A cross-party group of MPs has viewed on-farm technology capable of slashing methane and ammonia emissions from stored slurry. The Environmental Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) committee MPs visited Holly Green Farm, near Prince’s Risborough, Bedfordshire, on 8 September as part of an ongoing food security inquiry. The farm is run by the Dyson family who milk 500 Holsteins and adopted the technology to help meet net-zero targets and reduce odours during slurry spreading.

Supplied by Danish firm N2 Applied, the treatment unit was installed in the spring of 2021. The equipment is housed in a converted shipping container and uses power drawn from solar panels. Manure is put into the unit where an electrical current is applied. This creates reactive nitrogen that is then pumped back into the slurry store. The process drops the pH and cuts the release of ammonia and methane from the slurry by 98%.

A new, genetically modified purple tomato has received a green light from the USDA. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced it has reviewed the new tomato from Norfolk Plant Sciences, which was modified to alter its color and enhance its nutritional quality.

“We found the plant is unlikely to pose an increased plant pest risk compared to other cultivated tomatoes, and is not subject to [the Code of Federal Regulations policy regarding the movement of GMO products]” the USDA said in a news release. “That means, from a plant pest risk perspective, this plant may be safely grown and used in breeding in the U.S. “

“We are now one step closer to my dream of sharing healthy purple tomatoes with the many people excited to eat them,” Cathie Martin said in the release. Martin developed the purple tomato by engineering a precise genetic “on switch,” derived from an edible flower.

Independent trials of a tractor-mounted electric weeding machine in maize and sugar beet crops have shown that the system can give full control of weeds. The Warwickshire-based weed control pioneer Rootwave is developing a chemical-free approach based on electricity, which is hoped to be available for broad-acre row crops in the coming years.

This season saw the experimental system undergo independent testing in commercial maize and sugar beet crops in Warwickshire and Norfolk. Rootwave chief executive officer Andrew Diprose says the independent tests showed that the system provides better weed control in fewer treatments, with no impact on crop or soil.

UK cereal yield potential is calculated to be between 14t/ha and 19t/ha, yet current averages are about 7-9t/ha, which gives considerable scope for improvements, say experts at crop consultant Adas’ Yield Enhancement Network (YEN).

Crop yields are a critical measurement and target for growers, but perhaps their greatest importance lies in their role in food security. “Yield has become somewhat unfashionable, despite its ultimate control over profitability and resource use efficiency,” says Roger Sylvester-Bradley, head of crop performance at Adas and YEN lead.

“There is huge capacity on farm to increase yields and, therefore, profitability. Yield potential is a good target for growers, breeders and industry to strive for to boost profits and food security, while also saving land for other uses,” adds Prof Sylvester-Bradley.

An intelligent field robot and X-ray technology, using sensors developed by the Fraunhofer Development Centre for X-ray Technology, are helping plant breeders select heat-tolerant plant varieties to sustain crop levels during extremely dry periods.

New research from crop research organisation NIAB and partners in China has, for the first time, linked drone-based, multi-season aerial plant phenotyping with dynamics of agronomic performance that associates with reliable DNA markers.

This will make it easier for crop breeders and researchers to select plants, or discover genes, based on marker patterns (genotypes) and desired traits (phenotypes).

Drones have great potential in plant breeding and crop research, collecting large-scale 2D/3D visual information from plants in field trials relatively easily and cost-effectively. Until now, it was difficult to use the data collected for reliable trait analysis and genetic mapping.

Scientists at Carlsberg Research Laboratory have invented an ultra-fast breeding technology for crops, which the brewer says will pave the way for crops of the future.

The GMO breeding method FIND-IT (Fast Identification of Nucleotide variants by droplet DigITal PCR) is expected to enhance yields, climate tolerance and quality of crops.

The research was published in the latest issue of Science Advances, Carlsberg added.

Consumers in the United States are generally favourable to the use of gene editing in agriculture, a new survey by the Alliance for Science and Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research finds. But that receptivity diminishes slightly when gene editing is discussed in relationship to genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

The findings result from an online survey of 1,012 persons over the age of 18 conducted between May 26-June 5, 2022. Though three-quarters of those surveyed said they have little understanding of gene editing, 52 percent felt it offered positive benefits for agriculture. That figure increased to 66 percent after the respondents read an informational paragraph about the technology.

Even people who remained consistently negative to gene editing became less so after learning more about the benefits, suggesting that increased education and outreach can achieve gains in the public’s acceptance of the technology.

The UK Government has today launched a UK-wide call for evidence asking agricultural industry, scientists and the wider public for information on the use of new types of animal feed products that can reduce methane emissions from livestock.

Ruminant livestock – cows and sheep - are the leading cause of farm greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, feed products with methane inhibiting properties have shown potential in reducing reduce GHG emissions, especially from housed cattle. These products may include ingredients like methane production inhibitors, seaweeds, essential oils, organic acids, probiotics, and antimicrobials.

The consultation has been launched in agreement with the Devolved Administrations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The governments are seeking to find out how farmers and agri-businesses can increase adoption of this technology to support more sustainable protein production.

Farmers, businesses and researchers are being invited to link up to apply for their share of £16.5m of Defra funding for sustainable farming projects.

The projects will help drive innovation in agriculture and horticulture as part of feasibility round two of the UK government’s £270m Farming Innovation Programme.

This aims to support farmers and growers with novel ideas to help grow food production, encourage sustainable farming practices and increase productivity.

A Yorkshire arable farmer who took part in the UK Government’s genetically modified crop Farm-Scale Evaluations over 20 years ago has criticised the BBC for 'failing to respect the science' in its coverage of genetic engineering in food and agriculture.

Phil Lodge, who farms on the outskirts of Doncaster, explained his reasons for taking part in the GM crop trials: “Having visited Manitoba and Saskatchewan in Canada in the 1990’s both pre- and post-adoption of GM canola, I was interested in the technology’s potential here in Britain. The economic and environmental benefits were clear. Scott Day, a pioneering Manitoba zero-till farmer, clocked 600 tractor hours/year pre-GM and 150 tractor hours/year with GM and zero-till, saving oceans of fuel on prairies and delivering benefits for soil conservation and wildlife."

But despite more than 25 years of large-scale commercial cultivation of GM crops around the world, without a single negative health outcome for humans or animals, reporting of the issue in the British media continues to imply that genetic engineering remains highly controversial and uncertain.

Plans have been unveiled for a new International Potato Innovation Centre (IPIC) in Scotland. Costing an estimated £40 million, it will be constructed at James Hutton Institute’s (JHI’s) Mylnefield campus and partner the International Barley Hub which is already under construction and likely to be completed in 2024.

Speaking at the Potatoes in Practice event on August 11 at JHI’s nearby Balruddery Farm, Prof Lesley Torrance, director of science at the institute, said there was a definite need for such a facility.

“The potato is the third most important staple food in the world and we urgently need varieties which can cope with climate change,” she said, adding JHI was ‘well placed’ to take the lead as a major provider of research in the UK.