes called harvest mites or bracken bugs.
Earthworms are important for decomposition of organic matter in soil. Also their burrows aid soil structure, drainage and aeration. Earthworms are an important component of the diets of birds and many animals such as hedgehogs and badgers.
What is a flatworm and how do you get rid of them? How quickly do they multiply?
A flatworm is a simple soft-bodied invertebrate that can be found in marine, freshwater, and typically damp soil environments. Flatworms exhibit an undulating form of movement. For further information see the flatworm page on Wikipedia.
In Scotland there are a handful of native flatworms which cause no threat to the environment. However, an alien flatworm species, commonly known as ‘the New Zealand flatworm’ arrived in Scotland during the mid-1960s and has now spread throughout the country.
Unlike our native flatworm species, this alien species is known to feed on earthworms which could have an impact on our environment. Currently, the only method that consistently works to get rid of flatworms is to stand on them.
Although we know a lot about the biology of the New Zealand flatworm, there is still much to learn including how quickly they multiply. Mature flatworms lay eggs which can contain up to nine young flatworms.
How do wasps help in the garden?
They eat lots of insects which can be pests.
