New breeder at Barenbrug has UK’s grass needs in sights

Barenbrug has signalled its ongoing commitment to top-class UK grass breeding with the appointment of Dr Charlotte Jones to the newly created position of Senior Breeder.

The country’s largest grower of grass seed, supplying thousands of tonnes each year to the agriculture and amenity sectors, says Dr Jones will head up a specialised forage breeding programme for the UK and Ireland based at the company’s new research site in Knutsford, Cheshire.

“This is a fabulous opportunity to create something really special,” enthuses Dr Jones. “We’re building on more than 30 years of breeding success here in the UK, a programme that has seen more than 50 varieties added to the Recommended List and cumulative grass yield increases of more than 0.5% per annum.

“For a breeder, this is an exciting time. UK agriculture is changing and shifting, and that’s what we’re here to help the industry with. We need new ryegrass varieties that can cope with changing weather and changing production objectives, and which are more compatible with more resilient species.

“Ryegrass is the most productive and nutritious grass available to farmers. But as a species it has a relatively shallow rooting system, which contributes to its failure to grow under water deficit.  For it to remain the grass of choice, these are just two of the traits that should be addressed,” she points out.

Dr Jones says traditional breeding programmes have emphasised above-ground performance, but with a more modern understanding of soil science now prevalent,

there are further opportunities to work out soil and root interactions and bring these onboard in setting breeding objectives.

Piet Arts, Barenbrug’s global research director, says with grass ‘the biggest crop in the world’, keeping the company at the forefront of research is essential. “Although Barenbrug has global resources, programmes, genetics to draw upon, it’s vital that the UK and Ireland have a bespoke, dedicated breeding programme that meets their current and future grass needs.

“This isn’t something that can be done from Europe, or New Zealand, or anywhere else,” he says. “With Charlotte’s appointment, we can increase our presence and commitment to the UK and Ireland, building on our UK heritage but now focusing on our own activities, breeding station and staff, no longer having to rely on an external partner.

“By exploring and exploiting all aspects of forage science, we can grow a competitive, expansive breeding programme that’s designed to meet future needs.”

Dr Jones has been involved in plant breeding throughout her career, following academic studies at Aberystwyth University. Her particular interests lie in trait discovery and the use of molecular tools to inform phenotype breeding.